C.E. Niehoff & Co. C619, C630, N1222, N1223, A1-607 Troubleshooting Guides
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C.E. Niehoff & Co.
C630, C619, N1222, N1223, A1-607, A1-608
Alternator Troubleshooting Guide
Hazard Defi nitions
These terms are used to bring attention to presence of hazards of
various risk levels or to important information concerning product
life.
Indicates presence of hazards that
CAUTION
will or can cause minor personal
injury or property damage.
Indicates special instructions on
NOTICE
installation, operation or mainte nance that are important but not
related to personal injury hazards.
Table of Contents
Section A: Wiring Diagram .......................................2
Section B: Basic Troubleshooting .............................3
Section C: Advanced Troubleshooting ................ 4 – 6
Section D: Regulator Upgrade Guide ........................7
Battery Conditions
Until temperatures of electrical
NOTICE
system components stabilize, these
conditions may be observed during
cold-start voltage tests.
• Maintenance/Low Maintenance Battery
— Immediately after engine starts, system volts are
lower than regulator setpoint, amps are medium.
— 3–5 minutes into charge cycle, system volts
increase, amps decrease.
— 5–10 minutes into charge cycle, system volts
increase to, or near, regulator setpoint and amps
decrease to a minimum.
— Low maintenance battery has same characteristics
with slightly longer recharge times.
• Maintenance-free Battery
— Immediately after engine starts, system volts are
lower than regulator setpoint, low charging amps.
— Once charge cycle begins, low volts and low amps
are still present.
— After alternator energizes, voltage will increase
several tenths. Amps will increase gradually, then
quickly, to medium to high amps.
— F i n a l l y , v o l t s w i l l i n c r e a s e t o s e t p o i n t a n d a m p s w i l l
decrease.
The time it takes to reach optimum voltage and amperage will vary with engine speed, load, and ambient
temperature.
• High-cycle Maintenance-free Battery
These batteries respond better than standard maintenance-free. Charge acceptance of these batteries may
display characteristics similar to maintenance batteries.
• AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) Maintenance-free Batter y
These dry-cell batteries respond better than standard
maintenance-free. If battery state of charge drops to
75% or less, batteries should be recharged to 95% or
higher separately from the engine’s charging system to
avoid damaging charging system components and to
provide best overall performance. Charge acceptance of
these batteries may display
maintenance batteries.
characteristics similar to
Battery Charge Volt and Amp Values
Volt and amp levels fluctuate depending on the battery state
of charge. If batteries are in a state of discharge—as after
extended cranking time to start the engine—system volts
will measure lower than the regulator setpoint after the
engine is restarted and system amps will measure higher.
This is a normal condition for the charging system; the
greater the battery discharge level, the lower the system
volts and the higher the system amps. The volt and amp
readings will change as batteries recover and become fully
charged: system volts will increase to regulator setpoint
and system amps will decrease to low level (depending on
other loads).
• Low Amps: Minimum or lowest charging system amp
value required to maintain battery state of charge,
obtained when testing the charging system with a fully
charged battery and no other loads applied. This value
will vary with battery type.
• Medium Amps: System amps value which can cause
the battery temperature to rise above adequate charging
temperature within 4-8 hours of charge time. To prevent battery damage, the charge amps should be
reduced when battery temperature rises. Check battery
manufacturer’s recommendations for proper charge
amp rates.
• High Amps: System amps value which can cause
the battery temperature to rise above adequate charging
temperature within 2-3 hours of charge time. To prevent battery damage, the charge amps should be
reduced when battery temperature rises. Check battery
manufacturer’s recommendations for proper charge
amp rates.
• Battery Voltage: Steady-state voltage value as mea-
sured with battery in open circuit with no battery load.
This value relates to battery state of charge.
• Charge Voltage: Voltage value obtained when the
charging system is operating. This value will be higher
than battery voltage and must never exceed the regulator voltage setpoint.
• B+ Voltage: Voltage value obtained when measuring
voltage at battery positive terminal or alternator B+
terminal.
• Surface Charge: Higher than normal battery voltage
occurring when the battery is disconnected from
battery charger. The surface charge must be removed
to determine true battery voltage and state of charge.
• Significant Magnetism: Change in strength or inten-
sity of a magnetic field present in alternator rotor shaft
when the field coil is energized. The magnetic field
strength when the field coil is energized should feel
stronger than when the field is not energized.
• Voltage Droop or Sag: Normal condition occurring
when the load demand on alternator is greater than
rated alternator output at given rotor shaft RPM.
