By this stage the forthcoming DDK trip to the Spa 6 hrs was looming, so there was just time to install a new speedo cable (bought from Speedograph Richfield) & do a few local trips to check that everything was working.
I was a bit concerned about being left 'trailing in the dust' on the Spa trip as all of the other cars had at least twice (& some as much as 4 times) the meagre 75 bhp in the back of my car - but I needn't have worried ...
A combination of better than anticipated performance allied to dismal weather conditions much of the time meant that I was never that far behind.
I covered around 850 miles from door to door & the car proved to be very stable under all conditions & surprisingly comfortable - albeit with a fair amount of (mainly) wind noise at speed on the autoroutes.
The only minor problems encountered were a(nother) speedo cable breakage (100 miles after leaving) & the red charge light coming on 10 miles from home on the return journey.
I pulled over to the hard shoulder & checked the fan belt which was still present & tensioned correctly so carried on home.
After a few preliminary checks on the charging system the next day it appeared that the dynamo was at fault, so the fan/generator assembly was removed & the brushes inspected.
These proved to be badly worn - the lower one to the extent that it was no longer perpendicular to the commutator & hence not making correct contact.
A new set of brushes were located at autoelectricians Vehicle Elelctrics nearby & were duly fitted.
The voltage regulator was checked/cleaned - along with the associated wiring (& mounting plate)
- & the whole lot re-installed
A quick trip 'round the block' with a digital voltmeter plugged into the cigarette lighter socket revealed that the dynamo output was now back to the correct level (up to 14.4 volts).
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)