34' 6 volt generator/charging problem

34s4ever

34s4ever

Well-known member
The 6 volt gen. on my 34' seems to be having a problem..The amp gage shows about 6-8 amps at idle and 10-12 amps while driving at 30-40 mph..If I turn the lights on,the gage goes to discharge (-10 amps) ..It appeared to be working normal up until a few days ago..I've checked the connections at the generator and they seem okay.. Does anyone have some suggestions on what to check before I pull the generator?
 
Is your charging system stock? If so, the '34 had a fixed rate charging system. The generator would put out a fixed ammount of current regardless if the battery is fully charged or not.

With the engine off, turn on the lights and watch the ammeter to see how much the lights draw. If the draw more then 10-12 amps, the ammeter will show a discharge when you are running with your lights on. If so, you will have to adjust the generator for more output, but more output may overcharge the battery during daytime running.

This is an on going problem with a fixed rate charging systems. Ford went to a regulated charging system later in the '30s to overcome this situation. A lot of us with the earlier Fords have converted to a later generator and regulator so the battery will stay fully charged and we are able to drive at night and not overcharge the battery during day time driving.

I hope this helps,

Chris
 
I know that someone out there makes a "stealth" electronic voltage regulator that hides inside the generator and replaces the third brush. There should also be a diode replacement for the cutout.
 
There have been cutout replicas made and sold with the Ford script, for several years now. I wish i could remember what catalogue i seen it in. Marv
 
definately not a loose belt..Just checked it again..

Its an all stock charging system..before this started happening,the Ammeter would read +20 during daytime driving at speed,around 5 while idling..I would drive with my lights on during the day(dropped it to about 12 amps) because I thought that it might be overcharging the battery at such a high rate without any load on it..How can I adjust the charging rate?
 
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