[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > well gang here we go again preventative maintainance 101 I have a reoccurring > no charge problem I had the contacts cleaned on the reg and voila I got > some good charge or''"I gotta charge out of that " so I fleww around the > pattern and smiled thinking W OW that was easy Yeah right, next day the > very slight discharge returned so we cleaned the wires going to the > generator -no luck thats about all we coud do anyway -right? Preventatively > speaking.... now I,m in a situation we all hate which is it the reg or the > gen there is a way that the mechanic can test this but I want to assist so > that I don't have to mortgage my kids for a miss diagnosis > It's kin of like the guy who went to the doctor and the doctor told him that > he had to have his right leg removed because of some problem so the > surgeon flipped the X rays around the wrong way and removed the left leg > in error the guy wakes up and > the error is noted so they get him back in surgery and remove the other leg > . the guy wakes up and says to the surgeon I'm going to sue you , you > butcher you > and the doctor looks him in the eye and says good luck buddy "you don't > have a leg to stand on go ahead ..I know what does this have to do with an > electrical problem I'm really not sure at least I still have a sense of > humor before the surgery > and I hope to get a charge out of it HA HA > > diagnostically spaeking is there a good test to tell if its the reg or the > generator > not that I'm going to do it I just want to help with the assist you know > > also thanx to dallas larson for the deal on the wheel pants i finally > finished painting them and had them installed just after the Nationals they > reALLY DRESS up the airplane greatly . ( I hope FED EX found his check) > > dennis 99564
Hi Dennis,
This probably isn't even worth 02 cents, but it sounds to me like
there
is a loose connection. (as if something inside the regulator got
"jiggled" while you were cleaning the contacts. It worked for a short
time and then the vibration "shook" it loose again) (also, a possible
loose, dirty or corroded connector that fastens the harness onto the
regulator. This would not be visible, externally).
I had a similar situation with the electric windows on my car,
some
times they worked and sometimes they didn't. They all worked on their
own switch, but the problem was with the main switch on the drivers
door. (The switch checked out okay) So.... a visible inspection, inch by
inch and wiggle by wiggle of each individual wire found the problem.
Opening and closing the drivers door over the years had the same effect
on the harness as taking a piece of wire in your hands and, by repeated
bending back and forth, you can eventually break the wire into two
pieces. At this point it will 'occasionally' make contact and work
temporarily since the cloth covering is holding the two ends very near
each other and sometimes the vibration makes them touch and make
contact. Once the problem was located, a simple splice solved my entire
problem.
If your wires are original, or at least pretty old, (or if a
terminal
connector has been replaced at some time in the past and wasn't
'crimped' tightly enough) one of the connectors at either end of any one
of the wires could be the problem. Troubleshooting an intermittent
electrical problem is the "project from hell"! Usually, the resulting
repair is quite simple (although sometimes quite costly).
Another idea, ask your mechanic if he will take a 'same type'
regulator
off of another plane that is working perfectly and hook it into your
system and check your system that way. If it works you'll need a new
regulator, if it still doesn't work then it's either the harness or the
Generator.
To check the harness, get an ohmeter with alligator clips on the
ends
of both leads. Disconnect both ends of each wire in your charging system
(one wire at a time) and clip the meter leads to the two ends of the
wire. Wiggle, twist and tweek every inch of the wire that you can get
to, from one end to the other, while watching the needle (or reading if
it's digital) for a drop to 'zero', thus indicating an 'open' in the
wire. ESPECIALLY WIGGLE THE CONNECTORS ON BOTH ENDS OF THE WIRE FOR A
POOR CONNECTION OF THE TERMINAL ONTO THE WIRE. Corrosion inside the
terminal could be your culprit.
Another fairly easy check would be to remove your generator and
take it
to an automotive (did I really say that?) generator repair facility and
although he probably won't want to work on it since it's aircraft and he
isn't 'FAA approved' (and it wouldn't be legal on your plane anyway if
he worked on it) he can set it up on his machine and turn it at various
RPM's and see if it is putting out a charge on his test bench. If you
'beg' him for help 'just to check it for you' and offer him a few bucks
for his time I don't see why he wouldn't help you out as far as "just
testing" it for you.
I hope any, or all, of these ideas can help you. If not then they
are
worth exactly what you paid for them. $0.00, right.
Good Luck Dennis,
Bob Saville
N3396H 415C
Eugene, OR
BTW, have you checked your A/C logbook for compliance with SB95-3A
(ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR DRIVE COUPLING INSPECTION) from TCM? I mentioned
this to you when you first posted your problem and I don't remember if
you replied or not. If you haven't done this yet, you can do it while
you have the generator off for 'testing'.
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