Doh I guess I've got myself another project.. I'll probably just do the alternator, water pump and regulator and just make sure everything is new for the trek to oregon.. I'd hate to have this stuff bite me in the ass on the way down..

-Richard

By Darrell--Arizona-- (68.109.151.121) on Monday, January 17, 2005 - 07:06 pm:

Yeah your DC level went up. The timing of the blinkers often depends on when a capacitor charges. If the voltage is higher, the capacitor will charge faster and the bulb will blink faster.

The early regulators suck! The regulators are mechanical relays that knock down the voltage, but they don't really regulate like today's regulators. I think the relay position depends on alternator speed and voltage output. So maybe it got stuck in one position, or maybe they are working fine and your alternator is kicking out some serious voltage and your regulator isn't made for it so it just passes it along.

Anyhow you can take your regulator apart and look around. You can clean the contacts and make sure everything looks ok. You can also have your alternator tested a local autoparts store.

Good luck.

By Chaffneue (Chaffneue) (66.183.190.188) on Monday, January 17, 2005 - 12:07 am:

Hey folks.. i was driving around and everything was fine and then all of the sudden the dash lights got incredibly bright, the turn signals went off their normal timing and the wipers went across the window much faster. I'm guessing my DC level went up, and I'm pretty sure it's the voltage regulator, but could this be a sign of a dead alternator as well? the battery was still fully charged and the charge light did not come on while I was coming home. I also heard the alternator belt slipping (making a squeaking sound) really bad every time I slowed to idle, but I checked and the belt is still tight ( I renewed it about 3 months ago). Anyone experienced this before? I have a new regulator to swap, but I don't have an alternator. :/

-Richard