Getting a jump/Gener-Nator or Powergen/Intermittent power drop follow-up

Posted by Mark Buckley On 2012/2/15 1:12:40

Hello, all,

For the past several months I have been posting queries (under several different headings) about my manyfold electrical problems. Between October 2011 and February 2012 my 1950 Packard has had the following installed in it: three batteries, three generators and five voltage regulators.

As of today (Valentines Day, 2012) it appears the electrical mystery has been solved. So I thought I'd give those of you who are interested the skinny on what happened, how the craziness evolved, and how it was resolved. I'm consolidating all my previous posts/queries into this summary document in order to bring the loose threads together.

It all started last autumn, when I noticed my ammeter--the "Battery Charge Indicator gauge," was occasionally swinging wildly from charge to discharge for no apparent reason. I use my Packard as a daily driver, so as the winter here in Seattle came on I began to experience electrical problems as my use of lights & blower (not to mention the radio) increased. The battery suddenly failed in October and I posted my beginning query here: "Getting a Jump," about how I had to call AAA to re-start the car. The AAA guy only had a 12-volt power source, and I wondered if the 12 volts had fried anything.

I bought a new battery but less than three weeks later it failed completely. My solution was to buy another new one. Fortunately, that battery is still working well.

As winter deepened I noticed my car was seriously losing power while I was sitting at an intersection waiting for the stoplight to turn. The headlights grew dimmer and dimmer, while the blower motor made howling sounds. When the light turned green I'd let up the clutch and depress the accelerator. When I did this the ammeter would swing wildly to the left, the discharge side. Sometimes the car would lose power entirely and I'd end up stalled in the middle of the intersection.

I assumed the old generator was giving out and was considering replacing it with a "Gener-Nator" or a "Powergen" unit. Those are alternators in a generator skin.

Several kind (and smart) people here urged me to lubricate the blower motor and to consider staying with the original equipment, i.e. a generator. I had the blower motor lubricated and it now hums smoothly. I also ordered a rebuilt generator and a NOS voltage regulator from Tuscon Packard.

Jerry my mechanic, installed those units but was very dissatisfied with the equipment. He reported that when he started the car the generator began to smoke. So he shut down the engine and checked the voltage regulator. According to Jerry, the contacts in the regulator were "frozen" in one position. He assumed this was due to age.

So Jerry removed the new, NOS regulator and re-installed the old one. The car ran well for a day or so and then the wildly-swinging ammeter problem returned. A new twist developed when the generator apparently had enough juice to charge the battery when no electrical accessories were running. But when I drove at night with the headlights on the ammeter would show significant power drain. At first this circumstance was intermittent. But over a few days it became obvious the "new" generator was putting out very little juice.

Jerry and I decided the problem was with the old voltage regulator. So I ordered an aftermarket regulator. That unit cost about $100, with delivery fees and taxes. Jerry installed it and for a day or so everything seemed to work well. Then the old problems returned: the battery wasn't charging and the car seemed woefully underpowered.

After running a few tests a week ago, Jerry admitted defeat. He suggested I turn to an expert: 76-year-old Les, owner of Acme Auto Electric, here in Seattle. I made an appointment with Acme and delivered the car the morning of Thursday, Feb. 9.

When I dropped the car off the original Delco generator that Jerry had removed was in the Packard's trunk. Its replacement--the rebuilt unit from Tucson--was still in place, in the car. At noon Les called me and reported the "new" generator (the one that was on the car, that I'd bought from Tucson Packard) was toast. He said it was all burned up and basically worthless. He also reported the voltage regulator was in need of replacement. Les's crew had tested the original generator and said it could be rebuilt, so I authorized the rebuilding and the purchase of yet another voltage regulator.

At about 3 p.m. I called Les and asked about the status of my Packard. He reported all was well and the car would be ready in about 20 minutes. I took a taxi to the shop and was greeted with embarrassed smiles. Turned out the car was not ready to go after all. With the newly-rebuilt generator and the new voltage regulator installed the old problem was still there: the ammeter was swinging wildly on an intermittent basis.

For the next 90 minutes Les and crew worked to troubleshoot the situation. Eventually they ruled out a faulty ammeter. The 61-year-old gauge was working admirably. They were literally stumped for an answer when Les suggested they swap out the brand new, tested-and-found-to-be-working voltage regulator for a different unit.

It turns out that there are three different kinds of voltage regulators for cars of my Packard's vintage: 6-volt positive ground (the kind my Packard takes), 6-volt negative ground, and a newer, "universal" type, that can handle either positive or negative ground. Les and crew swapped out the brand new, 6-volt positive ground voltage regulator--the fourth such unit that had been on my car since October--for a "universal" model.

The results were immediate. The system calmed down and everything began to work as intended.

Over the weekend I put more than 250 miles on the Packard. I can honestly say it has never run better in the eight years I've owned it. Acceleration is smooth and it seems as if I have about a 15% increase in available horsepower.

Over the past eight years I've replaced just about every part of the car's electrical system. It's been completely re-wired and I've installed numerous new relays & switches, not to mention motors and bulbs. As of today the only electrical part that was on the car when I bought it in 2004 is the starter motor. I replaced the starter solenoid last year.

But with 20/20 hindsight I'd have to say that if I were to do things again I'd do two things differently:

1. I'd find a company like Acme--or a guy like Les--to do the electrical work. At the end of the day on Thursday Les commented that electrical system was a car's most complicated system--and I agree.

2. I'd ask that company (or person) to replace the existing generator and voltage regulator as part of the electrical system rebuild. This is no slam on Jerry, who is a very competent mechanic, but it appears to me electrical problems are best left to the experts.

All I can say is that I paid for two rebuilt generators and three voltage regulators before the problem was fixed--not to mention labor costs, which were significant. In my humble opinion going to Acme first would have saved me a fair amount of time and money!

I hope you find this saga useful.....

Mark