Can you adjust a 6v regulator?

[cushman man]

I have a f-100 1953 with factory overdrive.The od works great until you turn the lights on,and it will not change. With the od on it shows charge but discharge with lights. can up bump up the regulator to have more out put? They both work good just not together.

[ford38v8]

If no other symptoms in the charging system, I'd think you might have an OD solenoid issue. For a start, check for resistance at the connections. It doesn't cost a nickel to clean and reinstall wiring terminals. Yes, the regulator is adjustable, but I wouldn't tackle that until other possible causes are ruled out.

[cushman man]

Thanks Alan, but i just paid $250.00 for a new od solenoid same thing.

[Old Henry]

Don't know if you have a 6 volt generator like I do but, if you do, I believe it's very much the nature of that beast. I can run one or two of my headlights, heater fan, and/or radio at one time and the generator keeps up at highway speeds; but, put all three on and it's discharging no matter what I do. I've adjusted my regulator every which way with only very slight improvement.

[Flathead]

The OD solenoid has two windings, a "pull in" coil that uses more current than the "hold in" coil which, as the name implies, holds the OD engaged. There are points inside the solenoid that switch from pull in to hold in depending on position of the armature. An amp meter connected to the solenoid should show a larger current draw initially, and then less after the solenoid is engaged. I don't know what the actual specs are, but they would be in the service manual. It might be worth checking the draw just to be sure it is OK. As others have said you can turn up the regulator by bending the spring tension arm.

[ford38v8]

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Originally Posted by cushman man

Thanks Alan, but i just paid $250.00 for a new od solenoid same thing.

That's not what I said. Check to see that you have a good 6V (or very close to it) to the solenoid, and with clean tight connections. As others have advised, a voltmeter is an excellent diagnostic tool. Electrical resistance is the killer here, not the solenoid itself. Check also that you have used the correct heavy 6V wiring, not the skinny little 12V stuff. The whole reason to have a solenoid is to deliver a full 6V where it's needed most, so concentrate on that objective and you'll solve your problem.

[G.M.]

6 volts indicates a low battery condition. A fully charged 6 volt battery should read 6.4 to 6.7 sitting in the car before starting. Running at charging RPM's after a short time to recoup the power taken from the starter load depending on how fast the engine starts the voltage should be in the 7.2 range with a good charging system. Take your solenoid and connect it to your battery with large wires to see if it pulls in with a crisp snap. If the battery is fully charged and the solenoid is sluggish or don't snap in it's the solenoid. The number of turns of the solenoid coil wire and the spring pressure determines the voltage where the solenoid energizes. Less turns lowers the pull in voltage, higher turns put more resistance in the windings requiring higher voltage. I rewind a 12 volt solenoid for speedometer 2 speed changers to operate on 6 volts. It's about 1/2 the amount of turns with larger wire to get the 12 volt ones to operate on 6 volts. When doing this type of change you need to measure the voltage when they snap in and do heat tests to make sure the coils don't get over the heat rating of the insulation on the wire. A coil such as these and the coil of a generated mounted voltage cut out will pull in at say 6 volts but as the voltage to the energized coil is reduced will stay energized to a much lower voltage depending on it's spring pressure. The cutout pulls in at about 6.7 or 6.8 if I recall, I haven't set one up in years. The cutout coil has to be set above the normal battery voltage so the battery don't try to run the generator like a motor at idle or when the engine is not running. These new solenoids could have springs that are to strong or the incorrect number of turns or wire size since several people seem to have the same problem. G.M.

[OLD...BILL]

Originally Posted by G.M.

6 volts indicates a low battery condition. A fully charged 6 volt battery should read 6.4 to 6.7 sitting in the car before starting. Running at charging RPM's after a short time to recoup the power taken from the starter load depending on how fast the engine starts the voltage should be in the 7.2 range with a good charging system. Take your solenoid and connect it to your battery with large wires to see if it pulls in with a crisp snap. If the battery is fully charged and the solenoid is sluggish or don't snap in it's the solenoid. The number of turns of the solenoid coil wire and the spring pressure determines the voltage where the solenoid energizes. Less turns lowers the pull in voltage, higher turns put more resistance in the windings requiring higher voltage. I rewind a 12 volt solenoid for speedometer 2 speed changers to operate on 6 volts. It's about 1/2 the amount of turns with larger wire to get the 12 volt ones to operate on 6 volts. When doing this type of change you need to measure the voltage when they snap in and do heat tests to make sure the coils don't get over the heat rating of the insulation on the wire. A coil such as these and the coil of a generated mounted voltage cut out will pull in at say 6 volts but as the voltage to the energized coil is reduced will stay energized to a much lower voltage depending on it's spring pressure. The cutout pulls in at about 6.7 or 6.8 if I recall, I haven't set one up in years. The cutout coil has to be set above the normal battery voltage so the battery don't try to run the generator like a motor at idle or when the engine is not running. These new solenoids could have springs that are to strong or the incorrect number of turns or wire size since several people seem to have the same problem. G.M.

This all come down to three things GROUNDING, GROUNDING AND GROUNDING.... run a new good ground from the solenoid to the trans case AND the frame, ....add more grounds between engine, trans, frame, body, fenders, and the engine trans,frame,fenders, and all components that need to work at the same time .... thing about break lights. coming on weeeeeeeeek .... when you need them the most....ground the tail light buckets, twice, three times, same with the headlights base/bucket. ....Ill stop there, you get the idea ?? I hope ...... OLD....BILL .... and yes I am an electrician with a deg, says I am an electrianell engeener Cal-Tec-Pasadena

[Pete]

I have rewired and new wired many hot rods over the years.
I always tell the customer it will cost him twice what anyone else will charge him for material if I do it. This is because I do NOT rely on any metal part of the car for electrical returns. Anything that uses electricity on the car gets it's own individual ground wire. All grounds are then brought back to a terminal block at the battery.

[cushman man]

Thanks, guys I will check the grounds and add more where needed.