Generator not charging

JD 1931

JD 1931

Senior Member
I installed a new fan belt on my 31 A and I grounded out the battery lead on the cut out witch caused the fuse to blow while in process. I now have the amp meter showing 0 when it was 8 amps charging before and the battery is a little low. It shows discharge when I turn on the lights so I don't think it is the meter. I installed new fuse , removed the original cut and installed a diode cutout with the same results. It must be in the generator, please reply with possible solutions...

Thanks,

JD
 
Apply power to the generator and see if it tries to turn motor or does motor if the belt is loosened. If it does then install the old cut-out [ I'm assuming it worked before] , start the engine, jump across the two cutout leads for a second, remove the jumper and see if it is now charging.
 
Grounding out the battery connection at the cutout should have caused no problem other than blowing the fuse. Did you have a stock cutout?
 
DId you remove the belt and try to see if the generator motors? Did you attempt to jump the cutout yet with the engine running?
 
From the second the fuse blew until you replaced the fuse, did you start the engine and run the generator?

If so, and if you ran it for very long, you may have cooked the generator. With the belt real loose (or off) jump across the cutout terminals and see if the generator motors slowly in the same direction it normally runs.
 
I jumped across the cutout terminals and generator did spin and in right direction, with motor running I jumped terminals but still not showing a charge, but does show discharge when lights are on...Thanks, JD
 
Connect a battery charger to the output side of the cutout and a good ground. You should now be charging the battery and it should show on the + side of the dash ammeter. If it does, then remove the generator and take it apart to inspect. Most times when the generator motors, it's good, but not always.

BTW, you still didn't answer a very important question. Did the generator run while the fuse was blown? Probably not since you should have lost coil power, but running a generator while it's not connected to the battery can burn them out unless you have a voltage regulator.
 
JD, I had a similar issue. Took the generator apart and the armature was shot. It may be a coincidence, but it could possibly be bad now...
 
If it was charging with the cutout, I would replace the cutout and see if it would charge again. If there is a problem with the diode, it won't allow the generator to charge. I have have installed the diodes from Brattons and Snyders in old cutouts and never had a problem. A poor solder connection could be the problem. I only use rosin core solder with mine. I'm not the best at soldering but rosin core works good for me. Acid core runs off like water.
 
Thank you all for the help, I put battery charger on the output lead and no change , still no charging on amp meter, think I will replace the cutout to the original again ,if no luck will order another, the diode and original are used...JD
 
I only use rosin core solder with mine. I'm not the best at soldering but rosin core works good for me. Acid core runs off like water.

Any time you are soldering electrical connections never use acid core or acid flux or acid paste, it will cause corrosion and eventually an open circuit. Rosen core is the proper solder for electronics.
 
If you followed Tom W's battery charger suggestion, and your ammeter and wiring was OK, you should as he stated, see charging at the ammeter. The generator and cut out don't enter the picture under these conditions. Does your battery charger show that current is going somewhere? I'd suspect some sort of wiring problem since the ammeter shows discharge when the lights are on.
donQ
 
Yes, what Don just said. There is something strange going on here though, because if the headlamps are connected to the cutout output terminal, as they should be, then current is flowing fine from the battery, through the meter and wires to the cutout.

So, why isn't the meter showing a charge when the current is reversed by using the battery charger? Does the battery charger show 4 to 6 amps charge on it's meter? If so, then the dash meter should also show that charge.
 
Buddy had given me an old generator with diaode cutout and I cleaned and oiled it then swapped it with mine and it now shows charge on the amp meter. Adjusted the 3rd brush to 4 to 5 amps, would like about 8 amps but will adjust later and now should be good to go.


Thanks for the help....
JD
 
Why do you want 8 amps?

I use my electronic voltage regulator inside the generator, which replaced the adjustable brush, so my output is taken care of automatically, but if I didn't use an EVR, then I would set my generator field brush for about a 2 amp output.

Only if you do a lot of starts and short drives, or night driving with the healights on should you need more amps. High output will make the water cook off inside the battery and it will also shorten the battery life. I'm still running over 10 years on my junk yard battery.
 
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