alternator doesn't charge on timer???

[gt4dude]

I have the Dynatron D.... I should probably be onto them about this,

Anyways I have the Alarm/Immobiliser with the Timer chip,

on my voltage display ive got 14.6 volts with the key turned to on, and 13 dropping to 12 with the key turned to off with the engine in timer mode...

so is the alternator to battery circuit supposed to be kept on or not? What are normal standalone turbo timers wired into???

also 14.6 volts seems unusually high isnt i had 13.4 volts before and then i fixed a bad ground now i have 14.6 ...

i can run a direct fused line from alternator to battery, this would keep my battery charged while in timer mode, but would it drain the battery when the engine is switched off???

[sergei]

14.6V is normal.
13 is low.
Lead acid battery is not 12V anyway. Fully charged it is around 13.8 unloaded. For battery to take current in (for charging) there is need to be voltage difference, hence the 14.6V that alternator is putting.

You must had really bad earthing problem if your voltage has been around 13V with engine running. How it was starting before?

Back to original question: what you will find is that the turbo timer only powers half the circuit (you will notice Toyota has IG1 and IG2 circuits, if you look on the diagram or just probe the ignition barrel). So in your case (and most of Turbo timer installs) only one of IG circuits is powered, hence no charging (and most likely no A/C, demister and other accessories that are powered by second IG circuit).

[gepsk8]

sound like non charging in turbo timer mode. might be way it wired or gauge isnt wired, check with voltage meter.
14.6V is max charge you would be wanting. is battery flat or full charged?

[sergei]

sound like non charging in turbo timer mode. might be way it wired or gauge isnt wired, check with voltage meter.
14.6V is max charge you would be wanting. is battery flat or full charged?

It doesn't work that way. The circuit is just a dumb voltage regulator - is set to keep the voltage between certain values, it has no idea how much battery is charged or how much of its load is actually going to the battery. If battery is toast (say one of the cells is shorted) it will happily pump 100A into the battery until either fuse pops or alternator fries.

[gt4dude]

my battery is in the boot with a distribution block with voltage readout hanging onto the side of the box, directly wired in to the batt.

Key on 14.6, Key off 13 and dropping.

Yeah apparently it was a pretty bad ground, fixing it solved alot of little irritating electrical quirks. even coincidentally some idle (operating temp) smoke cleared up.

so all good to run a direct fused 4ga wire from alt to batt? or it will drain batt??

[sergei]

my battery is in the boot with a distribution block with voltage readout hanging onto the side of the box, directly wired in to the batt.

Key on 14.6, Key off 13 and dropping.

Yeah apparently it was a pretty bad ground, fixing it solved alot of little irritating electrical quirks. even coincidentally some idle (operating temp) smoke cleared up.

so all good to run a direct fused 4ga wire from alt to batt? or it will drain batt??

Normally wire goes from battery to alternator (output) via a large fuse. Standard wire is sufficient (it goes through engine loom to fuse box), why do you want to re-run it?

[sergei]

Key on 14.6

I assume you mean 14.6 with engine running?
if you get 14.6 with engine off your multimeter is most likely misreading.

[gt4dude]

Yeah 14.6 while running. So the alternator line doesn't go through a relay which my turbo timer isnt wired to keep on??

I might pull the battery terminals off and test continuity between the alternator output and the positive terminal at the battery,

I thought the alternator line went through a relay and my turbo timer isnt wired to keep it on while in timer mode ... That was my reason for wanting to run a separate line.

[sergei]

Yeah 14.6 while running. So the alternator line doesn't go through a relay which my turbo timer isnt wired to keep on??

The main charging/supply line does not go through relay.
The regulator line does.
So your turbo timer is not switching the regulator side.

No matter if alternator is spinning or not, if there is no current supplied to rotor (via regulator) and rotor does not generate the field, it will not generate electricity.

