| Parkopup1218 | -- 12-16-2018 @ 1:33 PM |
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Hello. I am new to this site and look forward to all your experience. I have a 1942 ford business coupe -6 volt system that has a 1946 ford flathead v8. Symptoms of my car are it will not hold a charge. I have a new 6 volt bat,new volt regulator. The entire car is frame off resto with all new wiring. When I turn the lights on, they are very dim. Here is my question: Do I need to polarize the generator since I have installed the new batt and should this fix the charging or is there something else I am missing?Thanks!
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| MG | -- 12-16-2018 @ 1:46 PM |
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Is it that the ammeter does not show a charge when the engine is running? Does the ammeter show a discharge when the engine is not running? You should make sure that all ground connections are metal to metal contacts. - Remove any paint at ground connections. You might have a parasitic drain from a wiring error. This message was edited by MG on 12-16-18 @ 1:48 PM
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| Parkopup1218 | -- 12-16-2018 @ 1:55 PM |
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Hello and thanks for responding. When running, it shows a small discharge. I was thinking about the wire connections also. That makes sense and off I go.
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| cliftford | -- 12-16-2018 @ 8:34 PM |
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It sounds like a generator problem to me, but I would get a Chiltons or Motors manual for that era and go through the trouble shooting steps. You might also check previous posts on this subject.
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| CharlieStephens | -- 12-16-2018 @ 11:19 PM |
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When someone says "it will not hold a charge" I think they mean it is fine when you park it at night and the battery is dead in the morning. Is this what you mean? Charlie Stephens
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| ford38v8 | -- 12-16-2018 @ 11:43 PM |
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New wiring and new regulator doesn't always cut it. Wires and cables have to be adequate for 6 volts, not off the shelf 12 volt wire. New regulators can be sourced from overseas, and some of those have proven inferior. As stated above, paint on a new restoration will insulate, so all electrical connections to firewall, engine, and frame must be bare metal/metal, and greased to assure oxidation doesn't occur. Wire bullet connectors can be loose also (solder them), and don't forget ground connections from headlite buckets. While you're at it, check the starter mount face which is the only ground connection the starter gets. You'd think the mount bolts are good enough ground, but not so. If any of the above conditions are true of your car, the restorer took advantage of your inexperience in not stating up front that his expertise is not 6 volt Fords. All these things can take a few days to sort out, and are not expensive to do, but for your satisfaction, do it yourself, and please get back to us to tell how you did! Good luck and keep asking questions! Alan
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| TomO | -- 12-17-2018 @ 6:54 AM |
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Do you have a voltmeter and know how to use it? Do you have a 6 volt battery charger? Does the battery go dead when the car is sitting? You have a generator charging problem and it could be the voltage regulator, generator or wiring. The easiest way to determine what is wrong is to use a voltmeter to check things out. Pleas answer my questions and I can then give you some suggestions on how to isolate the problem without replacing parts that are in good working order. Tom
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| Parkopup1218 | -- 12-17-2018 @ 9:40 AM |
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Hi Tom. I do have an ammeter yet have not checked it yet. I have it on a trickle charger now which the takes little time to recharge but once I begin to start, the batt does not last long. It is new and I had it rechecked and the batt they say is good. I am keeping a charge on it as I have just gotten out of surgery and not able to pay attention to it until March or so. In reading some of the great responses from everyone, I need to check the wiring to make certain all are clean and paint free. This site is great and I am very appreciative for all the responses and experience. HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!
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| Parkopup1218 | -- 12-17-2018 @ 9:46 AM |
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Thanks Alan and I agree that doing the inspection and repairs myself is the only way to learn. I have picked up an original repair manual for the year of the car to help.
