Voltage Stabiliser

[prideaux]

Can Anyone please post a picture of the original voltage stabiliser as Adrian has sent me the more modern one to change it over but try as I have I cant find one at all the later ones where above your knee behind the dash the earlier ones which as mine is a 78 3000s is supposed to be in the middle near where the Radio goes but I cant find one at all the Gauges have always worked fine so I presume that there must be one?
A

[Adrian@]

Here you the TVR version...double in and double out, your should only have one connection in, but 2 out, one to the fuel gauge and one to the temp gauge.

Adrian@

Edited by Adrian@ on Saturday 28th December 13:36

[tuscanturner]

I swapped mine with one supplied by Adrian earlier this year and what a ball ache!
Mine was in the left hand side of the radio aperture but I had to take the screws holding the dash panel out to lift the bottom of it up to get my hand in to the regulator.

[tuscanturner]

I swapped mine with one supplied by Adrian earlier this year and what a ball ache!
Mine was in the left hand side of the radio aperture but I had to take the screws holding the dash panel out to lift the bottom of it up to get my hand in to the regulator.

[Adrian@]

I did say to Andrew that this is one of the most painful things to do to a TVR (mind you the S is the easiest dash to get behind). I always extend any wiring and move the centre dash version over to the drivers side above the knees.
Adrian@

Edited by Adrian@ on Saturday 28th December 13:54

[Renaldo]

And guys, if I understand correctly, without the stabilizer hooked up properly, you'll get abnormally high readings from both fuel and temp gauges?

Ron

[prideaux]

Well I am confused there is nothing like that at all there and i cant find even a replacement that might be hanging somewhere i will go up now and see if i can trace the wires from the fuel gauge or the temperature gauge to see where they go i presume there must be something as both Gauges have worked for the last few years and now that the Temp sender has been replaced its not going straight up to 140 when i turn the key without starting the car so it may be a case of putting on the list of Jobs for the M series Expert @
A

[Adrian@]

Output from the alternator is 13.8 ish the VS controls the voltage down to 10V that the gauges run at, regardless of what load the car is taking from the system ...the OE VS is hot wire earth out/dissipation (so needs to earthed and according to notes be in the correct orientation) and cannot be read by a standard volt meter (you need a mean average version to do that) and in use with a standard meter it shows 2V-13.8V-5V-0V and so on ...giving the mean average of 10V. To get a good reading using the correctly matched smiths gauges and temp sender, you need to be inputting 10V ...IT IS the same for the fuel gauge... REGARDLESS of people swearing by the need to change to having a mechanical gauge, you still need to have a 10V supply to the fuel gauge OR any reading will have the input that you see on the volt meter, giving you a false reading, granted, it does not NEED to show a true reading as it is eternally being used and even the daftest of us can work out that at some point it is going to empty if it is not filled up. LOL
Adrian@


(Edited to add earthed and orientation)

Edited by Adrian@ on Saturday 28th December 17:05

[prideaux]

Adrian@ said:

Output from the alternator is 13.8 ish the VS controls the voltage down to 10V that the gauges run at, regardless of what load the car is taking from the system ...the OE VS is hot wire and cannot be read by a standard volt meter (you need a mean average version to do that) and in use with a standard meter it shows 2V-13.8V-5V-0V and so on ...giving the mean average of 10V. To get a good reading using the correctly matched smiths gauges and temp sender, you need to be inputting 10V ...IT IS the same for the fuel gauge... REGARDLESS of people swearing by the need to change to having a mechanical gauge, you still need to have a 10V supply to the fuel gauge OR any reading will have the input that you see on the volt meter, giving you a false reading (granted), it does not NEED to show a true reading as it is eternally being used and even the daftest of us can work out that at some point it is going to empty if it is not filled up. LOL
Adrian@

Yes sir
I have officially given up after searching calling her names tried to trace wires knocked off wires put them back cried shouted lost all my hair and done a 50/50 called a friend asked the Audience and got a woof lost a screw including the one I had loose myself I GAVE UP and took the money 20p i found behind the dash
So I did what I should have done in the first place after fitting the new sender and started her up and ran her up to temperature and all is working fine voltage which is not effected by it anyway is at 12 then 14/15 volts when started as normal fuel gauge when ignition turned on goes to where I know it should be as I put £20 in on the way to Garage the other week and it does not move when engine started plus i have used and tested it and know its accurate and never run out of fuel even when showing near empty and the Temp Gauge works fine once the engine is started just the way it has for the last 7000 miles in my care so I will leave alone and learn one lesson when i take the Tuscans dash out the wires will all be extended if need be so in future its easy to gain access and deal with any issues that may arise you never know if i make it easy to get at i probably will never need to
I guess there must be one somewhere or i would not get correct readings yes the gauge was not very accurate ie when engine was 90 it shoed 95ish but better that way round rather than the other.
Now where did i put the Gin i need one badly

A

Edited by prideaux on Saturday 28th December 16:19

[Renaldo]

Guys, as an aside, I had my 2500M completely rewired in the Fall.

