Tom, I had the same problem in '68. While I was in Vietnam, my '64 TR4 was
in storage in a garage in Los Angeles. Upon my return I was posted to New
Jersey and flew from Vietnam through Europe. I needed to get the car from LA
to NJ and so, after doing some cost analysis, I contracted with a car
transport company. The deal was that for a minimal sum they would have a
"bonded" driver drive the car across the U.S.
To make a long story short - about a week after the company told me that the
car was on the way, a young college student showed up with my car at my house
in NJ. The car looked fine but the driver told me that the ignition warning
light had come on somewhere in Arizona and had stayed on all across the
country. Each day he had gotten the battery recharged. The light stayed on
until he stopped for the night. He then had the battery recharged and
proceeded on his way the next day. Obviously he had been in a hurry and so
didn't call me or stop at a dealer for repairs. There were dealers in those
days!
I had a repair manual and performed the electrical tests in it. (The Bentley
reprint of the Shop manual has those tests - sorry but I do not have any of
my books with me at this time.)
The problem was a bad voltage regulator. What had happened was that the
generator was putting out current which was not getting to the battery. I
know that I replaced the voltage regulator but do not remember if there was
damage to the other components (i.e. the generator, battery etc.) although I
think there was not. Suggest you get a copy of Bentey's reprint of the shop
manual or see if a Haynes manual is available. The tests are fairly simple,
requiring a voltmeter and screwdriver and there are adjustments that could
posssibly be made if the voltage regulator is not burned out. In my case it
was burned out and I had to replace it. Still have the one with which I
replaced it. If yours is burned out, I think that voltage regulators are
readily available from TRF, Moss, VB etc. or you could take it to an
electrical repair shop for a possible rebuild.
Hope that helps. Maybe someone on the list has a book handy and can tell you
how to proceed. Please let us know what you find.
Art Kelly 64TR4 CT33118L (original owner,daily driver)
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