Are the grommets necessary on voltage regulator?

Big_Guys_baby

Senior Member
Hey Barners!

Are the grommets actually necessary on voltage regulator? I am switching out the one that was on the car for many years (my dad put it on before he passed a long time ago) and I have no clue the age/make/condition of it. Replaced the brushes in the generator, cleaned it up a lot, added extra ground wire. Still having a bit of an intermittent charging issue and not sure about the regulator.

I have a napa echlin vr401 voltage regular that I want to put on. Just curious if I need the grommets?

Thanks!

Jeff
 

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I don't know about grommets for electrical insulation but I would at least want them on there for protection from vibration. I would think it wouldn't last as long without grommets.
 
Rubber grommet serve as insulators, vibration dampners, and protect the paint.
I Use them. Can't hurt.
 
New ones are easily found at any parts house or hardware store that has the many drawers of fasteners.
 
Big,
Send me your address, I have new ones.....you need them, they are
mostly to reduce vibration and vibration KILLS vr's. Let the other guy get stranded
with a cooked generator.
Charlie ny
cas5845@yahoo.com
PS they are free...no postage no nothin'
 
A regulator I restored (new tag not installed, yet). Found the exact same grommets in a Hedahls store. Have seen them in hardware stores.

Factory regulators have the sleeve, in conjunction with the mounting screws, in the grommet for grounding. Looks as if his original replacement has sleeves, also.


 
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You can't convince me that a small thin grommet with a metal sleeve will reduce vibration enough to talk about.
That is like using MMO in the gas tank, all in the head.
 
A lot of off road and unpaved roads back then = a lot of overkill on old fords … that’s why they’re still here and a larger percentage of brand X are gone / scraped
 
The voltage regulator on my Ramcharger had no grommets, and it melted down the firewall. Lots of early morning dead batteries, radio cutting on and off, and finally dim headlights until I figured that one out.
 
I got three Fords with regulators and none have grommets. Only had trouble with one regulator in over thirty years.
 
A regulator I restored (new tag not installed, yet). Found the exact same grommets in a Hedahls store. Have seen them in hardware stores.

Factory regulators have the sleeve, in conjunction with the mounting screws, in the grommet for grounding. Looks as if his original replacement has sleeves, also.



Those grommets with the sleeve in them will not provide a ground. The metal sleeve is isolated from touching the regulator. Thats why Ford had a separate ground wire for that. Like many others, i do not have them and never had any problems from not having them.
 
Can't we pretty well assume that if they weren't necessary, Henry wouldn't have put them there? He wasn't known for adding useless parts!
 
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