C.E. Niehoff & Co. N1509, N1511, N2003 Troubleshooting Guides
500 Series Troubleshooting Guide
for N1509 and N1511 Alternators
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
CAUTION
that will or can cause minor personal
injury or property damage if ignored.
Indicates special instructions
NOTICE
on installation, operation or maintenance that are important but not related to
personal injury hazards.
Table of Contents
Section 1: Wiring Diagram ........................................2
Section 2: Basic Troubleshooting .............................3
Section 3: Advanced Troubleshooting ................ 4 – 8
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 with medium
amps.
— 3-5 minutes into charge cycle, higher system
volts and reduced amps.
— 5-10 minutes into charge cycle, system volts
are at, or nearly at, regulator setpoint, and
amps are reduced to a minimum.
— Low maintenance battery has same charac teristics with slightly longer recharge times.
• Maintenance-free battery:
— Immediately after engine start, system volts
are lower than regulator setpoint with low
charging amps.
— 15-30 minutes into charge cycle, still low volts
and low amps.
— 15-30 minutes into charge cycle, volts increase
several tenths. Amps increase gradually, then
quickly to medium to high amps.
— 20-35 minutes into charge cycle, volts increase
to setpoint and amps decrease.
• 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.
Charge Volt and Amp Values
The volt and amp levels are a function of the battery
state of charge. If batteries are in a state of discharge,
as after extended cranking time to start the engine, the
system volts, when measured after the engine is started
will be lower than the regulator setpoint and the system
amps will be high. This is a normal condition for the
charging system. The measured values of system volts
and amps will depend on the level of battery discharge.
In other words, the greater the battery discharge level,
the lower the system volts and higher the system amps
will be. The volt and amp readings will change, system
volts reading will increase up to regulator setpoint and
the system amps will decrease to low level (depending
on other loads) as the batteries recover and become fully
charged.
• Low Amps: A 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: A system amps value which can
cause the battery temperature to rise above the
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 rates of charge amps.
• High Amps: A system amps value which can cause
the battery temperature to rise above adequate charging temperature within 2-3 hours. To prevent battery
damage the charge amps should be reduced when
the battery temperature rises. Check battery manufacturer’s recommendations for proper rates
of charge amps.
• 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: A 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: A voltage value obtained when measur-
ing voltage at battery positive terminal or alternator
B+ terminal.
• Surface Charge: A higher than normal battery volt-
age occurring when the battery is removed from a
battery charger. The surface charge must be removed
to determine true battery voltage and state of charge.
• Significant Magnetism: A change in the strength or
intensity of a magnetic field present in the 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: A normal condition which
occurs when the load demand on the alternator is
greater than rated alternator output at given rotor
shaft RPM.
TG0014D
Page 1
Section 1: Wiring Diagram
CEN N1509 and N1511 Dual Voltage
Alternator Description and Operation
N1509 and N1511 100 A (28 /14 V) dual voltage
alternators are internally rectified. All windings and
current-transmitting components are non-moving,
so there are no brushes or slip rings to wear out.
Energize switch (commonly an oil pressure switch)
activates regulator. Field coil is then energized. Upper
voltage (28 V) is rectified with standard diodes. Lower
voltage (14V) circuit output current is controlled by
SCRs in the drive end housing. Alternator output current is self-limiting and will not exceed rated capacity
of alternator.
N3207 regulator used with some units:
• maintains alternator output voltage at regulated
settings as vehicle electrical loads are switched
on and off.
• maintains equal voltage across battery terminals
of series-connected batteries.
N2003 load and battery control device (LBCD) used
with these units provides dual-voltage reverse polarity
protection and independant control of battery-charging current.
14 V System
LED Indicator
AC terminal
Figure 1 — N1509 Alternator and N3207 Regulator Termi-
T
T
T
14V
28V
AC
T
E
nals
28 V System
LED Indicator
E terminal
T
T
T
28 V B+
terminal
14 V B+
terminal
B– Terminal
Figure 1 — N1511 Alternator and N3207 Regulator Termi-
nals
Page 2
Figure 2 — N1509 and N1511 Alternators with Regulator
TG0014D
Section 2: Basic Troubleshooting
A. Tools and Equipment for Job
• Digital Multimeter (DMM)
• Ammeter (digital, inductive)
• Jumper wires
If no tools are available, monitor LED code.
B. Identifi cation Record
List the following for proper troubleshooting:
Alternator model number ______________________
T
Regulator model number ______________________
T
Setpoint listed on regulator ____________________
T
T
LBCD model number __________________________
C. Preliminary Check-out
Check symptoms in Table 1 and correct if necessary.
TABLE 1 – System Conditions
SYMPTOM
Low Voltage Output
High Voltage Output
No Voltage Output
No 14 V Output
Check: loose drive belt; low bat-
tery 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
and/or regulator.
Check: wrong regulator.
Check: high regulator setpoint.
Check: defective regulator.
Check: alternator.
Check: presence of energize
signal.
Check: battery voltage at alter-
nator output terminal.
Check: defective alternator
and/or regulator.
Go to “Flashing Amber” in
Table 2, page 6.
ACTION
D . Basic Troubleshooting
1. Inspect charging system components
Check connections at ground cables, positive
cables, and regulator harness. Repair or replace
any damaged component before troubleshooting.
2. Inspect load and battery control device
connections
Connections must be in proper sequence and
clean and tight. See Figure 5, page 7.
3. Inspect connections of vehicle batteries
Connections must be clean and tight.
4. Determine battery type, voltage and state
of charge
Batteries must be all the same type for system
operation. If batteries are discharged, recharge
or replace batteries as necessary. Electrical
system cannot be properly tested unless batter ies are charged 95% or higher. See page 1 for
details.
5. Connect meters to alternator
Connect red lead of DMM to alternator 28 V B+
terminal and black lead to alternator B– termi nal. Clamp inductive ammeter on 28 V B+
cable.
6. Operate vehicle
Observe charge voltage.
If charge voltage is above
33 volts for 28 V system
or 16 V for 14 V system, immediately shut down system.
Electrical system damage may occur if charging system
is allowed to operate at excessive voltage. Go to
Table 1 at left.
If voltage is at or below regulator setpoint, let
charging system operate for several minutes to
normalize operating temperature.
7. Observe charge volts and amps in each circuit
Charge voltage should increase and charge amps
should decrease. If charge voltage does not in-
crease within ten minutes, continue to next step.
8. Batteries are considered fully charged if charge
voltage is at regulator setpoint and charge amps
remain at lowest value for 10 minutes.
9. If charging system is not performing properly,
go to Chart 1, page 5.
CAUTION
TG0014D
Page 3
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