just been tidying up the engine bay a little tonight and theres a black regulator looking box with ducellier written on it which is cable tied to the front of the battery clamp

whats it for ? as i assumed the car had an alternator not a dynamo! its a 76 ami ,
also when should it be mounted as i cant see where it should go,ive had a browse through some pics on here but cant spot it anywhere

thanks
matt

It is indeed the charging regulator, 2cv alternators don't have one built in, I don't know why not. The original batteries on later 2cvs had a bracket on the side to mount the regulator, I assume your Ami would have been the same. Most of the 2cv parts suppliers sell a bracket for it that can be riveted to the bulkhead to make the engine bay look pretty.

On this topic, is there an alternative alternator that is a straight fit on to the 2CV? This would make the regulator redundant, simplify the wiring, boost the charging power, and make the fitting of an ignition light a doddle...

For that, you need look no further than a 652 Visa alternator.

Built in regulator, 40 amp output and a direct fit as regards its physical dimensions.

A little extra work needed to hook up an idiot light, though...

ken

ok thanks that clears up a few things
does anyone have a pic of the regulator in situ on a bracket on a AMi ? so i can see where it should go
im not sure the wires are long enough to mount it on the bulkhead

Interesting, Ken. Were you being sarcy about the idiot light? From what I remember when sorting out the charging on my Marlin, the 'small' wire from the alternator simply feeds the idiot light and then goes to the 'ign' of the ignition key - ie: the terminal that becomes 'live' when the ignition is turned to first click.

This small alternator terminal 'sinks' (goes to earth) when the alternator isn't charging, so the idiot light comes on as the other end is fed by the live from the ignition key. Once the alternator begins charging, this terminal becomes 'live' instead - and the light goes out (the bulb is getting a 'live' feed from both ends).

Or make your own out of some scrap metal like I did?

But with the Visa alternator when you turn off the ignition the engine keeps running. To get around this you have to bridge the terminals where the regulator used to sit with a diode.

I have the Visa alternator in my 4x4 as I needed extra power for the roof lights etc on my Raid Laponie/Poronkusema trips and I'll dig the details out and post them later.

Yeh, the Saab's like that. It's more a case of the bulb being in the circuit feeding the alternator field - so if the bulb fails, you get no charge. And, because the bulb's failed, no warning either. Idiot proof...



Or just leave the old Voltage Reg in place - whichever one's set lower will control the charge rate.

D.A,
since the light serves only to indicate that the alternator is producing 'some sort of charge', I guess that's why it's commonly referred to as an idiot light.

If 12.5 volts is enough to extinguish the warning light, that's not going to be much use in Winter with the heated rear screen, heater blower and headlamps all switched on.

Conversely, if the regulator has decided to go on strike, 16 volts (and upwards?) isn't much fun for any electrical or electronic components which are in circuit...

Barry (aka window prop person) cooked both his battery and 123 ignition en route to the French National meeting when his 2CV's voltage regulator lost its earth.

A voltmeter might just have saved the day, whereas an idiot light wouldn't have been any help at all...

ken.