polarize a regulator

makemc

makemc

Senior Member
I'm in the process of installing a generator and regulator
and when I went to polarize the regulator, by touching
the fld. wire to the bat connector, nothing happens, no
spark of any kind, I have good battery connection, the
lights all work, the engine turns over fine, but no spark
at the bat. termanal... I'm not guiet done with the swap
so I haven't started the car yet, but you should still
have a spark, never had this to happen before..any ideas
 
Lawson..Thats my question to, I'm not sure if there should be
a spark, I guess I will find out when I start the car
 
I thought that is what you are doing when you touch
the fld wire to the bat wire and termanal
 
makemc said:
I'm in the process of installing a generator and regulator
and when I went to polarize the regulator, by touching
the fld. wire to the bat connector, nothing happens, no
spark of any kind, I have good battery connection, the
lights all work, the engine turns over fine, but no spark
at the bat. termanal... I'm not guiet done with the swap
so I haven't started the car yet, but you should still
have a spark, never had this to happen before..any ideas
Click to expand...
Don't you mean polarize the GENERATOR? Make a momentary connection between "GEN" terminal and "BAT" terminal of the regulator.
 
I really don't know what I am talking about and I proved it when I asked the owner of a successful Starter & Generator Shop about the polarization of my generator. He told me, "There is nothing to polarize on a generator and it's only necessary, when you have a regulator." I thought that I had been polarizing my generators for years. ??????? Any electrical engineers out there ?
MIKE :)
 
no Jerry, from what I understand and have been told ,you are
polarzing the regulator, if you just install a new regulator,
you have to polarize it to match the system.
 
What series are you trying to polarize?

As I understand it Jerry's directions are appropriate for the pre-8BA/8RT flatheads. The late series you polarize the way makemc described.
 
Just to clarify - with a regulator you don't use a jumper wire. Disconnect the field wire and touch it to the batt post of the regulator - this is per the truck shop manual.
 
makemc said:
no Jerry, from what I understand and have been told ,you are
polarzing the regulator, if you just install a new regulator,
you have to polarize it to match the system.
Click to expand...
As I understand, regulators are made either for positive grounded systems or for negative grounded systems. You can't change the regulator only the generator magnetic field. I can not post pictures, but I will be glad to snail mail you a copy of instructions from a NORS regulator that explains this. It says" WARNING--Before starting motor, polarize generator to match battery by making a momentary connection between GEN terminal and BAT terminal of regulator. This makes current flow in proper direction. Do not touch FLD terminal". It also says (for positive grounded systems only). If you could polarize the regulator the direction sheet would not say this.
I have seen generators burned up because this was not done. Ask Lawson Cox.
 
My old Ford/Mercury/Lincoln manuals only refer to polarizing the generator field. The field is like an electro magnet so it needs the north & south poles in proper order. The manuals only show regulators with Bat/Arm/Fld/Gnd on the old types Many late types have no ground terminal. The instructions state that the field wire should be removed from the VR and touched to the battry terminal and thats all there is to it. I remember Standard Motor Parts used to make regulators with a push button on them just for this purpose. After flashing, the generator will have a slight residual magnetism in the pole shoes to aid in start up of the generating process. You really only have to repolarize if you replace the generator. That is, unless someone connects the ground strap to the negative terminal & sets it up for negative ground by accident. If the generator has the wrong polarity it will burn up the cut out and curent limiter points in the VR.

Kerby
 
Kerby sez>>>field wire should be removed from the [voltage regulator] and touched to the battery terminal>>>

This jives with my understanding. The reason for first disconnecting the field wire from the regulator's FLD terminal (instead of simply jumpering BAT & FLD) is to eliminate the possibility of frying the regulator's internal field contacts by the momentary high polarizing current flow.

Jack E/NJ
 
maybe I should start over, this is a 46 ford and was a 6 volt pos. grd, I am converting to 12 volt neg.grd. I bought the gen. and reg. from someone
years ago that said the gen had been converted to 12 volt and the reg.
was a matched set, when I installed it I wanted to polarize it, the way
I have in the past, by touching the fld. wire to the bat. wire and termanal
and nothing happened, no spark, now does that mean it is already polarized
or should there be a spark any way even if it is already polarized, or on
a 12 volt neg. grd is the process differant..
 
Jack..does it not make sense to feel sure you have everything
right before you start the car and maybe fry a gen. or reg.
 
It may or may not spark. One end of the field is grounded so by touching the field wire to the battery you are closing a DC circuit between the battery and the field coils in the generator in effect making a temporary electromagnet. If the wire between the VR and the field terminal on the gen is good and the generator has a good ground to the engine then spark or no, it should be polarized. If there is an open in the field wire or either field coil then there is no circuit so no spark can occur.

If you have a multi-meter you might want to check the field to make sure it has continuity. It will also have resistance but I'm not sure what that resistance factor is supposed to be. I checked an old 6-volt 8BA generator I have and it shows around 3.5 Ohms in its field coils.

Kerby
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top