Generator Rebuild Problems - The Final Ugly Chapter

[Marshall V. Daut]

I can finally end the misery with the generator rebuild problems I had been experiencing, as these threads detail:
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=330390
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=330713

I am the first to admit that automotive electrical problems have been my Waterloo in Model A restoration work since 1966. After numerous unsuccessful and frustrating attempts at repairing various starters and generators during this time, I decided to either exchange bad ones for rebuilt ones or go the alternator route. Reaching the ripe old age of 74 this year, I decided I had to finally face my fears and tackle eight generators I have for my various Model A's, as well as help a couple local friends with their generator woes. As the previous threads describe, until this recent nightmare generator, all had gone well with the other rebuilds this year, lessening my fear of any electrical component in a Model A. Then this friend's "Generator from Hell" entered my life last month. I won't go into detail about its continuing misery. You can read about that in the two threads posted here.
I'll just say that after NUMEROUS disassemblings and reassemblings, the ^%#* thing finally works! Getting to this point, however, I removed everything except the new field coils, even though they were suspicious to me because after the first rebuild, the armature spun backwards. I was sure the field coils had been wrapped in the opposite direction by the manufacturer. And after subsequent attempts to correct this problem, it continued to do so. RATS!!! About the 10,000th reassembly, the armature began to spin in the right direction, no rhyme nor reason why it changed. I had thrown the &^$# thing across the garage once in total frustration and incurring a fresh bleeding cut across my knuckle. I wonder if that didn't "shock" the generator into spinning the right direction? At least I had proven to it that I meant business and that it had better cooperate!
Well, yes, the armature was now rotating correctly - but the *(*&^# thing still wouldn't charge or it would only charge for a short time after polarizing it via the original points cutout. Then nothing. No discharge registered on the ammeter, but also no charge with the engine running. Back to Square One. Over the weekend it became a do-or-die action to get the thing working properly. I changed the two sheathed wires and returned the field bare wire back to the original grounding spot. I noticed that the solder I had put on the bottom of the terminal post hung down like a big tear drop, so I filed it flat. After doing that and hooking up the new wires, the generator worked right off the bat, even with the new semi-conductor cutout. I didn't need to polarize it through the original cutout first.
I know you'd all like to know what the smoking gun was that had been creating all these problems, but I can't give you a definite answer because I DON'T KNOW what I did to finally make the generator work. I'll just leave well enough alone and give it back to my friend and move on to the next generator rebuild, which couldn't POSSIBLY be worse than this one.
Thanks to everyone for their support, advice and suggestions. Valuable information was supplied that may come in handy during the next generator rebuilds. By the way, I still HATE electrical work!!!
Marshall

[Big hammer]

Originally Posted by Marshall V. Daut

I can finally end the misery with the generator rebuild problems I had been experiencing, as these threads detail:
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=330390
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=330713

I am the first to admit that automotive electrical problems have been my Waterloo in Model A restoration work since 1966. After numerous unsuccessful and frustrating attempts at repairing various starters and generators during this time, I decided to either exchange bad ones for rebuilt ones or go the alternator route. Reaching the ripe old age of 74 this year, I decided I had to finally face my fears and tackle eight generators I have for my various Model A's, as well as help a couple local friends with their generator woes. As the previous threads describe, until this recent nightmare generator, all had gone well with the other rebuilds this year, lessening my fear of any electrical component in a Model A. Then this friend's "Generator from Hell" entered my life last month. I won't go into detail about its continuing misery. You can read about that in the two threads posted here.
I'll just say that after NUMEROUS disassemblings and reassemblings, the ^%#* thing finally works! Getting to this point, however, I removed everything except the new field coils, even though they were suspicious to me because after the first rebuild, the armature spun backwards. I was sure the field coils had been wrapped in the opposite direction by the manufacturer. And after subsequent attempts to correct this problem, it continued to do so. RATS!!! About the 10,000th reassembly, the armature began to spin in the right direction, no rhyme nor reason why it changed. I had thrown the &^$# thing across the garage once in total frustration and incurring a fresh bleeding cut across my knuckle. I wonder if that didn't "shock" the generator into spinning the right direction? At least I had proven to it that I meant business and that it had better cooperate!
Well, yes, the armature was now rotating correctly - but the *(*&^# thing still wouldn't charge or it would only charge for a short time after polarizing it via the original points cutout. Then nothing. No discharge registered on the ammeter, but also no charge with the engine running. Back to Square One. Over the weekend it became a do-or-die action to get the thing working properly. I changed the two sheathed wires and returned the field bare wire back to the original grounding spot. I noticed that the solder I had put on the bottom of the terminal post hung down like a big tear drop, so I filed it flat. After doing that and hooking up the new wires, the generator worked right off the bat, even with the new semi-conductor cutout. I didn't need to polarize it through the original cutout first.
I know you'd all like to know what the smoking gun was that had been creating all these problems, but I can't give you a definite answer because I DON'T KNOW what I did to finally make the generator work. I'll just leave well enough alone and give it back to my friend and move on to the next generator rebuild, which couldn't POSSIBLY be worse than this one.
Thanks to everyone for their support, advice and suggestions. Valuable information was supplied that may come in handy during the next generator rebuilds. By the way, I still HATE electrical work!!!
Marshall

Your the A man ! Congrats to winning your battle !

[jrelliott]

Thanks for the update. Electrical problems can be frustrating. Just got through working on a friends A that quit running. Several people worked on it with out success. Worked 2 1/2 hours before finding the problem with a ignition switch not making contact. Had to fix several other problems before narrowing it down to the switch.

[jb-ob]

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Never in doubt, still my hero. jb