Generator issue

[Habusailor]

My 49 8ba with 3 speed OD is not charging. Amp gage shows no charge or discharge until the solenoid kicks in at 28 mph. Then goes to discharge and stays there. I am thinking generator but hoping for something cheaper. 6volt pos ground system


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[alanwoodieman]

yes that and/or regulator. I take both to a local shop who rebuilds the gen and checks out regulator (replaces if it is bad) and then sets them up to work in harmony

[koates]

To test generator and voltage regulator on the car do this. Remove the regulator field wire off its terminal and connect over to the Armature terminal on the reg. Start engine and rev up to about 2000 RPM and note if ammeter is reading high charge or not. If reading high charge then the generator is OK and the voltage regulator is likely faulty. If no charge then the generator is faulty. Note the cutout inside the regulator is still in circuit for this test. Do that and report back. What solenoid are you talking about ?? The one on the overdrive. Regards, Kevin.

[Habusailor]

Do I keep the Armature wire hooked up to its pole on the regulator or take it off when I hook the field wire to that terminal?


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[Habusailor]

Yes Kevin the solenoid on the Overdrive kicks in at about 28mph. Then I get a huge discharge


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[Kurt in NJ]

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FROM the ford transmission book-- test overdrive solenoid --6 amps momentarily,then maintain 2.5 amps, if ammeter maintains a reading of 18-20 amps replace solenoid

the solenoid has 2 windings, and a set of points inside, a high amp pull in winding, then points open ad low amp holding winding

so both the charging system and the overdrive system needs checked for proper operation

[rotorwrench]

A volt meter(digital multi meter) will let you know if it is charging. It should read above battery voltage when the engine is started and running. They generally will run at 7.1 volts or so. If it has no rise in voltage then do Kevin's check in post #3 to see if it is the regulator or generator. A lot of the replacement voltage regulators are crap. If it is an old original, it can be repaired by someone that has some parts stashed away.

Kurt in NJ is correct about that OD solenoid. It had pull in power (higher amp) when it is operational but not yet in overdrive. After it shifts all the way into OD the the amps load should drop a good bit.

[JT FORD]

I had the same trouble with my '49, OD solenoid would pull in and the ampmeter would

discharge big time. It was the solenoid points hanging up and not stopping the heavy voltage drop. Remove and clean the inside up, then test on the bench or the fender with wire straight to the battery.

[koates]

Originally Posted by Habusailor

Do I keep the Armature wire hooked up to its pole on the regulator or take it off when I hook the field wire to that terminal?


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Yes, leave the armature wire still connected to its regulator terminal and connect the field wire in with the armature wire. What you are doing here is by passing the voltage and current regulator so that the generator is working on its own with no control, apart from the cut out. Try and see what it does. Regards, Kevin.