First real drive!!!!......Then problems...

[lelshaddai]

I have a 53 Plymouth Burb, 218(6 volt). Finally have it running. I took it on its' first long drive: 10 miles on the freeway. Felt great but it started to have problems. I had the lights and the radio on(original radio). After 3 or 4 miles the blinkers would not blink and it acted like it was starving for fuel. The radio stopped and the lights went dim. It would bog down on acceleration. I turned all the lights off and it would run better but it would still bog down on hills or acceleration. The Amp gauge while running was at 0 with all the lights off. Less than 0 with the lights on. I noticed as it was running on the freeway at about 55 if I turned the lights on it bogged down. I am new to this so I am not sure if it is the generator, battery or connections. The battery is new and was about 10 oz low of water. Very hot summers in AZ. It has always had enough cranking power to start even when it takes awhile. The voltage regulator has an adjustment should I turn it up? Any help would be great.

[55 Fargo]

Voltage regulator, or genny, or main harness to these, need attention. Don't go messing with the VR adjustments, until you run some tests with voltage meter.

Charge your battery,and then test what your dishing out voltage wise, then post your findings.

I also suggest you do a search and see if you can get any info to compare with. Your new battery could be a dud too, but you will find this out with voltage output test

[1941Rick]

Rockwood is correct...do not start to adjust the regulator. It is not often they go out of adjustment. Check the gen to make sure it is putting out. These tests will tell you if you have problems with the reg, gen, or battery. It is easy to start tinkering and make a real mess out of things. Always go with the "I know what the problem is" rather than " I think"

[lelshaddai]

What should the Gen be putting out? I am charging the battery now. The AMP gauge never seems to get above 0. I will have to go to Auto Zone to test the output.

[bamfordsgarage]

After your freeway drive and what sounds like low battery problems, was there enough juice in the battery to start the car? My experience is that there is there can be sufficient power for ignition when the battery is otherwise nearly depleted.

On my '47 D25, which is electrically similar to your Plymouth, the generator will almost peg the needle on the charge side (30-35A) when the engine is turning 2,000+ rpm and the battery wants it. As the battery approaches full the charge rate goes down. With the battery full the needle should be just slightly to the positive side.

It is always a good idea to refresh the connections unless you are sure they are clean and tight, particularly with a 6-volt system.

A malfunctioning generator is more likely than a wacky regulator. My remanufactured-years-ago generator stopped working in March so I installed my spare from the parts car, and the spare quit on us last weekend.

Repairs turned out to be straightforward — both had one badly worn brush with the other brush not much better. The wear was such that the tension spring was bottoming on the brush holder and no longer putting any contact pressure on the brush. A local auto electric shop had replacement brushes in stock ($5 for four) and installation was simple. Quick-N-Dirty would have seen the brushes go in without taking the generator apart — I followed the service manual instructions on sanding the brush contact surface to the exact diameter of the commutator.

[JerseyHarold]

One quick way to see if the voltage regulator is acting up is to whack it with the palm of your hand while the engine is running. If the ammeter shows charging after that, it's your regulator.

[Robert Horne]

You can start the car and take off one of the battery cables, while the

car runs. The car should continue to run if the generator is working ok,

if the cars stalls, the car would have been running on the battery.

The voltage regulator needs to have a good ground also to work good.

On my 48, the amp show about 30+ right after I start it, and within a

minute it goes back to just a little on the + side.

A voltmeter is a good tool to have. You can add one to the dash, or

use a handheld. It should read near 6 volt with car on, not runnning,

and read a little more than 6 after the car is running.

On my 6 volt system, it reads near 6.3, running...

On my 12 volt system in my 38, it reads 13.6, running...

[K_Jordan]

My first drive was about the same with my 48. After a few days of a friend of mine noticed that the battery was wired with a negative ground. The previous ower didnt know that the car was positive ground.:eek:

[greg g]

The manual has a simple test to check generator output. A temporary grounding of the field terminal with a jumper wire should result in a fully positive pegged ammeter needle with the engine at fast idle. If you needle isn't moving the genny is producing. out put should be it the 6.3 to 7 V range.

Could be something as simple as needing brushes. If you have fresh paint where your regulator is mounted it might require attention to establish a proper ground.

[40P10touring sedan]

What about needing to "excite" the generator...it shure sounds like you were running mostly off of battery power. While my '40 is fine{and now that I've jinxed myself....hahaha}, my old '62 galaxie gave me trouble in needing to excite the generator to get it to work.

Check your grounds for good conductivity, check your wires for the same{worn/frayed or loose connections}, then check for genny output while she's running...

[lelshaddai]

Great ideas. I forgot I do have a volt meter. I will try all the suggestions and report the findings. It was great to see the old gal running again after all those years in the desert.

[greg g]

A few years back I was returning from a car show a trip of about 190 miles. I noticed about a half hour into the trip, that my ammeter was showing a slight discarge rather than it's normal slight positive charge. I pulled over to check the belt and wires and battery clamps etc. Decided that the genny was not charging, but decided to press on.

