Not yet, I'll give it a go and see what happens.
Thanks Ash.

Nah, disconnecting those wires made no difference.

When I went to start it just now, I turned it to "on", and everything looks fine, fuel guage works, etc. Then I turned on the headlights, and the warning light sounded! Maybe it's fixed! Then i started the car, and after a few seconds the problem is back. When I turned it off, the light alarm didn't work.

When the car starts, all the guages seem fine, no warning lights, except for the batt light. As the engine runs, the volt meter creeps up to almost 16 volts, and then everything dies. Now I'm thinking the voltage regulator in the alternator....But I don't have a volt meter / multimeter here to check the outputs. I will have to see if I can scab one from somewhere, mine is 60 klms away...

OK, problem solved (I hope) I disconnected the alternator wires from the alt, and started the engine. Problem solved, everything works, no shut-down at all. There must be a fail-safe switch in the system that shuts down the instrument cluster when the voltage gets too high, to protect it from possile damage. The regulator in the alt has obviously died, allowing the alt to make too much power. I have a spare alt on my spare xh, so I will go get it tomorow, fit it all up, and (finger crossed) all will be well again.
I will dig up another clock spring and flasher relay while I'm out there, and fix those probs while I'm at it.
Cheers,
Grant.

Last edited by sooty72 on Sun Sep 04, 2011 3:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

OK, all good again. I replaced the alternator with the one from my spare ute, and all is well again. While I was out there getting it, I also dug out the spare clock spring, and a flasher relay, all fitted up and now everything works again. Until the next thing....
Cheers,

The "next thing" turned out to be the heater core. The Ute has been using a little water for a while, but just recently I had fog coming out of the dash vents when the A/C was on, and also the windscreen was fogging up real bad, at all times of the day. Odd. I stuck the pressure tester on it last weekend, and I got coolant flowing out of the A/C overflow vent pipe, in the firewall. Not good. The heater core has obviously failed. Bugger. That means dash out, (again) A/C / Heater box out (again) and replace the heater core. It also means I will have to get the A/C re-gassed. Bugger, bum, s**t, poop. To keep it driving, I disconnected the hose from heater tap to firewall, and from the inlet manifold to firewall, and connected a short piece of hose between the two outlets, effectively bypassing the heater. I will fix it later, I need a heater a lot less than I need to remove the dash, etc. Apart from that the Ute has been going well.
Touch wood.

Damn, this is one of those times I kick myself for throwing something out, just last week I tossed the whole airbox, heater core inside, out of the ed well maybe it wasn't any good, if that makes you feel any better by the way I found one of those hoses was longer enough to reach to the other outlet,

e.g. I left just one hose off, although it's probably safer your method to not lose the other hose, since you intend to refit.

Hi mate.
If I do replace the heater core, I would definately use a new one, not worth risking an old one and then having to do the whole job again. New ones aren't too dear anyway.
It will probably have to wait a while, I've got too many other things to do at the moment.
Cheers,

OK, I've finally had enough of the leaky head gasket. It's time to replace this engine and get it sorted once and for all. I scored a good, low Klm AU engine for a really good price. It is a 2001 model, non-VCT engine with only 136000 klms on it. It looks real clean, and will get the Ute running along nicely. I will post some more pics as I go, but here are a couple of it as I got it, and on the stand after being stripped of non-required parts.

I will be modifying the K-member to make it fit, pics soon. I just need to chase up an AU alternator & bracket, and finish mounting the XH A/C compressor, and it will be all sorted.
Cheers,

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

Cool!

So I need an AU 2-pin alternator. Can anyone help me> The wreckers want a fortune for one, almost the price of a newby. I'd rather spend the money with a fellow FM member, rather than a thieving wrecking yard guy. PM me, or answer here, if you can help.
Cheers,

Can you use your old alternator? or wont it fit the block? what about an EF/EL one?

Gab

Nah mate, the XH/EF/EL alternator is totally different to the AU/BA alt. Different mounting tabs, etc. An AU/BA 2 pin alternator will solve the problem straight away.
Cheers,

OK, all sorted. I got a 2-pin AU alternator, with the plug and 4" of wiring, and all the mounting bolts, for $40. I also grabbed the A/C mounting bolts and spacers off an EF, which should sort the a/c issue. I had to remove the parts myself, from a self-serve wreckers, but it was worth it, as the other wreckers wanted up to $160 for the alt. This one is very dirty, as per usual, but it feels OK, and is the one I need, so I'm happy.
Dirty, sweaty, & greasy, but happy.

Not sure about the 3-pin alt, I was starting to look into that, but now I don't need too.
Cheers,

Yep, just gotta do the final fit up of all the accessories (tomorrow) on the motor and it should be right to go. Then on Sunday I just have to remove the old engine, swap over my bits to the AU, notch and weld the k-member, and put it all back together again. Sounds easy when you say it like that, but it's gonna be a really busy day's work doing the swap job......
I'll get lots of pics as I go.
Cheers,

A few small jobs done today. I mounted the alternator to the engine, and checket the wiring plug. The plug that came with the alt fits straight onto the spare EF/XH alt I had, so nothing needs to be done there.
The XH a/c pump mounted straight up, using the bolts and spacers from the EF I raided at the wreckers.
I removed the valve cover, mainly so I could get the motor to TDC, but also to have a sticky beak. It all looks really clean.
Engine is now at TDC, and I removed the dizzy plug, and removed the drive gear in preparation of fitting it to my dizzy, once the engine is out of the ute.

All in all, it's going very well. Next step is to get the engine out of the ute, and go from there. That will happen this sunday, gonna be a busy day. Hope it's not too hot.
More pics as I go.
Cheers,

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.