I plugged that into the search feature and got (among others) my own post from a long time ago. So here's the question to which a human element might supply a satisfactory answer:
Odie and I (he's our 4 1/2 month-old boxer cross pup) were headed down to our favourite pharmacy to get some stuff to make mom feel better. We started Epic #2 and off we headed down the street. Came to a stop sign signalling a right turn, and noticed an anomalous display from the indicator light. I didn't think much on it as I haven't overhauled the turn indicator switch yet, but in glancing at the ammeter I was surprised to discover a discharge reading about 1/2 way from zero to the peg. About what I'd expect if the engine was shut down, switched on with the accessories - heater fan, lights - running. Drive belt, I thought: another thing I haven't done yet. So, watching the temperature gauge carefully - no problem there - I returned to the house and popped the hood. Everything apparently OK. Jiggled some wires and rechecked the ammeter: no change.
H'm. Later. We walked to the nearest (not favourite) store, took care of Mom, had a cuppa while I checked the swapmeet section for generators - Epic #2 and I have a meet & greet to attend next weekend, No result - so out I went to the rain and the problem. I'd have taken Odie, but I couldn't have kept an eye on him and, where we live, he's a bit too young yet to be outside unsupervised.
Recheck time: In goes the key, turn, one shot of gas, drop the starter pedal and up she runs with a perfect ammeter reading.
I know. It has taken me a while to get here at last, okay? You'll be old one day, too, so relax. Here it is (the question), really, this time: What the heck? It's a regulator issue, right? what, if anything, can I do short of actually hurling money at the problem by replacing this (currently) working regulator with one which works about the same way, but probably originated in some third-world country, assembled from inferior components by wage slaves being paid $1.36 a day or something like that? It's not that I want to deny those poor people their miserable existence. What I want is to deny astronomical profits to the fat middlemen who source shoddy parts from the lowest-bidding under-engineering piece-a-trash suppliers who contract those poor, underpaid suckers who just want to go hungry so they can buy baby some used shoes. Baby will get the shoes, I believe. There will never be a shortage of bargain-hunting dummies with tunnel-vision as long as a place like Wal-mart exists, I am certain. I just don't want any part in it. Also, I want Epic #2 to be happy. So what can I do to keep this from happening again, after cleaning all the connections?
I think that's more than one question, isn't it?
