At my wits end with my charging system.

[Scott Mc]

Ok, so I have had voltage issues off an on with my 65 bird. Had it working well till I put on the FI tech and additional accessories(too much amperage) so I switched to an internal regulated tuff stuff 100 amp alternator a few months back. Life was glorious untill it killed the bearings (followed by internals) in BFE Conroe. I plugged my external regulator back in and slapped an Autozone alternator on it to get home. The volts never got above 12.8 on the way home. Warrantied the internal regulated for a high amp external, replaced the regulator and now I am in the same place. I have tested all my connections, wires and grounds. Used my meter to test all connections and draws and they are below all guidelines. I have called my tech buddies and we are at a loss. The only thing we can figure is the battery (running a 6 month old, top end dodge charger battery) has lost a cell or has (new to me) a cold cell. It is the last part to replace, but I have doubts on that being the fix. Any of you guys have any ideas?

[Scott Mc]

Oh it volt dumps hard under load from lights, ac, windows etc also

[AnthonyS]

1965 wiring? Try adding an additional ground from battery to frame. A lot of times when you can’t get enough current it’s due to a suboptimal ground.

[Scott Mc]

Yep. Everything has its own grounds(new) to either welded bungs or bolted nuts with star washers. All wires test out and are clear from corrosion.

[shumpertdavid]

You need someone that can test the internal impedance of the battery, properly load test it, and can check to see what kind of amp output the alternator is doing when you put a load on the system like headlights, blower motor, a/c, etc

[Scott Mc]

Yea, taking it to oriellys and hoping one of the smart ones is working tomorrow. I know bad parts do happen in a row but I really don't think it's the alternator.

[Gasser64]

I've had them test a battery and their tester shows it was good. And the problem was that the battery was bad. Same thing for a starter. I don't trust their tests anymore.

I remember back in the 2000s they would put a battery in some box with a thick plexiglass window. They'd load test it. Sometimes the battery would go off like a cannon and scare the shit outta everyone in the store.

[line-em-up]

I've had them test a battery and their tester shows it was good. And the problem was that the battery was bad. Same thing for a starter. I don't trust their tests anymore.

I remember back in the 2000s they would put a battery in some box with a thick plexiglass window. They'd load test it. Sometimes the battery would go off like a cannon and scare the shit outta everyone in the store.

Vatozone did the same thing with me with a starter or alternator. I don't remember which. It tested good for them, but I went ahead and replaced it and my problem was gone.

[line-em-up]

If you think it could be the battery, then try out another battery on it.

Personally, I've never seen a battery so bad that it would pull enough current to drop the alternator voltage down like that.

[Z06killinsbf]

How did you wire it? To my knowledge you need to ditch the external regulator harness and just run the 2 wires. If you have the same number I’ll text you what i used as a diagram.

[Baron Von Crowder]

Id put a one wire converted 3g on it and be done.

[Scott Mc]

Battery tested out good and we swapped to make sure. The new tuff stuff alternator is already squealing and failed so its time for a different brand one wire.

[bubbaearl]

old wiring can be tricky. internal corrosion or oxidation of the copper core can create resistance . over the years i have had old wiring give me fits.

[scootro]

you wore out the alternator bearings? how tight is that belt?

[Scott Mc]

Well it turns out that on this 65 bird it runs a 3 wire regulator that is different from the standard Ford and has been a big issue that I overlooked. I did a 3G conversion today, cold its 14.4 and big block in Texas hot it was at 13.5 at 600 rpm. It almost always is something silly. Thank ya DJ on the confirmation and thanks to all who helped me deal with this silly issue. Oh the belt was tight to the lowest passing point with the bearing failure alternators. Both were Tuff Stuff alternators from summit with 5 stars, guess it was just bad luck.