It was a hard one
 

Andrew

After a week+ of frustration you deserve a long nice ride. Not sure if you going to have time before the **** come down. We are under a storm warning watch and as usual it's coming from your way:D:D:D

Thanks.
I'll have to wait for the weekend. The forcast is good right now.

Hope some of you electrical experts are still around on this older thread but the issues r similar, my Becker 220 radio cuts out intermittently while driving and when it does, the seat belt light comes on but not always. With the engine off and just running on the battery, it works fine. I have checked all the wiring at the head unit, under the dash, at the amp in the trunk and the battery terminal connections and all seems to be in order. These were items that others found wrong so I was hopeful for an easy fix. Also check the voltage and I'm getting a steady 13.8 while running and 12 while off. Could it still be a voltage regulator issue?

Bob

Bob,

That is OK but what is the reading "on the fly" as you are driving around?

Mine VR was crapping out after 5 minutes (as the engine was getting hot).

If you don't have a volt gauge you can rig one through the cigarette lighter or get of one of those : Amazon.com: INNOVA 3721 Battery and Charging System Monitor: Automotive

Have not taken a reading while driving but will do so tomorrow. I was using the cigarette lighter until I blew the fuse. I'll post the results tomorrow.

One more vote for voltage regulator. My car had the same symptoms. Radio power blinking out with the seatbelt light illuminating. It happened a couple of times. I bought a lighter socket volt gauge and then it took another few months for it to show again. A new alternator/voltage regulator solved my problem. One other thing I noticed is with the old VR while driving around I would see large voltage swings. Anywhere from 12.5 to 14.2 and it was always jumping half or full volt or more. Once I installed the new VR/ALT output would vary by load like it should but the swing would be no more that a few hundredths. -J

+1 for the VR. I had similar problems, radio and seatbelt, and finally found the battery hot after a drive. I re-ran all wiring to the radio, replaced the battery and generally chased my tail. Finally researched here, tested the voltage and concluded the same as others. Changed the VR and moved on to worrying about my suspension setup. Never seems to end, but it's too much fun.

Your wife gets quiet when she's scared? Using my powers of intuition I can now deduce that your wife is not Italian! :D

Mine had exact same symptoms. Change your VR (but don't bust a rivet on the air deflector!)

Your car has the very rare and expensive PESE, Porsche Exhaust Sound Enhancer option, which allows you to hear more of the exhaust sound when accelerating.

I ran my test today of the output voltage while driving (to a local car show) and when the radio cut out the VR volts shot up to a high of 17.2 then would drop down to around 16. When the radio would come back on the volts would drop back to 13 to 14. Clearly running all over the place. So I guess I'm looking at replacing the VR. Should I go ahead and replace the alternator too while I'm I there? Powder coat the fan too...I can see where this is leading. Mileage is 82,000 so not sure what to expect out of an alternator.

Bob

Time to change the VR and powder coat the fan...

The good news is that it look like you radio has an over voltage protection system.

Chuck Yeager
 

Now that's funny.....glad the issue resolved......good info for me to remember. Thx, S.

To conclude my earlier post, I pulled the alternator and sent it out for a rebuild. Got it back Friday and installed it today. What a PITA that was. The fan cowling on the back side of the alternator was difficult as I bet I worked on that peace for a couple of hours. My neighbor stopped over and had it together in two minutes. Not sure what majic he did but not complaining. Went for a test drive (stopping at Mazzy's sports bar to watch the WC) and all seems to be fine. Pulling a good 13.8 volts and no spikes.

One issue I did uncover is a mouse took up residence on no 6 behind the fan. Good thing I found the nest as it sure would have caused overheating. Not sure what I need to do to avoid unwanted guests in the future. Maybe a few mouse traps.

My plan was to polish the fan and housing and seal with Gibbs but the shop who did the rebuild put on a coat of silver paint to keep the magnesium from oxidizing. I decided to leave it as is but if you go through a rebuild be sure to specify the final finish. It still looks a whole lot better then it did so overall very pleased. I used Auto Electric in Marietta and they did a great job, very old school as they have been doing this type of work for 40 + years.

Thanks to all for the electrical advice.

Bobhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1402805424.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1402805450.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1402805472.jpg