When we bought our -8A last May, Tom Berge found that the ampmeter would occasionally drop to zero in flight. Sometimes resetting the voltage regulator circuit breaker would fix it, sometimes not.
Tom determined that the alternator was bad, and replaced it. This resolved the problem for a time, but then the on-again/off-again problem started again. This time, I replaced the voltage regulator.
Then on our way to OSH 2013, the ampmeter went to zero, and couldn't be reset. We shut off all extraneous electronics, and made an uneventful flight to Iowa. At OSH, I bought a Zefftronics regulator and installed it. We also found a blown fuse that fed power to the voltage regulator, and replaced it. We've been golden ever since.
Today the fuse feeding the regulator blew, and replacing it did NOT fix things. I took everything apart to troubleshoot the circuit, only to find my multimeter dead, too.
So, until I can get a new meter, I'm dead in the water. Since I live on an island, and it's Thanksgiving, I don't think I will be finding a meter until at least Saturday. Meanwhile, here's a synopsis of what we've done:
1. New alternator in May.
2. New automotive voltage regulator (the same model that was in the plane) in June.
3. New Zefftronics aircraft voltage regulator in July.
4. Replaced voltage regulator circuit breaker with a breaker/switch, that we leave in the off position during start up. (On the theory that we're preventing transient voltage spikes from reaching the regulator.)
Any theories what is going on here? It would seem that I've replaced everything in the charging circuit, yet I'm back at square one with no charging system.
Thanks in advance!
Tom determined that the alternator was bad, and replaced it. This resolved the problem for a time, but then the on-again/off-again problem started again. This time, I replaced the voltage regulator.
Then on our way to OSH 2013, the ampmeter went to zero, and couldn't be reset. We shut off all extraneous electronics, and made an uneventful flight to Iowa. At OSH, I bought a Zefftronics regulator and installed it. We also found a blown fuse that fed power to the voltage regulator, and replaced it. We've been golden ever since.
Today the fuse feeding the regulator blew, and replacing it did NOT fix things. I took everything apart to troubleshoot the circuit, only to find my multimeter dead, too.
So, until I can get a new meter, I'm dead in the water. Since I live on an island, and it's Thanksgiving, I don't think I will be finding a meter until at least Saturday. Meanwhile, here's a synopsis of what we've done:
1. New alternator in May.
2. New automotive voltage regulator (the same model that was in the plane) in June.
3. New Zefftronics aircraft voltage regulator in July.
4. Replaced voltage regulator circuit breaker with a breaker/switch, that we leave in the off position during start up. (On the theory that we're preventing transient voltage spikes from reaching the regulator.)
Any theories what is going on here? It would seem that I've replaced everything in the charging circuit, yet I'm back at square one with no charging system.
Thanks in advance!