The Ford Barn

Feathercraft56 · 06-16-2023, 08:39 AM

Greeting all... My 34 Fordor amp gauge stopped showing when charging, but always shows when its discharging... Occasionally it will start back showing that its charging and then stop again...
Any help/advise would be greatly appreciated.
Kind regards,
David

Feathercraft56 · 06-16-2023, 09:42 AM

Also I have checked the rebuilt 6 volt generator and is working fine.

petehoovie · 06-16-2023, 11:31 AM

I would suspect the cut-out relay on top of the generator...

Feathercraft56 · 06-16-2023, 04:46 PM

Thank you very much for the reply. I Have the original one that came with the car. I will give that a Try.

petehoovie · 06-16-2023, 06:53 PM

Cutout Relay

Sometimes called the circuit breaker, this device is a magnetic "make-and-break" switch. It connects the generator to the battery (and therefore the rest of the car) circuit when the generator's voltage builds up to the desired value. It disconnects the generator when it slows down or stops.
The relay has an iron core that is magnetized to pull down a hinged armature. When the armature is pulled down a set of contact points closes and the circuit is completed. When the magnetic field is broken (like when the generator slows down or stops) a spring pulls the armature up, breaking the contact points.

An obvious failure mode is the contact points. As they open and close, a slight spark is generated, eventually eroding the material on the points until they either "weld" themselves together or become so high in resistance that they won't conduct current when closed. In the first case the battery would discharge through the generator overnight and in the second there would be no charging to the system.

koates · 06-16-2023, 08:34 PM

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Anything inside the generator or cut out could be causing your intermittent charging. You say you have checked the generator and it is OK. Please explain exactly how you tested the generator and the cutout and what type of meter you used. No use replacing a possibly good original cut out if it is OK. Many new replacement cut outs are just shit and nowhere the quality of an original FORD one. Regards, Kevin.

Feathercraft56 · 06-20-2023, 10:19 AM

I Checked the Generator and it is charging and working as it should... However the amp gauge only shows discharge only. Only 1 time while driving did the amp gauge start to show charging for a short while then stopped. The battery has not gone down any and this has been going on for several months. The new cutout switch NuRex A-10505-SS was installed about a year ago. I changed the original out so as not to have any issues while on the road...I have the original cutout switch and I am going to swap it out and see if that solves my issue...
Thanks Kevin for your input...
Kind regards
David

06-16-2023, 08:39 AM	#1
Feathercraft56 Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 28	1934 Ford Fordor DeLuxe Amp Gauge Greeting all... My 34 Fordor amp gauge stopped showing when charging, but always shows when its discharging... Occasionally it will start back showing that its charging and then stop again... Any help/advise would be greatly appreciated. Kind regards, David

06-16-2023, 09:42 AM	#2
Feathercraft56 Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 28	Re: 1934 Ford Fordor DeLuxe Amp Gauge Also I have checked the rebuilt 6 volt generator and is working fine.

06-16-2023, 11:31 AM	#3
petehoovie Senior Member Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 8,156	Re: 1934 Ford Fordor DeLuxe Amp Gauge I would suspect the cut-out relay on top of the generator... __________________ The only thing nice about being imperfect is the joy it brings to others.... *"Silver rings, your butt! Them's washers!"* "We shot our way out of that town for a dollar's worth of steel holes!" - from 'The Wild Bunch' - 1969 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NReUd2_0u0

06-16-2023, 04:46 PM	#4
Feathercraft56 Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 28	Re: 1934 Ford Fordor DeLuxe Amp Gauge Thank you very much for the reply. I Have the original one that came with the car. I will give that a Try.

06-16-2023, 06:53 PM	#5
petehoovie Senior Member Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 8,156	Re: 1934 Ford Fordor DeLuxe Amp Gauge Cutout Relay Sometimes called the circuit breaker, this device is a magnetic "make-and-break" switch. It connects the generator to the battery (and therefore the rest of the car) circuit when the generator's voltage builds up to the desired value. It disconnects the generator when it slows down or stops. The relay has an iron core that is magnetized to pull down a hinged armature. When the armature is pulled down a set of contact points closes and the circuit is completed. When the magnetic field is broken (like when the generator slows down or stops) a spring pulls the armature up, breaking the contact points. An obvious failure mode is the contact points. As they open and close, a slight spark is generated, eventually eroding the material on the points until they either "weld" themselves together or become so high in resistance that they won't conduct current when closed. In the first case the battery would discharge through the generator overnight and in the second there would be no charging to the system. __________________ The only thing nice about being imperfect is the joy it brings to others.... *"Silver rings, your butt! Them's washers!"* "We shot our way out of that town for a dollar's worth of steel holes!" - from 'The Wild Bunch' - 1969 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NReUd2_0u0 Last edited by petehoovie; 06-16-2023 at 07:03 PM.

06-16-2023, 08:34 PM	#6
koates Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Melbourne Australia. Posts: 2,079	Re: 1934 Ford Fordor DeLuxe Amp Gauge Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Anything inside the generator or cut out could be causing your intermittent charging. You say you have checked the generator and it is OK. Please explain exactly how you tested the generator and the cutout and what type of meter you used. No use replacing a possibly good original cut out if it is OK. Many new replacement cut outs are just shit and nowhere the quality of an original FORD one. Regards, Kevin.

06-20-2023, 10:19 AM	#7
Feathercraft56 Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 28	Re: 1934 Ford Fordor DeLuxe Amp Gauge I Checked the Generator and it is charging and working as it should... However the amp gauge only shows discharge only. Only 1 time while driving did the amp gauge start to show charging for a short while then stopped. The battery has not gone down any and this has been going on for several months. The new cutout switch NuRex A-10505-SS was installed about a year ago. I changed the original out so as not to have any issues while on the road...I have the original cutout switch and I am going to swap it out and see if that solves my issue... Thanks Kevin for your input... Kind regards David