1958 Electrical Issue
After replacing all of the wiring harnesses (engine, front and rear, under dash) on my 58' I connected up the battery. A very small trace of smoke from the area of the voltage regulator/generator, seemed that it came from the generator; I immediately disconnected the battery. I loosened and rotated the generator out of the way to inspect the volt regulator wires, checked ground wires etc., no outward damage-melting of wires. Thinking that I needed to polarize the regulator I hooked the pos cable to the battery. What happened has me lost...1) the generator began to spin and the ammeter gauge needle registered in the negative field ~-7. No key in the ignition, in the off position. Any obvious answer or check protocol to this problem would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
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Re: 1958 Electrical Issue
Christopher, Was the regulator and generator functional before the harness changes?
The generator turning is caused by voltage being applied to the Armature terminal with the Field terminal grounded. This is actually the way to bench test a generator. It's outlined in the service manual as "motoring the generator".
Check your generator to regulator harness for shorts and check for proper connections between gen and regulator. Make sure you have a proper ground between the two also. -
Re: 1958 Electrical Issue
Christopher,
One other thought......If the radio condenser is connected to the generator Field terminal it could momentarily ground the Field and possibly cause what you're seeing. If the condenser then shorted internally it would keep the ground applied to the field.
RichComment
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Re: 1958 Electrical Issue
Rich, thanks for your prompt reply. Prior to replacing the wiring harnesses the charging rate was low and would drain the battery. Checking the 50+ year old spliced wiring to conduct tests was what convinced me to replace all of it. So it appears I'm back to square one with the charging system. My primary concern is that I don't want to fry the new wiring but it appears that the issue now is isolated between the regulator and generator.
I will recheck the generator to regulator harness wiring again this morning for shorts, proper connections, and grounds. I don't have a radio condenser on the generator so that is one less item. Thank you for your assistance.
ChrisComment
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Re: 1958 Electrical Issue
Chris,
If the charging rate was low, meaning the charging wasn't working properly, then maybe you need to get the generator and regulator tested.
It may be wise to pull the regulator and open it up to see if anything looks bad, like burned contacts, etc.
You can do a motor test on the generator with the regulator out. If it spins properly with the regulator out it may help narrow down your problem, my gut feeling being a bad regulator.
See Step #8 on this page.......
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Re: 1958 Electrical Issue
Rich,
Small incremental successes, which is good. I removed all of the regulator and generator harness wires and removed the regulator. Checking inside the regulator there were no scorching or burn spots but I did notice that the points above the battery coil were touching as there was no gap A small adjustment resulted in creating the measured gap between the points. Whether this had any significant effect on the outcome I don't know.
The regulator to generator wires were in good shape and correctly attached. In examining the ground wire terminal, to the regulator, there appeared to be too much solder on the eyelet which might have resulted in the terminal not laying flat in the regulator ground frame, grinding the solder away with a Dremel increased the mating surfaces between the ground wire and the regulator.
With the regulator unattached to the generator I tested the generator by motoring it as you suggested. The generator drew 4.27 amps. After reconnecting the harness wires from the regulator to the generator I reconnected the battery cables: two noticeable changes 1) connecting the positive cable to the battery produced a small spark in comparison to the large arc before, and 2) upon connection of the positive cable to the battery the generator did not motor.
As I have described it, if nothing sounds odd, I am thinking that the regulator/generator electrical issue may have been resolved. I thank you again for your assistance.
ChrisComment
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