My next Problem! (Lights burned out)

Terry NJ

Terry NJ

Well-known member
Slo I was out on the road, about a mile a a half away, just after dark, when I hit a small bump and the lights flashed and I lost the two head lamps and the tail lamp all at once. God I'm having more troubles with this car!. Any how, anyone know of a chronic Mod A light system burnout problem? It wasn't a big bump! Lotsa fun driving in the dark, with no lights and no streetlights with a black car!
T.I.A. Terry
 
The first time I took mine out was to a Friday night cruise. All my lights burnt out when I switched them on. I was told it was a bad ground so I cleaned all the contact points and have not had that problem since. Check the ground for the headlights.
 
if the generator looses its battery connection it spikes popping all the bulbs. and yes poor grounds do weird things.
 
That's another good reason to use a voltage regulator. The output will remain at a safe voltage even if a bump in the road shakes a battery cable loose.

In the meantime make sure all your connections in the charging circuit are clean and tight. This includes the generator, cutout, terminal box, ammeter, starter switch, and battery, along with the wires connecting these parts.
 
My advice would be to check the connection of the battery ground strap where it connects to the frame. This is the most overlooked electrical connection on a Model A. You will have to remove the battery to attend to it. If it is rusted and corroded you could be losing the battery connection. This will allow the generator to run wild. The increased voltage level will take out any bulb that is turned on.

Remove the ground strap and wire wheel it. Use a small disk sander on a drill motor to brighten the raised boss on the frame where the ground strap connects.

Tom Endy
 
I just had the battery out to get at the transmission to rebuild it (Thanks again to all who advised me on that project, The trans is working great!) I had the TWO ground cables off and maybe when I put them back I didn't find a clean section ( I have an auxiliary ground on all my cars) I will go and clean them up today. Also, I just thought of this, The charging rate seems a little high. It's fine at idle but I rev the engine, not all that much, and it jumps to around 18-20 amps, Is this too much?
 
Terry said:
I just had the battery out to get at the transmission to rebuild it (Thanks again to all who advised me on that project, The trans is working great!) I had the TWO ground cables off and maybe when I put them back I didn't find a clean section ( I have an auxiliary ground on all my cars) I will go and clean them up today. Also, I just thought of this, The charging rate seems a little high. It's fine at idle but I rev the engine, not all that much, and it jumps to around 18-20 amps, Is this too much?
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Thats a lot of amps! What shape is the battery in, you had it out maybe you bumped it removing/installing and shorting out the plates? You may want to load test the battery
 
18-20 amps is way too much. I don't like to see these monsters put out more than 10. For normal driving 4-5 is plenty.

If your lights just went out then you probably have a loose connection somewhere. If the bulbs did burnout then you probably have a runaway generator issue like the others mentioned. Grounds can be finicky, but, with 2 battery grounds it seems that one of them would be sufficient, but, strange things can happen.
 
If I didn't use a voltage regulator, then I'd set the amps for about 2 during the day and 9 or 10 for night driving. My stock lights draw 8 amps, so if I set the output for 10, I'd still have 2 left to keep the battery charged.

You better check you battery condition and water level in it, because 20 amps can buckle the plates and cook off the water. I've seen batteries explode from too high a charge rate.
 
The purpose of the auxilliary ground is unite the engine/driveline with the body. I had a old cable off a Piper Tri that I shortened and hooked up by bolting it with a bolt through the flange of the chassis. One cable on top , one cable on the bottom and a bolt through each, hooked directly to a FW housing bolt. This has helped my sluggish (Relatively) starter gain new life. It spins over beautifuly. and the battery has a longer cranking life. I heartily recommend putting one on every car, especially if the starter seems sluggish. I will adust the generator to calm it down. and go over other grounds.
Terry



Patrick L. said:
18-20 amps is way too much. I don't like to see these monsters put out more than 10. For normal driving 4-5 is plenty.

If your lights just went out then you probably have a loose connection somewhere. If the bulbs did burnout then you probably have a runaway generator issue like the others mentioned. Grounds can be finicky, but, with 2 battery grounds it seems that one of them would be sufficient, but, strange things can happen.
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Tom Thanks! I know so little about electricity that I can't imagine what a V regulator looks like, let alone that they are available for Mod. A s. All, I know is the Cut out. How do you set it for two amps day time and 10 amps nighttime?
Terry



Tom Wesenberg said:
If I didn't use a voltage regulator, then I'd set the amps for about 2 during the day and 9 or 10 for night driving. My stock lights draw 8 amps, so if I set the output for 10, I'd still have 2 left to keep the battery charged.

You better check you battery condition and water level in it, because 20 amps can buckle the plates and cook off the water. I've seen batteries explode from too high a charge rate.
Click to expand...
 
Terry said:
Tom Thanks! I know so little about electricity that I can't imagine what a V regulator looks like, let alone that they are available for Mod. A s. All, I know is the Cut out. How do you set it for two amps day time and 10 amps nighttime?
Terry
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The cut-out is just a switch. The output is set at the generator. A search will show a ton of info. But, simply, remove the rear band to expose the brushes. The most accessible brush [ thin one] is [or should be] adjustable. Move it up to reduce output, down to increase.

There are different regulators out there, but, I use and like Tom W's. Its mounted inside the generator.
 
So I fired it up, (18 amps at fast idle) and I slid the generator band back and pushed down on the third brush. Nada! so I then pushed up (Toward the engine) and and it started coming down. It's about 3-5 amps at a fast idle. I added a couple of "Glugs" of MMO to the gas and it smoothed the engine out. I consider that fixed! I started replacing bulbs and I think the brake light is cooked too. How can that be if I didn't have my foot on the brake? I also pulled the battery cables off. It took some force with my hand but it did come off. I "greased" it up with di electrical paste and put it back, clamping it with a wrench. I checked the water level in the batt. It was full, no damage. I should be good to go for Saturday at Hellertown.
Terry
 
Sounds great that you're getting everything dialed in and in good working order. Hellertown should be alot of fun. I was seriously considering going myself. Best of luck on your journey. Jeff
 
Terry said:
So I fired it up, (18 amps at fast idle) and I slid the generator band back and pushed down on the third brush. Nada! so I then pushed up (Toward the engine) and and it started coming down. It's about 3-5 amps at a fast idle. I added a couple of "Glugs" of MMO to the gas and it smoothed the engine out. I consider that fixed! I started replacing bulbs and I think the brake light is cooked too. How can that be if I didn't have my foot on the brake? I also pulled the battery cables off. It took some force with my hand but it did come off. I "greased" it up with di electrical paste and put it back, clamping it with a wrench. I checked the water level in the batt. It was full, no damage. I should be good to go for Saturday at Hellertown.
Terry
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You didn't wire brush or sand the connections before putting it back together ?
 
I have a new problem! I made a mistake and put some oil in steering box, Big Mistake! The oil leaked out of the box into the light switch. Oil Does Insulate! Now, There is no path for the current, not even the brakes. It's completely dead! I've got to clean it all out. I have the plate with the tube that blocks oil from leaking out into the light switch, but I didn't want to start a new job until after the show.
Terry
 
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