Generorator not charging

[Lenny51]

On my 51 Crestliner I have a new 6 volt battery , new voltage regulator
new armature & brushes in the generator .
I did polarize the regulator , I checked the wires from the regulator they
all have contanewity the batt terminal on the regulator dose have juice .
I only have a volt meter & a multi meter
Thinking about getting a 6 volt Altenator
How can I test the Regulator & Generator I all ready have $300.00 in it
Thank you for any help on this
The gen was checked at the shop that put the armature in

 

[petehoovie]

Check the wiring from the generator to the voltage regulator. Many times the 'Field' and the 'Armature' wires can be accidentally reversed when reinstalling the generator....

 

[rotorwrench]

When you polarize, it has no benefit to the regulator at all. The reason for polarizing is to use the battery DC current to magnetize the pole shoes in your generator via the field windings in there. If there is no residual magnetism in the pole shoes or if the polarity is out then the generator can't pull the cut out points closed to energize the charging system after engine start. The procedure for the older Ford vehicles is specific and can only be done one way. Disconnect the field wire from the regulator and momentarily (no more than 2-seconds) touch it to the battery terminal on the regulator. The field wire can then be reconnected to the field terminal and the generator is ready to go as long as all the components are serviceable.

If you use a jumper wire from a battery source, don't connect it to the field terminal until the generator field windings are isolated from the rest of the system or it can damage the regulator.

There are ways to test the generator to make sure it functions but a person has to have a meter on it and it can only be bypass connected for a very short time since the output is unregulated. The equipment required to do complete testing of the system is getting harder to find in this day and age. Every shop used to have test equipment back then but few have it now days. An auto electric shop generally has the equipment but there are fewer of these type businesses out there in this time frame.

If you have a multi-meter, you can set it on DC voltage and check the system when it's running across the battery terminals. The voltage should be around 7.2 to 7.6 volts. In any case is should be above static battery voltage.

 

[estout81]

This will solve all your generator troubles.

 

[koates]

Lenny, A quick easy test on the generator only. Join the Gen and Field wires together at the regulator but have them disconnected from the regulator. Connect an analogue DC voltmeter to the two connected wires (NEG voltmeter wire) and the POSITIVE voltmeter wire to ground. This is assuming your Ford is original POS ground. The scale on your meter needs to be 20 to 30 volts DC. Start engine and rev it up to 2000 RPM or so and the voltmeter reading should rise quickly to the end of the scale as the revs rise. IF volts are zero or low as in 6 volts or so then the generator is faulty. Its a bit hard using a digital multimeter set to DC volts to read this. An old analogue type voltmeter is best. Just do that test ONLY and report results. Regards, Kevin.

 

[Init1]

Check your brand new voltage regulator.
My brand new voltage regulator was not working. The points were very far out of adjustment.
Once adjusted all my ignition problems went away. And it was made in the U.S.A.

 

[MGG]

Check your brand new voltage regulator.
My brand new voltage regulator was not working. The points were very far out of adjustment.
Once adjusted all my ignition problems went away. And it was made in the U.S.A.

Same story here. My brand new made in the USA voltage regulator needed adjustment. I had the shop adjust it to an output of 7.4 volts at the regulator battery terminal and now I have a happy battery and generator.

 

[rotorwrench]

Sometimes I think the reproduction & aftermarket voltage regulators are assembled but not adjusted properly. I'd trust an old one from back in the day a lot more if it is still in good condition with no corrosion, burnt contact points, or fried coils. I just wished I had the old test equipment in good condition to do the necessary checks & adjustments.