One last try, then I just quit !!!

[Dave Box]

Those voltages do sound extreme don't they. I wonder if running your coil and / or the HEI device at 18 volts is causing one or other to overheat and breakdown. Now I know that the test for a regulator is to remove the green wire from the generator and ground it, this should cause the generator output to rise to its maximum of 15 volts (ish). I wonder, and this is pure speculation, if removing the green wire from the regulator would cause the generator to stop charging. As the engine draws little electrical load you should then be able to take it for a run at 12 volts and see if the symptoms persist.

Dave (manly fingers) Box

[BrewCityMusic]

I did that, Dave, as part of making sure the regulator was shot (when I pulled the green wire the voltage at the battery dropped below 12 while running)

I just took another quick run to the end of the driveway and back (just about a mile and a half, round-trip) and it (knock wood) seems to be doing fine now, other than a couple of burned-out headlights I just discovered while giving it a quick once-over again (the LED's survived, must have some pretty forgiving driver boards in there!)

So I guess even though I'm hitting almost 16 now and then at high RPM's, the fact that it's going right back down to 14-14.5 makes me feel better (and of course, it's a far cry from the 18v debacle I WAS getting an hour ago). I'm off most of the day today (I play tonight) so I think maybe a nice "shakedown" run is in order :)

Dave - this is NOT over, you know that ?!?!?

[Pocono Country Boy]

Glad to hear that you seem to have found and fixed the problem!

I was expecting the opposite when I suggested a voltage check...too little voltage, but hey--at least it was in the right ballpark ;)

Enjoy!