Re: Electrical Circus

Posted by TxGoat On 2024/6/25 15:37:12

Car ('37 120) is 6 volt with a 3 brush generator and a voltage regulator/cutout. All Autolite. The regualtor has 2 elements, one being the cutout. The short must have killed the field current and made everything go dark. I inspected inside the regulator and could see no damage or detect any fried odor. It's very old, but very clean inside and the points look fine. I went for a (hot) drive about an hour ago, and the charging current began to slowly drop until it is now about normal, so it seems the regulator survived the abuse. The standard wet battery needs the levels checked. Cranking speed seems as good or better than before. I left the battery on a low amp charger, and I will check the battery connections and electrolyte level before any more night driving. Most of the wiring has been replaced with original type wiring in recent decades, and seems to be in good condition. I have higher than standard Cp brake light bulbs and headlight bulbs. They draw a fair amount of current, and the ammeter shows right at 0 with the lights on bright. The regulator is rated at 25 amps, but the maximum charging rate seems to be about 12 to 15 amps, which may be limited by the third brush adjustment. I'm tempted to raise that slightly to see if I can get 1 to 2 amps on the ammeter with the lights on bright.