TG8B
Page 1
Section A: Wiring Diagrams
CEN C630/C619/N1222/N1223/A1-607/A1-608
Alternators Description and Operation
The C630 alternator (14 V, 350 A), C619 alternator
(14 V, 340 A), N1222/A1-608 alternators (14 V, 290 A)
and N1223/A1-607 alternators (14 V, 250 A) are internally rectified. All windings and current-transmitting
components are non-moving, so there are no brushes or
slip rings to wear out. This unit is externally energized
through either an ignition switch or an energize switch
(commonly an oil pressure switch), which activates regulator. Field coil is then energized. Regulator maintains
alternator output voltage at regulated setting as vehicle
electrical loads are switched on and off. Alternator output current is self-limiting and will not exceed rated
capacity of alternator.
A2-121 regulator used with all units has a 15.5 V regulator setpoint available for battery isolator applications.
Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is suppressed with
internal filters to acceptable levels defined by the Society
of Automotive Engineers (SAE) specification J1113/41.
A2-121 regulator will not reduce EMI from sources such
as antennas, poor cable routing practice, or other electronic devices that cause EMI. If EMI continues, consult
an electromagnetic compliance (EMC) specialist to
determine EMI source.
P3
P2
F+ Terminal
E or IGN
P1
B+ Terminal
B– Terminal
Figure 1 — Alternator with A2-121 Regulator
RECTIFIER
STATOR
STATOR
ALTERNATOR
or IGN
FIELD
B+
F+
P2
P3
B–
P1
E
G
BR
W
R
A
B
C
E
ENERGIZE
SWITCH
REGULATOR
BATTERY
LOAD
Page 2
Figure 2 — Alternator Wiring Diagram
TG8B
Section B: Basic Troubleshooting
Tools and Equipment for Job
• Digital Multimeter (DMM)
• Ammeter (digital, inductive)
• Jumper wires
• CEN Regulator Bypass Adapter A10-129
• 12 V test light
Identifi cation Record
List the following for proper troubleshooting:
Alternator model number _________________________
Regulator model number ________________________
Setpoints listed on regulator _____________________
Preliminary Check-out
Check symptoms in Table 1 and correct if necessary.
TABLE 1 – System Conditions
SYMPTOM ACTION
Low Voltage Output
High Voltage Output
No Voltage Output
Check: loose drive belt; low
battery state of charge.
Check: current load on system
is greater than alternator
can produce.
Check: defective wiring or poor
ground path; low regulator
setpoint.
Check: defective alternator
or regulator.
Check: wrong regulator.
Check: high regulator setpoint.
Check: defective regulator.
Check: alternator.
Check: broken drive belt.
Check: battery voltage at alternator
output terminal.
Check: defective alternator
or regulator.
Failure to check for the following
NOTICE
conditions will result in erroneous
test results in the troubleshooting
charts.
Basic Troubleshooting
1. Inspect charging system components for damage
Check connections at B– cable, B+ cable, and
regulator harness. Also check connections at
regulator terminal wiring from regulator to vehicle
components. Repair or replace any damaged
component before electrical troubleshooting.
2. Inspect vehicle battery connections
Connections must be clean and tight.
3. Check drive belt
Repair or replace as necessary.
4. Determine battery voltage and state of charge
If batteries are discharged, recharge or replace
batteries as necessary. Electrical system cannot be
properly tested unless batteries are charged 95% or
higher.
5. Determine if battery isolator is used in
charging circuit
Check vehicle wiring diagram. If so, you must
jumper isolator before troulbleshooting. See
Chart 1 on page 4 for deatils.
6. Connect meters to alternator
Connect red lead of DMM to alternator B+
terminal and black lead to alternator B– terminal.
Clamp inductive ammeter on B+ cable.
7. Operate vehicle
Observe charge voltage.
If charge voltage is above
16.5 volts, immediately shut
down system. Electrical
system damage may occur if
charging system is allowed to
operate at high voltage.
Go to Table 1.
If voltage is at or below regulator setpoint, let
charging system operate for several minutes to
normalize operating temperature.
8. Observe charge volts and amps
Charge voltage should increase and charge amps
should decrease. If charge voltage does not
increase within ten minutes, continue to next step.
9. Battery is considered fully charged if charge
voltage is at regulator setpoint and charge amps
remain at lowest value for 10 minutes.
10. If charging system is not performing properly,
CAUTION
go to Chart 1, page 4.
TG8B
Page 3
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