Very Noisy Voltage Regulator

1884 Views 3 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Big Dave, Jun 16, 2006

71ventura

Discussion Starter · Jun 15, 2006

Hello All

I've got a 71 Ventura with an electrical issue. My Voltage Regulator is emmitting a LOUD noise. It doesn't do it all the time, but if I put the car in a different gear (Automatic), the GEN light usually comes on and the Volt Reg makes a horrible buzzing. Sometimes just for a second, other times it will stay like that until I change gear or give the car a good amount of gas. It will also do this while driving, with the reg making noise and the light coming on, going off, and so on. The Alt checked out okay, I replaced the Ignition switch and light switch. I changed to a new Voltage Reg, but it is still doing the same thing.

Any ideas, thank you!!!!

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NovatoriusRex

· #2 · Jun 15, 2006

Have you started checking for loose wires or bad connections??? That buzzing sounds like the contacts inside the voltage regulator opening & closing rapidly.

That'd either be due to a bad regulator or loose connections making the regulator think it needs to go nuts to provide adequate voltage.

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71ventura

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jun 16, 2006

I have been looking for bad connections, but no luck so far. I do have a bad dimmer switch (?)...when I push it the lights just go out. I still have dims and I am sure that the headlights are good. Could a bad dimmer cause this problem?

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Big Dave

· #4 · Jun 16, 2006

You may also have blown one (or more) of the six diodes in the alternator that rectify the three phase AC current it generates into the DC current the car needs to run. This results in a low voltage condition at low RPM as the alternator can no longer out put full voltage (acts like a dead winding).

Big Dave

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