86 b2- need help!!! voltage regulator maybe???

[biggamehunter]

First of all, where is the voltage regulator on an 86 bronco 2? some ppl have told me it is part of the alternator. others have said it is separate and screwed in on fender wall near battery. the guy i got it from had it so messed up under the hood that it is pathetic. also, another question, if the voltage regulator is not working, would that be the reason my headlights keep blowing? brights go first then low beams. any help dealing with either problem would be GREATLY appreciated. thanks, joe

 

[Seabronc]

It would blow them if it puts out too high of a voltage. As for where it is, that depends on the alternator. A built in regulator is mounted on the back side of the alternator and is about 1-1/4 by 1 inch and has a 3 wire connector plugged into it. In most alternators that have the built in regulator there will be 1 or 2 wires leaving it. The most obvious not is the one going to the start relay, there may be a second one (yellow with white stripe) about 16 gauge that connects at the start relay or a under the hood fuse box. It may also just be connected to the (+) post of the alternator. That is a sampleing wire to let the regulator know what the voltage is and causes the voltage regulator to adjust the output based on what it reads. A bad connection for this wire may make the regulator cause the alternator to put out too high of a voltage.

Get a volt meter and check the voltage at the Battery (+), it should be approximately 13.5 V when the alternator is running. Bad grounding may also cause weird problems, check from the engine block to the battery (-) to see if you get a reading, (you shouldn't).

Good luck,

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