[Malcolm]

the problem isn't the output from the alternator, it's the field supply that makes the alternator function. Fix the turbo timer wiring, rather than trying to bodge up a fix

[gt4dude]

so is this the little wire in the oval plug next to the battery warning sender for the dash?

[sergei]

looking at diagram, it appears that IG2 is not powered up, hence there is no charge.
There is no relay as such that switches on the alternator, never the less it is switched on via ignition switch which supplies voltage through the battery light on dash, a diode and to the regulator control.

[Malcolm]

yep it's one of them. There should be the field wire and the voltage sensing wire (I think this is the one that goes through the charge light, can't remember). The field wire provides the supply that creates the magnetic field in the alternator, the sensing wire essentially "tells" the regulator what the system voltage is, so it can control the current through the field windings of the alternator to control the current output.

[gt4dude]

the problem isn't the output from the alternator, it's the field supply that makes the alternator function. Fix the turbo timer wiring, rather than trying to bodge up a fix

I'm not a qualified alarm installer, the turbo timer is an addon chip to my Dynatron alarm, I need to see them??

Because they also did another weird thing, my Window Lock button on my door... it switches off my alarm functions.. cant lock the car, cant start the engine, siren remains silent, nothing at all.. (if pressed while driving car shuts down) But I traced it back to the plug in the interior loom going to the fuses by the driver kick panel and it all looks stock and unbutchered.. wtf?

[sergei]

Further more info here:
www.autoshop101.com/forms/h8.pdf

But the diagram in that document is not exactly what is in your car.

[Malcolm]

This is the actual test you have to pass to become a qualified alarm installer in New Zealand.

One of these is a car alarm, is it a) or b)?
a)


b)

I would definitely go back to whoever installed the alarm and make them fix it. Otherwise, it actually shouldn't be very hard to fix - they will probably have a relay that applies power to IG1, chances are you can use this relay to trigger another and then send power to IG2

[sergei]

the problem isn't the output from the alternator, it's the field supply that makes the alternator function. Fix the turbo timer wiring, rather than trying to bodge up a fix

I'm not a qualified alarm installer, the turbo timer is an addon chip to my Dynatron alarm, I need to see them??

Because they also did another weird thing, my Window Lock button on my door... it switches off my alarm functions.. cant lock the car, cant start the engine, siren remains silent, nothing at all.. (if pressed while driving car shuts down) But I traced it back to the plug in the interior loom going to the fuses by the driver kick panel and it all looks stock and unbutchered.. wtf?

Judging by "quality" install you should definitely see them, just for that window lock button problem is enough to spit the dummy.

[gt4dude]

Okay sounds good, the alarm was installed by a place called Elite Audio, The receipt for it came with the car. Was 2 owners ago. I'm thinking maybe going to someone else incase they botch it up further. Perhaps it's time for an AVS, My experience with AVS S5 alarms is alot better than my Dynatron. Only thing is they all seem to be too sensitive, every time I drive past an AVS equipped car I set it off always the same "beep beep beep" "woowowowowowowowowowowowowowowo eep eep epp epp wowowowowowowow"

[gt4dude]

One more thing, before I replaced my alternator, the battery light used to illuminate on the dash while in timer mode, now it doesn't...

Could it be that my new alt, although the plug is the same, the wires are switched around?

I swapped my ST205 3SGTE alt for a ST202 3SGE alt as it was $100 cheaper, and the same 80 Amps, Just doesn't have the cooler attachment. - Damn wreckers, it's all the same to them, 10 mins to retrieve an alt from a running crash damaged vehicle, Doesn't matter what it's from... Maybe they even raised the price on the 3SGE alt after I told them it was the same amps as a 3SGTE alt.

[Malcolm]

there's a good chance you could change the bits off the backside of the alternator to make the 3SGE one take the little cooler duct thing. In fact, typically the failure of 3SGTE alternators is due to the rectifier $&#$% out, which is a pretty easy thing to swap out.

Anyway, see if you can find a wiring diagram for the two cars to see if they could be wired differently. You may also find there's labelling on the alternator plug