I did make it the rest of the way home 170 miles give or take, without problem on battry reserve. A fully charged battery should allow you to travel quite a ways powerig the igniton only. Running with lights on without genny probably cut your reserv by more than half. My genny needed brushes, think they were 13 bucks for the pair at NAPA.

Suburban looks pretty experienced....What tires and wheels are you using??

[lelshaddai]

They are Bronco 2 rims and 215 tires. I have standard rims and the wheel covers that will go on when I am finished. The outside is as finished as she is going to get. Pantina you know. Too much rust to repair. I charged the battery last night. Charger was sending 6.8v. When I took off the leads the battery was 6.6v. It dropped to 6.52 in about 2 minutes. I do not think I have ever seen much positive charge on the amp meter while running. It is 0 or negative.

[40P10touring sedan]

Nice patina...interesting how either side fo the center grill has rust while the middle is shiney....btw, arent the surfboards supposed to be hanging out the back window?...I'm from Illinois so what do I know about surfing though...

[40P10touring sedan]

... The outside is as finished as she is going to get. Pantina you know. Too much rust to repair....

Nothing wrong with "as found condition"...some folks are nitpicky to put the car back with nothing but factory pieces{AARC}...some folks build their car as they want{hey, it is their car afterall} and fix it up alittle...it's on the road, being seen and being enjoyed -to me, that's all that matters in the end.

[greg g]

Typically the generator and regulator work to replace power used from the battery. The greatest use is obviously the starter. This usually shows up similar to this assuming you have a fully charged battery in good condition, You start the car and note that the ammeter shows a fairly substantial positive reading, you put on the brakes to shift to reverse, the ammeter may show a slight drop in the charge as the lamp load is registered, you release the brakes and the needle goes back to where it was. You back out and take of down the road, make a turn, your ammeter should show a bit of bounce as the signals light and blink. After 10 or 15 minutes the charging system will have replaced the current that was used by the starter and the needle will drop to the a slightly positive charge and may bounce a bit as the cut out points in the regulator open and close according to need. While driving down the road with a fully charged battery after 20 minutes or so your charging system should be basically idling in neutral till you place another load on it, radio, lights, brake lights, signals etc. the ammeter should react to each of those needs.

A slight discharge with lights on brakes on and radio playing sitting at a stop light should be considered normal as long as it bounces back up when you pull away.

The ammeter shows which way current is flowing as well as how hard the genny is working to replace current used.

[lelshaddai]

Here are some numbers:

At start up the Amp meter is at 0

After it warms up it is negative

The battery jumps up to 8.2 volts

The genny seems to be pushing 5.75-6.6 volts

I have yet to see a positive number on the amp meter while it is running:(

The rubber oil gauge hose crack and so I cannot get more numbers until I fix it.

[greg g]

Is it possible that the leads on the ammeter have been inadvertantly switched on the terminals? When you just turn the key to the run position which way does the needle move??

The rubber hose for the oil gauge can be replaced with a flexible brake line, or look around for a place that can make up hydraulic hoses and have a new one made up. Usually costs about 10 to 15 bucks.

[lelshaddai]

The amp meter is at 0 when not on. When the car is switched to run position it goes slightly negative(left).

[Plymouthy Adams]

maybe I am reading this wrong..the man left home for a check out run..everything working if I am reading this right..who would head out with a generator not working right....as all seemed well till some miles from the house I would assume he did not swap wires under the dash while negotiating highway and traffic..I mean texting is dangerous enough right..

charge the battery, test the system per the manual and repair what is bad..

[lelshaddai]

Hopefully that is what I will do. I just wanted to see a good place to start to look at things. I have charged the battery. I am not sure where to start. The wiring is original.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Hopefully that is what I will do. I just wanted to see a good place to start to look at things. I have charged the battery. I am not sure where to start. The wiring is original.

first..do you have the repair manual...any attempt to do a repair here will be in need of the instructions to properly test and repair..without it you will be guessing.....do not risk damage to a component due to a botched attempt to test an item..further..do you have the necessary tool for the job...

[Dodgeb4ya]

Most likely the generator brushes or a faulty regulator. You might also try polarizing the generator. Just for a second touch the BAT regulator terminal to the ARM terminal also at the regulator. Use a short piece of wire. Expect to see a quick small arc. Sometimes lightly hitting the regulator cover will unstick the contacts and the system will start charging. The amp guage should show a positive + charge at any speed higher than idle and at idle will show a discharge untill the engine once again is revved up. Make sure the wires are hooked up properly too like in the factory wiring diagram. The shop book is a must.

Remember it's a positve grounded system too!

Bob

[lelshaddai]

Yes, I have the repair manual and have begun to read through some of the repairs. I just did not know if it was simply or not. She sat for a long time. Is 5.75-6.2 volts output from the Genny enough? If it is the brushes I can work on that.

[Dodgeb4ya]

NO. It needs to be 6.5 to 7+ volts. Ground the regulator field terminal while the engine is running and rev it up for a few seconds and see if the amp guage now charges-it should max out all the way to the end of the + side. Don't run it like this for more than is necessary to see if it will charge.