Re: generator test

Posted by Mark Graber On 2016/5/10 14:48:48

Thanks guys, my understanding is increasing, perhaps painfully so. Maybe you are interested in the rest of the story.

After a 40 mile, relatively high speed drive with headlights on, and a 3 hour rest, we experienced a dead battery. Battery was fully charged before we left home. This was an AACA cruise and before I knew it, I had about 6 heads under the hood. Strange thing was that a jump would not turn the engine over. Some of the boys surmised a jammed starter or other starter/solenoid issue because power directly to the starter would not turn the engine over. I could not witness that procedure because I was in the car.

Got the car home, put a trickle charger on the battery overnight and it started right up. Battery appears to be holding a charge. In subsequent start ups, I noticed that the ammeter would sometimes show nothing (all the way to the left) and sometimes a "normal" charge. So, I concluded the VR was intermittent. That and the problems other posters have had with VR's. Jason rebuilt the starter and generator a couple of years and perhaps 1500 miles ago, so they were not initially suspect.

Given that the engine started normally several times yesterday, I am dismissing that failed jump start as operator error or a mystery of the universe.

So, I'm attempting to go back to basics here. I'll keep at it and examine the generator, and will check the wires on the ammeter. I noted that the points in the farthest inboard relay were not aligned very well...is that the cut-out relay?


Thanks