Since then, I've noticed both the fuel gauge and temp gauges read high.

Full on my car used to be just past 3/4. Now, the needle is to the end of its travel, past the full mark.

As for the temperature gauge, it used to read at mid-gauge when fully warmed.

It now reads at almost overheating, but the car clearly is not overheating.

I suspect the rewiring may have excluded the stabiliser.

Ron

[prideaux]

Renaldo said:

Guys, as an aside, I had my 2500M completely rewired in the Fall.

Since then, I've noticed both the fuel gauge and temp gauges read high.

Full on my car used to be just past 3/4. Now, the needle is to the end of its travel, past the full mark.

As for the temperature gauge, it used to read at mid-gauge when fully warmed.

It now reads at almost overheating, but the car clearly is not overheating.

I suspect the rewiring may have excluded the stabiliser.

Ron

Don't you start or I will need another Gin and Tonic
Unless its easy to get at live with it

My Fuel has always been Full when full and empty or near empty when empty I should know Frank and I put lots of Fuel in the car on the LBL so I should know I think £1000 all told so if its fuel gauges I should know mine
So if yours shows full when full don't complain that's what it should do and always test your car with a infa red temp gun I keep one in the tool bag as Adrian very early on told me it was the most valued tool you will ever buy
A

[phillpot]

To work the stabiliser needs to be earthed and mounted in the correct orietation (not sure how important the second bit is)




As others have suggested, mine was stuffed amongst a tangle of wiring to the left of the radio aperture, neither earthed nor in any particular orietation!

Here is a nifty little article about modernising it but retaining original look (if that kind of thing bothers you)

solid state voltage stabiliser

[Renaldo]

Andy and gang, expecting my 2500M to behave like my new Ford Focus, is pretty silly. I "use" the Focus, but I love the TVR.

In fact, give me the TVR and all its eccentricities any day (except when there's two feet of snow on the ground.

Ron

[ATE399J]

Andrew, if you stick with the AC gauges on the Tuscan you don't need a voltage stabiliser - so don't spend too long looking for the old one.

Phil.

P.S. Might need to borrow the front of your Vixen.

[prideaux]

Question while on the subject on the Tuscan I am re fitting the Original AC gauges do these need one of these hard to find and always go wrong thingies as well?
A

[prideaux]

ATE399J said:

Andrew, if you stick with the AC gauges on the Tuscan you don't need a voltage stabiliser - so don't spend too long looking for the old one.

Phil.

P.S. Might need to borrow the front of your Vixen.

Thanks you answered the Question as I was writing it Phil you can borrow the front back and all my pleasure mate
A

[RCK974X]

Just a bit more info in case anyone is interested.

The original AC guages in Vixens etc. seem to be 12 volts without stabiliser.
The Stuart Warner guages in my wedge don't have one either (as far as I can see anyway)

Smiths gauges from a wide range of BL vehicles use a 10 volt stabiliser.
Ford gauges use a 5 volt stabiliser (possibly not early Fords)

As the gauges don't take much current you can build a little circuit with a LM317 which will allow adjustable voltages so you can trim the guage readings. This circuit is very cheap to make....

[Adrian@]

In all of this ...the OE unit of a earth out dissipation works, and works fine, but as it gets old it gets tired and in the nature of these unit they do not give an accurate/stable 10V ...the electronic version is the way to go (regardless of how you get there) and is sensible (for replacing it as is, will leave you ending in the same place somewhere down the line).
The thinking that any Smiths gauges read correctly without a VS is beyond comprehension, as with variable input (alternator output, plus or minus variable loads that take/use) you get variable output.
Happy new year
Adrian@

[prideaux]

Adrian@ said:

In all of this ...the OE unit of a earth out dissipation works, and works fine, but as it gets old it gets tired and in the nature of these unit they do not give an accurate/stable 10V ...the electronic version is the way to go (regardless of how you get there) and is sensible (for replacing it as is, will leave you ending in the same place somewhere down the line).
The thinking that any Smiths gauges read correctly without a VS is beyond comprehension, as with variable input (alternator output, plus or minus variable loads that take/use) you get variable output.
Happy new year
Adrian@

Same to you Adrian
Your spot on there just helps if you can find it in the first place I guess there is one somewhere as the original is not in either of the places it should be and I guess someone fitted a replacement somewhere while It was in Spain but without taking the whole dash out the 5 inches it comes off without disconnecting everything I just cant see anything and its not worth doing when all is working fine now the new correct sender you sent me is fitted.
There is a thought that maybe someone changed the gauges to AC but put the Smiths faces on them just a thought but guess this will open another can of worms
A

Edited by prideaux on Monday 30th December 11:11

[Renaldo]

Guys, just curious: is there any damage that these gauges could incur by running the full 12 volts through them, rather than the 10 volts intended for them?

Ron