C.E. Niehoff & Co. N1607, N1611, N3215B, N2013 Troubleshooting Guides
Troubleshooting Guide
for N1607 and N1611 Alternators
Hazard Definitions
These terms are used to bring attention to presence of
hazard(s) of various risk levels or to important information
concerning product life.
Indicates presence of hazard(s) that
CAUTION
will or can cause minor personal
injury or property damage if
ignored.
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: Component Description ..................... 2 – 3
Section B: Basic Troubleshooting .............................4
Section C: Advanced Troubleshooting ................ 5 – 6
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.
— Finally, volts will increase to setpoint and amps will
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 Battery
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 measured
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 intensity
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.
TG56B
Page 1
Section A: Component Description
CEN N1607 and N1611
Alternator Description and Operation
N1607 500 A 28 V and N1611 570 A 28 V 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
activates regulator. Field coil is then energized.
Alternator output current is self-limiting and will
not exceed rated capacity of alternator.
N3215B remote-mounted regulator used with these
units:
• regulates alternator voltage so that neither Battery A
signal nor Battery B signal exceeds 30.0 volts.
• is negative temperature compensated according
to switch-selected vehicle battery type. Switch is
factory-set to position 2. Customer selects position
per application
—Position 1 for 6TAGM
—Position 2 for 6TMF
B+ connections on alternator
Both positive cables must be connected together at alternator or
isolator input when alternator is installed in vehicle and during
operation. Interconnect cable is part of vehicle cabling.
Interconnect
cable
B– connections on alternator
Both ground cables must be connected to vehicle’s common
ground. An interconnect cable is required as shown if a single
cable to vehicle common ground is used.
Figure 1 — N1607 and N1611 Alternator
Interconnect
cable
Figure 2 — N3215B Regulator Connections
BATTERY ISOLATOR
(SEE PAGE 3 FOR DETAILS)
Figure 3 — N1607 and N1611 Alternators with Regulator
Page 2
TG56B
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