brian hood Posted August 22, 2008 Report Posted August 22, 2008 Once again, HELP!!!! I tried to use the wiring diagram on our site to re-wire my '53 B-4 Pickup. The generator is newly rebuilt and the voltage regulator is a NOS unit. How would I check to see if the regulator is working. When I pull the cable off the battery, the truck dies. Any suggestions? Brian Quote
brian hood Posted August 22, 2008 Author Report Posted August 22, 2008 I almost forgot, it is a 6v Quote
brian hood Posted August 22, 2008 Author Report Posted August 22, 2008 By the way, my truck is a '53 1/2 ton B-4 Quote
Reg Evans Posted August 22, 2008 Report Posted August 22, 2008 Did you polarize the new regulator? You have to momentarily flash the regulator with a piece of wire by touching the Arm connection to the Bat connection on the regulator. Quote
brian hood Posted August 22, 2008 Author Report Posted August 22, 2008 Will that cause it to not charge? Are you talking about a quick short or hold it there few a few second? How will I know it worked? Will it arc? Thanks, Brian Quote
Reg Evans Posted August 22, 2008 Report Posted August 22, 2008 Brian, Check this forum string out. Yes, the gen will not charge the system until you polarize the system. Do you have a shop manual for your truck? http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=10603&highlight=polarizing+the+generator Quote
bkahler Posted August 27, 2008 Report Posted August 27, 2008 A generator does not work the same as an alternator. On a vehicle that has a generator if you disconnect the battery the engine will die where as on a vehicle with an alternator you can disconnect the battery and the engine will stay running. Easiest way to see if its charging is to check with a volt meter. If you have about 13.3 vdc or more your generator is working just fine. If you have under 13 vdc then odds are you need to flash the regulator/generator to get it to start charging. Brad Quote
Young Ed Posted August 27, 2008 Report Posted August 27, 2008 I believe you have that battery part backwards. Two weeks ago when the battery died in my dakota I got a jumpstart but that only got it running for a couple blocks. It ended up stalling. If I didn't need a battery with the alternator it would have kept running after the jump. Quote
MBF Posted August 27, 2008 Report Posted August 27, 2008 Here's a quick way to check a generator. It should run like an electric motor if hooked up directly to a 6 volt battery. If it doesn't-it won't charge. To check the operation of the charging system (voltage regulator included) put a volt meter on the battery (before starting the engine) and get a static reading. After starting the engine you should see at least a volt and a half increase in the reading if the charging system is working with the engine revving slightly. Check the wiring from the generator to the voltage regulator, and then see if the points are closing in the regulator (you may also want to clean up the contact points in the regulator-but disconnect the batter before doing this). If the generator has the 3rd movable brush, you can try moving this from side to side and see if your voltage output changes. Mike Quote
bkahler Posted August 27, 2008 Report Posted August 27, 2008 I believe you have that battery part backwards. Two weeks ago when the battery died in my dakota I got a jumpstart but that only got it running for a couple blocks. It ended up stalling. If I didn't need a battery with the alternator it would have kept running after the jump. Ed, No, the alternator will keep the engine running even without a battery. Many times I've disconnected the battery on a vehicle and left it run for a long time. I know one farmer who doesn't use a battery on his tractor. Just uses jumper cables from his pickup, starts the tractor and disconnects the jumper cables. No battery on the tractor at all. (and its NOT a diesel ) The generator on the other hand has to have a battery present to produce voltage. What you're describing on your Dakota sounds like a bad or weak alternator. The electronics on these newer vehicles use a lot of current so if the alternator was weak and not charging enough to keep up with load demands the vehicle would stall. Brad Quote
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