red light

[maxhafli]

Hello to all
I have a problem with the system battery charge.
yesterday going with the Haflinger at night, I saw that the red light on the battery charge, does not turn off completely, but remains on, the day is not seen, at night yes!
Some other experien ? Any solution? Thank you!

[Fishfood]

Its propabaly on during the day as well. Check your battery voltage when stationary and the engine not running. Then start the engine and run the engine at a reasonable revs. You should get more than just battery volts when running. You should be able to see the dynamo cut in as the revs rise and the battery is being charged. Check your idling voltage and adjust if necessary
Check your v belt tension is correct (10-20mm), is the belt slipping?
You need to check the comutators carbon brushes. The brushes wear and either get too short and the spring doesn't give enough force for them to make contact or the get dirty and ming up the place. Check, clean or replace.

[heinkeljb]

I don't think you have a big problem, but below are some ideas you can try.

What sort of head lights bulbs are you using? they are supposed to be 35 Watt for both the main light and the dipped light.
(sometimes people put 55/60watt because they either want betters lights or they can't find the right ones)

The Red light "glowing dim" at night does not really mean there is anything MAJOR wrong, just that the amount of electricity the Dynastart is making is not "quite" enough to cover the amount being used.

So for example:-

2 x 35 watt (Headlights)
2 x 4 watt (Little parking light bulbs in headlight cases)
2 x 10 watt (Rear red lights)
Total 98 watts

Then the amount for the Ignition (sparks) ~ 80 watts

Total 178 watts. The total produced by the Dyanastart 240 watts. This leaves 62 watts to cover all the other things you might "just" use: Brake lights, indicators, windscreen wipers, Horn, and to charge the battery. 62 watts = 5.15amps

So if you are using any which is different from the things that were originally fitted to the Haflinger, like more lights, radio, phone charger then it is possible if your Dynastart is not producing 240 watts, that you are using more electricity than it is producing.


Okay, so some tests you can do:-

1: check all the bulbs so you know the Watts for each (see above). They should have a label on them like this 12V 21/5W (for brake light with two lfillaments in one bulb, or 12v 35/35W for head lights, or 12V 5W for the little bulbs. (They might be different numbers so write them down)
2: In the evening, when it is dark enough, run the engine:-

With NO lights:-
Does the red ignition light glow? Dim, probably nothing to worry about. Bright, probably nothing to worry about - maybe idle speed to slow.
Does it go out when you make the engine go faster? Yes, probably nothing to worry about. No, Regulator box in engine compartment needs looking at.
With Lights ON:
Does the red light glow? Dim, probably nothing to worry about. Bright, probably nothing to worry about - maybe idle speed to slow.
Does it get dimmer as you increase the engine speed? Yes = probably nothing to worry about. No = Regulator box in engine compartment needs looking at.

If you Head lights get "brighter" when you make the engine go faster, then the regulator is doing what it is supposed to do, but maybe not quite enough to keep the battery charged if you use the Haflinger a lot at night with the lights on.

It would be worth getting the battery charged on a battery charger for 12 hours or so.

There is a section in the Repair manual which explains how the regulator in the engine compartment works and what it should produce in idea conditions, If you can get yours anywhere near those figures then it probably is Okay.

John

[maxhafli]

Thanks for the tips! I must say that the red indicator light remains lit even slightly during the day, going into a dark place you see .....
The night is still slightly lit even without lights or other ....
The battery is fully charged, maybe I should see the wiper dinamotor, this next maintenance ........ hoping !

[heinkeljb]

There are two places you can look at.

The first one is the brushes in the Dynastart - as already posted, they should be free to move with the spring. If they are stuck or are too short, they need replacing. Also check the surface they tough on the commutator, This should be smooth and shiny, not black with ridges in it.

The second it the regulator box. The Repair manual has a section which tells you what each bit does and gives some tests and checks you can do to make sure it is working correctly. It is possible to adjust it to give slightly more output but then you run the risk of some thing burning out.

Does your Haflinger suffer from a flat battery after you have been using it?

If not, then there is not a lot wrong, and trying to clean / fix things might not make it any better. During the winter when you are using it with the lights on all the time, most old vehicles will require the battery to be charged up using a battery charger.

John

[maxhafli]

These days I have made ​​several trips, the battery has always remained charged.

You have a few months ago, I installed a voltage regulator 24 A. instead of its 20 A. this element could be the cause?

[heinkeljb]

It is certainly possible that the different regulator is not set exactly the same as the original one. If you are not suffering from a flat battery when you have been driving around with the lights on, then it is still charging the battery, but just not with as much current as it might.

It certainly isn't doing a lot of harm if the battery remains charged.

John

[Tennmogger]

Suggest using a voltmeter and actually knowing what is going on. If the battery is not being charged up to at least 13.8 +/- (up to 14.4+/- preferably) then you know to troubleshoot further.

I do not know the Haflinger electrical system. However, based on knowledge of how the Unimog does it, the red light is an indication of field voltage and current. The red bulb voltage is proportional to difference between field voltage (as determined by the voltage regulator) and generator output (battery) voltage. If battery voltage is not brought up by the generator then there's a red light.

Putting the wrong bulb in the red light socket can effect field voltage. On a 'mog, take out the bulb and the system quits charging completely, showing the significance of the bulb.

A battery with a shorted cell can cause a dim red light. The reminder of the cells can be pulled high (too high) but not high enough to add up to VR's set point.

Does the Hafi start like it might have low voltage?

Bob

[heinkeljb]

I agree the best option would be to put an ammeter and a voltmeter in to the circuit, but I didn't think this was the easiest option for someone who does not have the knowledge or the equipment to do it correctly. - There is a big risk of an electrical fire form doing this task wrong!

Don't get me wrong - it is the correct way to check the system, but the suggestion given already are a quick way to decide if further diagnostics are necessary.

John