Right, I'll apologise now for the long post but please bear with me.

I have a Blackbird engined Fury which I've owned for all of 8 days... When I got it everything seemed OK. However, the first time I drove it at night I noted that main beam was very dim, I guessed it was a connection or earth rather than a charging problem as dip was fine.

I checked the wiring block leading to the front lights (links to the bonnet) which seemed a bit loose, so I cleaned it off and put in a bit of WD40 before plugging it back in - to find that everything was dead. Not believing my eyes I tried again and it worked, but main beam was still dim, so another quick fiddle and everything dies again.

At this point I couldn't get anything back and ended up chasing the loom around trying to find out how it worked. I found power at the ignition switch and jumped it into the fuse box which made everything work, so I hard wired that in as a temporary measure - but then my live at the ignition disappeared

So... I wired a link direct from the battery to the ignition switch and then from the other side of the switch to the fuse box, and, it seemed that everything was working.... Until I drove it down the road and the battery died

I traced that to a frazzled alternator regulator which I have now replaced. Now, I have a car which works, at tickover charges at about 13.4v (lights on) - BUT - although main beam is better than it was before (though still not great) I notice that the lights get dimmer now when the revs increase. A check with the voltmeter shows it dropping down to about 12.5 volts.

Surely that's wrong????

Any help would be appreciated as I'd really like to drive this car one day...

Thanks for bearing me me

Your alternator seems to be producing more power at idle than when the engine is reving.... Bizarre....

I've tested the alternator resistance and AC output and it all seems to meet the required values - I think it's a problem elsewhere in the system, but I'm prepared to be proven wrong!

I've tested the alternator resistance and AC output and it all seems to meet the required values - I think it's a problem elsewhere in the system, but I'm prepared to be proven wrong!

Have you checked the main battery to chassis and battery to engine earth connections?

adrian

Check each phase of the alternator to ground, I bought 3 replacement rectifiers for my R1, and it was one of the alternator windings was grounding. Even though all three phases were within impedance tollerences with one another.

I had same symptom, more charge at tick over than higher up.
Rgds.
Pete.

Thanks for the replies - I will check the earths, though visibly they seem fine.

Regards checking the voltage of the output to earth - should I expect to see similar results? Ie about 50V AC at 3000 rpm?

I know you have replaced it, but have read on another forum that blackbird regulators are prone to trouble.