Charging System Fluctuating 10 to 14 Volts

[LJ-TJ]

I got something weird going on with the charging system. Sometimes when I start the rig I get 14 volt charge. When I check the battery condition I get 14 volt charge, when I go out and check it at the battery I get 14 volt charge. Boogieing down the road and the next time I check I'm getting 10 volt charge. Check it at the battery and I'm getting 10 volt charge. NOW the next time I go out start the rig and start heading down the road and check the battery condition it will read 10 volts down the road a little bit and do a battery check and it will read 14 volts go figure. i??

[Elandan2]

Does your fridge operate on 12 volts?  They have a huge draw when the heater is running.  I know ours acts like that if the fridge is on 12 volt.  Rick

[LJ-TJ]

Naw the fridge was on propane. Hm?

[Elandan2]

You could try the voltage regulator.  They are an electronic unit and I can't see how it could do that, but if you have another one around, try swapping them out.  Rick

[LJ-TJ]

Don't want to jump to conclutions BUT changed out the voltage regulator which was the original from 1975 and was reading 14 volts at the battery with the rig running. I'll know a little better tomorrow after I head out. I'll let ya know when I get back after the weekend. Dam it's nice to finally have a rig you can kind a go away with for a weekend.

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Corroded connectors, resulting in intermittant connections, can cause this problem.  Heat (expansion and contraction) can also cause parts in the alternator or regulator to have intermittant issues.  As shown on the "Charging" system links on my web page (http://dave78chieftain.zxq.net/index.html) there is not much to the charging system.

Dave

[LJ-TJ]

Well gang just got back from a three hundred mile trip and everything worked fine. Changed out the voltage regulator and the charging system maintained a 14 volt charge for the hole trip. One problem solved..

[Oz]

Awesome!  Chalk-up another win for the good guys!