52 Victoria overdrive
 

Drove it to town today at around 26 mph when the overdrive governor kicks in the generator stops charging gauge goes to center let off accelerator goes into overdrive generator starts charging again.
Another problem runs good except it is hard to start after driving until it sits to cool for fifteen or twenty minutes has dual ford carburetors one is marked EAB and one is 8BA been thinking about rebuilding those ignition seems good compression is 90 + - on all cyl. Thanks for any helpful information on this.

Re: 52 Victoria overdrive
 

Your OD solenoid has "pull-in" and "holding" coils in it. The pull-in coil requires a lot more current. When your governor energizes the relay, the pull-in coil is using all the current your generator can supply so the amp gauge goes to "0" or below. After the solenoid is allowed to full extend the holding coil uses much less current. Your generator doesn't stop working, it just can't add charge to the battery because the solenoid is using all of it.

Your hard starting could be ignition related since heat is a factor. When the car won't start I suggest pulling a plug wire off a plug, hold it about 1/4 to 1/2 inch to a grounded spot on the engine, and have someone push the starter button with the key on. The spark should be strong and blue. If it is weak and yellow/orange or none, ignition is your problem rather than carburetors. If you have boots on the plug wires, you can pull the coil wire from the distributor cap and hold it close to a ground. Good luck with it!!

Re: 52 Victoria overdrive
 

It seems the pull in coil doesn't go to hold the amp meter stays at 0 as long it has not gone into overdrive even when the over lever is off. can the governor be cleaned or fixed or does it need to be replaced?

Re: 52 Victoria overdrive
 

I don't think the governor is the problem. It is actuating the relay like it is supposed to do. It might help to remove the cover from the solenoid and clean the points. Also, all wires and connections in the circuit should be in good shape. If the above doesn't help, I would put a switch in the circuit to turn it off when the OD is not used.
The OD cable under the dash doesn't have any relation to the governor actuating the relay/solenoid. Earlier models had a cut out switch that disabled the governor when the cable was pulled.

Re: 52 Victoria overdrive
 

40cpe Thank you for helping me understand this it will be it will help much.

Re: 52 Victoria overdrive
 

You are welcome. Please let us know how you eventually work it out. Reports on repairs, attempts and successful, adds to the knowledge base here.

Re: 52 Victoria overdrive
 

Check for voltage drop at the solenoid. These solenoids are sensitive to voltage drops and will be slow to engage (or not at all) if voltage drops below 6 volts. Compare voltage at the battery with voltage at the solenoid connections.

I had a similar problem, the solenoid put a draw on current but wouldn't pop. It often happened at night until I figured out that the combined draw with the headlights made the voltage drop worse.

If you find a drop, then clean all connections on the solenoid harness. In my case I had to rewire the solenoid feed line and I used a heavier gauge wire.

Re: 52 Victoria overdrive
 

The pull in and holding coil switch is internal to the solenoid. When the OD is engaged the pull in coil is switched off and the holding coil is switched on. If the holding coil is not energized then it will drop out. My amp gauge always jumps south when the overdrive kicks in. Make sure there is no partial short to ground from both coils. You can access the connections from inside the cover.

Re: 52 Victoria overdrive
 

What kind of distributor do you have? The stock one won't work very well with duao carbs.

Re: 52 Victoria overdrive
 

Do have stock distributor coil is Mallary voltmaster mark 2
Is there a better on available?

Re: 52 Victoria overdrive
 

Yep. Either a converted small block Chevy distributor, or my favorite, an old Mallory dual point.

You have to understand that the 8BA series of engines used a unique vacuum only advance system where the carburetor and distributor were designed to work together as a unit. Some have claimed to have had success using the stock system with the vacuum line from the distributor plugged into one (or maybe both) of stock carburetors. It is still not an ideal situation, as the amount of vacuum required is relatively slight and increasing the number of carbs throws everything out of wack.