6Volt Alt. Blues

Farrell In Vancouver

Well-known member
Having no luck with two Power House gennies, I installed a 6 Volt Alt to get me by on and smiles all around. Nice bright lights and a horn that won't stop honking.
Last weekend tooling around with my sweety sitting shot gun we both heard a strange noise coming from the left front. Wisely, the missus asks "What were you working on before we left?
I told her that I had been working on the speedo drive cable and the clock is working fine now. "Oh" she says that probably what the noise is"
But I am not buying it. It gets louder every now and then...like the sound of a outer wheel bearing in a bind. So I pull over and check but the wheel seems fine. We continue on and the noise come back when I swing a right turn.?! The car is running fine and nothing seems to be dragging so I keep rolling. After a visit here, pick up the kids, and fill the rumble seat with junk, we stop at a doughnut shop for treats. While at an idle I can hear the noise again, and its becomes constant. Ticky Tinkletickytinkle ticky.
I lift the hood and can tell right away it has something to do with either the fan, belt or the new alternator. We head for the barn and after unloading the weemans, I proceed to remove the belt, spin the water pump.......no trouble, spin the alternator and I find the noise. Holy alternator failure BatMan!
Brand new 6 volt and it sounds like the front bearings gone. But as I remove it and head for the bench, something is rattling inside??!
I disassemble the unit and find the tube type capacitor as become divorced from its mounting screw and has been banging on the spinning rotor all morning! Ugh! Much to my amazement it was not too badly scarred up, and even the mounting screw/bolt was still inside!
A little lock tight, reaassemble, and bolt her back on in time for the afternoon spin to the public house for a pint! She ran fine and still charged O.K.
Shows to go you, you never know what is going to happen while enjoying the ride. Sure sounded like a wheel bearing going south!
 
What was the problem with the powerhouse generators?
IMHO they are the best generator ever built and fairly easy to work on.
 
Wisely, the missus asks "What were you working on before we left?

What a great line. That is going to become a classic!!
 
Tom did the powerhouse have two types one with 5 brush and the other with three ,It is my understanding that the tree brush will not adjust
 
Yes, Ford Model A's had the 5 brush until late 28. The 3 brush was introduced about September 1928, but I've seen factory photos showing the powerhouse with the tension strap still being used on the assembly line in late 28. Check one of the pictures in "The Model A as Henry Built It".

Both are adjustable and work equally well. Just like the more common long generator sliding the adjustble brush in the normal direction of rotation increases the output.
 
What was the problem with the powerhouse generators?
IMHO they are the best generator ever built and fairly easy to work on.
I agree with you on both counts! One of them would not "motor" on the bench, so it looks like its cooked. No problem grab No.2. It will motor slowly but will not put out any voltage. I suspect the cut-out.
I could even buy a rebuilt from a guy in Alberta, but the 6Volt alternator was closer and I had a "Jones " to be rollin.
 
...I disassemble the unit and find the tube type capacitor as become divorced from its mounting screw and has been banging on the spinning rotor all morning! Ugh!

What capacitor? Not original in the 10SI type alternators most commonly converted to 6+. Sounds like a cheap trick to convert an even cheaper repop regulator to a one wire type by using an internal jumper and the capacitor. Who did you buy it from?
 
What capacitor? Not original in the 10SI type alternators most commonly converted to 6+...

Strange...I've got a whole bag of 10SI condensors, that get installed internally, left over from my swap meet days when I used to sell rebuild kits for 10SI alternators. :D

Joe
 
Back
Top