Cutout burnout

[mlp623]

After taking apart, cleaning and re-assembling my generator, I thought I was ready to put it back on the car. I made some mistakes and now need to understand what I did wrong and how I can get back to running.

When I re-assembled the generator I felt the long thru bold that holds both ends together hit the back of the terminal post - not sure if this is normal.

After re-installing I wasn't getting a charge on the ammeter with a fast idle (or faster). I tried jumping around the cutout by attaching a wire with alligator clips on each end. A couple sparks, and a pegged ammeter. Wires were hot.

It looks like the contact points in the cutout were making a connection, so I pushed it down with the back of the screwdriver - that caused the cutout to go up in smoke. Good thing for battery cutout switch. Some smoke from behind the instrument panel. I removed the panel and tightened the connections to the Ammeter.

Now the cutout is off the generator, the ammeter is back to -0-, and I have a burned out cutout on the bench.

A couple additional details.

• No fuse (yet).
• 6 V positive Ground
• New Ammeter from brattons
• Lights and horn worked before burning out the cutout.
• Cutout was original style - not a diode or voltage regulator.
• When I re-built the generator I installed new brushes and all new terminal post washers(etc) (this may have put the post in contact with the thru bolt)
• 3rd brush was in the middle - and not touching the lower brush

I am up for a funproject voltage regulator, but if there is another issue I'm not up for burning a $60 part.

How can I troubleshoot? (after the superbowl )

[Purdy Swoft]

Remove the fan belt and touch the wire that would connect to the cutout to the generator post . If the generator motors in the direction that the engine turns when it runs, there is a chance that the generator will charge. If it doesn't motor or motors in the wrong direction, there is no chance that it will charge . If you connected the brush wires backwards it may still motor and charge but adjusting the third brush will have no effect on the charge rate and the field coils will burn out fairly quickly. Nobody can make any guarantees in a case like this. It is certainly not a disgrace to not know what you are doing . The thing is that there are several mistakes that can be made when the generator is took apart and put back together, if you aren't not familiar with model A generators. Check it out and report back and we will have a better guess of the possibilities .

[Tom Wesenberg]

Since the long bolt hit the output post it created a dead short, and when you pushed the cuout contacts closed everything from the battery to the generator will go up in smoke.

[mlp623]

Which brush connects to the output post? #2 is grounded. I thought I followed Les A with the adjustable brush to the post - but the diagrams seems to go to #1.

[Purdy Swoft]

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The terminal wire connects to the insulated main brush screw . See legend hook up description at the bottom of page 68 in Brattons catalog .