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| TomO | -- 12-18-2018 @ 7:23 AM |
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Here is a short list to get you started on determining what the problem is; Disconnect the grounding cable from the battery and let the battery charge on the trickle charger for a few days. Then : Disconnect the charger, Connect the ground cable, Turn on the headlights for about 30 seconds, Then check the voltage across the battery. The voltmeter should read about 6.5 volts if the battery is fully charged. If it is not fully charged, disconnect the ground cable and connect the charger for at least another 24 hours and repeat the test. If you cannot get the 6.5 volts, you either need a new battery or charger. When you get the battery fully charged, Connect you voltmeter across the battery and have an assistant press the starter button for 15 seconds with the ignition switch OFF, while you read the voltage. The meter should read above 5.5 volts while the engine is cranking and return to at least 6 volts when the engine is not cranking. If the voltage drops below 5.0 volts when cranking and returns to above 6 volts, you have a problem with the starter drawing excessive current. If your car passes the above test, leave the battery ground cable connected and the charger disconnected for a day. Then read the battery voltage again with the headlights on and the engine not running. The meter should read 5.8 volts or more. If it does not, you may have a short. Post the results of the tests and I can give you further checks to make. If you have to wait fo March to make the tests, do a search for your user name and update this post. Take care of your health and when you are ready, we will be here to help. Happy holidays to you. Tom
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| supereal | -- 01-01-2019 @ 1:58 PM |
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I'd suspect a battery drain caused by an electricly wound clock, or a switch, such as for a tail or stop light that isn't completely shutting off. Put a voltmeter between the battery cable and the battery post. Any meter reading indicates a drain. Recently we had an almost new Cadillac in our shop that had been to two dealers because the battery would go down. It turned out to be a dome light door switch that opened enough to shut off the lamp, but still drew a small current. One dealer installed a new battery, another an alternator. For all old vehicles we recommend installing a master battery cutoff switch. It will prevent these problems and protect your vehicle and garage from fire caused by old wire insulation.
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| 42oink | -- 01-07-2019 @ 10:59 AM |
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Here's a thought. Polaraizing is a good idea to try. I used to do that many moons ago with old cars. Chilton tells you which post to ground for a second. With the engine running, disconnect the battery. Does it run? That will eliminate one possibility. Ain't old cars fun? 42oink
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| 37RAGTOPMAN | -- 01-10-2019 @ 8:57 AM |
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the battery should be a positive ground, I am sure it is, but just wanted to be sure, on your headlights, use a test lead and run a ground wire to a good connection,from the bulb and to ground, and if the lights get brighter, you have bad grounds, on charging., Test 1 if you take off the belts off the generator, take a 10 gauge test jumper wire and make contact on the ARM connection for a second or 2, the generator should turn quite rapidly ,it is a electric motor, if it runs your generator should be working, the reg should have been polarized by just touching the field connection on the reg, for a split second,with a hot lead from the battery, I would run a ground wire from the generator to battery and see if it charges then, it might not getting a connection from the engine to the frame, also disconnect battery, disconnect the arm wire on the battery, charge the battery, wait over night see if it is still charge, there might be a drain in the generator, I am sure there will be more input on this problem. hope this helps, 1937 RAGTOPMAN
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| Parkopup1218 | -- 01-28-2019 @ 1:25 PM |
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Hi Tom I have not been able to get back to the car until now due to some illness. The car has been on the battery tender since Sept. Since it had not been started, and thinking that maybe the ground from the battery to the firewall was not good, I ran a batt cable to one of the studs on the motor thinking this might help isolate the ground. Although it seemed to crank over a little more, it did not start and the battery has signs it is dead. It is brand new in July. I am going to take it back where I got it to have them put it on the bench to see if that is an issue. I am going to roll my sleeves up and check all the connections. The solenoid or gen might be issue? I will jump start this to get it going and check some diagnostics. Stay tuned.
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| TomO | -- 01-29-2019 @ 8:25 AM |
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I would not mess with the connections until you have done the tests that I described. You may introduce new problems to the electrical system. The tests that I gave you should help to isolate the problem and lead to a quality fix. Tom
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| Parkopup1218 | -- 02-16-2019 @ 5:21 PM |
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Hi Tom You what it was? It ended up the starter(positive ground)was not grounded correct. The ground went to the firewall and had a smaller batt cable that ended up having some rust under the paint. I replaced the batt cable with a 1 guage size cable that is red sheathed and attached it to the block. I also had the starter out and had it bench tested just to make certain and it is aok. The battery is new. After everything was put back together, I put the key in her and she started right up. This was yesterday. Today I went out and pressed the started button like 1/2 time and she fired right up. Thanks for your help and now on to other things.
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