Q1: When the engine is on, the light indicator on the dashboard for the battery is a little on and I mean that during the day I cannot see this but during the night I can see the little light which is stronger when I turn on some other electrical stuff and does not turn off when I push the accelerator pedal.. When I turn the side repeaters on, every time that makes "klik" "klik" the light of the battery turns on and then again off and the same time I have problems with all the electric stuff of the car even with the engine that makes little pauses.
My mechanic said to me that the problem is on the side repeaters and because he couldn’t find exactly where he makes me a straight electric line for the side repeaters from the battery and the problem with these is solved but the light in the dashboard is remaining a little on. He checked the alternator many times and he said to me that is ok and really working very good and he tells me again and again that everything at my electrics is ok but I still see that little light on the dashboard which becomes stronger with the use of electric stuff.

A1: Your electrical problem is a very common one. I had the same on both my Fulvias and virtually every Fulvia owner will experience this trouble sooner or later. The likely cause is a fault in the voltage regulator which controls the alternator output. This is a small black box in the engine bay under the wing. The regulator is subject to wear because its mechanical contacts move switching on and off. There is only one solution, namely to replace the voltage regulator (it cannot be repaired) or even better to install an electronic regulator directly onto the alternator. If you have a Bosch alternator, it is still possible to buy the electronic regulator and fit it to your alternator. Do not ask me the part number please because in both cars I had this job done by two different auto-electricians while I was on holiday. However, I repeat it is a simple job and the spares are available. If you ignore this problem, eventually your battery will fail completely as it happened to me on a night journey on the motorway. Luckily I was able to reach a service station and buy a new battery.
Good luck, Andrea

Q2: I am writing you this e-mail to continue my question about electrical problems with my Fulvia Coupe. I change the alternator regulator as you told me with a new one. The old one was a Duchelier and I found a new one in a store which sells spare parts for Simca cars. I put that at my car but the problem with the light of the battery on the dashboard still remains. It still glows very dimly when I turn on many electrical stuff all together or when I turn on the side repeaters. After that I measure the voltage of my battery when the engine is on without any electrical load and I found 12.80 to 12.90Volts. When all the electrical load applied the voltage became 11.00 to 11.20 Volts even if the rpms of the engine was high. My mechanic tells me that these numbers are normal and the alternator is working good so the battery will have no problem in the future and the cause of the light on the dashboard is just on the dashboard and nothing else. What is your opinion about that?
He told me to make you a question about some other that brought to his attention. He noticed that the indicators and the ignition coil take their power from the same fuse(circuit) and he observe some instantaneous engine pauses when the indicator is turning on at low engine rpm as if the current drawn by the indicators hinders the electrical flow to the ignition coil and creates an instantaneous engine pause. He checked the indicator circuit and found none. He wants to ask you if this is a design fault that the current flowing at low rpm is not supply the both circuits ?

A2: I still believe that the alternator is not charging properly. Has the alternator been carefully checked (brushes, diode pack, commutator, etc)?
Have you seen any improvements after replacing the voltage regulator?
I checked the instructions manual: the alternator voltage should be at least 14 V. If you get less, there is a problem with the alternator. I think that the reason why the coil tension falls when you switch on the indicators is that the extra-load of at leasts three bulbs plus the flasher is critical for an electrical system already very marginal in function.
There is also another possibility, namely that someone in the past changed the wiring of your Fulvia so that the coil supply is shared by many other appliances but it should not be so. If you have the small instructions book which came with every new car you can trace the wiring and see that this should not happen.
- Andrea-

Q3: After a very carefully examine of the wiring diagram you told me , and a comparison with the wires in the fuse area, I found that you are right, the previous owner of the car maybe because of a broken flash indicator switch ( I replace it when I bought the car) ,he changed the fuse for the indicator and he put it to the engine coil fuse. I change the wires according to the wiring diagram and I have no problem with that now.
The alternator problem is still exists. With the old alternator I had a Duchelier and before I change the voltage regulator you told me, the maximum battery voltage I measured even without electric load and with high rpm was 12.10 to 12.50Volts. After I put the new voltage regulator the voltage I measured was 12.80 to 12.90Volts so I see improvements to that, but with electrical load the voltage was only 11.00 to 11.20. After that I decide to change the alternator with a Bosch alternator for another Fulvia and I bought an electronic voltage regulator as you told me and I fitted to it but even after all these the battery voltage I measure is without electric load 12.80 V to 13.50 V ( it depends on the rpm) and with electric load 11.50 to 12.40 . As you understand I never reach the 14 volts you told me to your last e-mail but the improvement is big so I decide to wait for another Bosch alternator I found in Athens and if with that I have problem too then I have to check other things to the car (earth problem, thin wires as Huib told me to his last e-mail) . When you write me for 14 V I believe that that number was too high but I measured the battery voltage of another Fulvia and it was 13.80 to 14.50 without load and 13.2 to 13.7 with load so this number is the normal voltage and my alternator is not charging well. I will keep you inform about the evolution.

A3: I am glad that you sorted out the wrong wiring of the indicator. The Lancia specification for the alternator tension is 14 V regardless of engine speed. Anything significantly less indicates a problem. It might be a good idea to improve the earth of the alternator but if this is not enough there is malfunction of the alternator itself. My experience is that taking a used alternator from an old car is rarely a successful solution unless the unit is first overhauled and checked. - Andrea-

R: The problem with the alternator and the battery light in the dashboard is solved with a very strange way. I made a trip to Athens ( about 500 km to go and 500 to come back) with my Fulvia and I visit there the best mechanic for Fulvia in Greece . When I told him about my problem, he laughed and in exactly five minutes solved the problem connecting a thick cable from the battery straight to the engine switch of the car. After that the battery light don’t glows any more and the battery voltage is without electric load up to 13.9 Volts. He told me that the problem is very common and created because of bad cable connections inside the fuse box. Of course he checked the alternator and he told me that the electronic voltage regulator that I fit on my car is the best that I could do.