It appears that there is a thyristor in the voltage regulator which triggers at 9 volts.. .. .Which would explain why the alternator dosn't self start when hand starting the engine.. .. .Must be a design feature.. .. .Anyone know why they do this?. .. .MJ. .. .cat3c no worrys about going to trouble. You have triggered my inbuilt need to know how things work, which all engineers are born with.. . . . <small>[ 16 March 2002, 17:09: Message edited by: mad_jock ]</small>