FJ40 Amp gauge pulsing

[superg]

Hi guys, the amp gauge on my FJ40 is pulsing every second or so from 1/4 of the gauge in the negative to 1/4 of the gauge in the positive, does anyone know what is causing this, it looks like the lights are pulsing a little at the same rate. Thanks

[jessie928]

looks like your regulator is shot

is it running the standard alt and reg?

[superg]

I just changed the regulator 1 week ago because the old one was overcharging, could it be that a wrong regulator was put in, it was a bosch one.

[spannercrab]

In my experience (HJ45), this is typically normal & is the regulator switching on/off to maintain voltage.

I take it you replaced the mechanical type with a solid state type (as is the done thing?)

As I understand it the solid state type regulators switch the field on / off, opposed to the vibratory contact type regulators which vary the field current based on voltage / load (they do not "switch" but provide a constant flow)

If you leave your lights on for 1/2 hour before starting the vehicle, you should see that the amp gauge stays "up" before starting to "pulse" again when the battery reaches full charge.

[superg]

Thanks for that description, so its nothing to worry about then, just normal for that type of regulator.