Hi,

The problem started when I had the old regulator in the car. It only seemed to grow worse when I installed the new one. Quote:

Hello, all,

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I read them with interest.

I've given this thread some thought and now realize the system either charges the battery or it doesn't. I noticed it NOT charging when the headlights were on because that was when I had the biggest draw. With no electrical accessories running, but with the engine operating, the ammeter needle leans very slightly to the left (discharge) side.

A short time ago Jerry, my mechanic, got under the hood. I'd started the car and turned on the headlights. The ammeter needle was swung hard to the left.

Jerry started probing and testing. He had me rev the engine while he tested the generator and other electrical components.

Then he used a jumper wire. He jumped from the 'hot' (positive) wire on the generator directly to the positive terminal on the battery.

The problem instantly corrected itself. After he pulled away the jumper wire the correction remained. In other words, the simple jump seemed to fix the problem, at least for the moment.

He and I have no idea why this was. It seems either the charging system works perfectly or it doesn't work at all. Does anyone have any thoughts about why this is?

Thanks much,

Mark

Thanks for your response, Howard.

Just to be clear, regarding my "Case of the Left-Leaning Needle:" the ammeter needle does move a bit to the left when I turn on the running lights and then moves hard to the left when I press headlight switch the second time to turn on the headlights. The needle stays in position irrespective of engine speed.

I'm reasonably certain the belt is the correct size, that it is tensioned properly, and that it is not slipping in any way.

I'm curious about your statement about the ground. You wrote, "Another thing worth checking is make sure the ground wire between generator and fender tie point and then on to regulator is in place and good connections."

Can you please expand on this? Where is the fender tie point located on a 1950 Standard Eight?

The wires from my generator disappear into a harness that's basically a wrapping of electrical tape. The harness snuggles against the inside of the driver's side fender, running above the wheel well. It heads aft, toward the firewall, and ends close by the voltage regulator. At that point many wires emerge and go in a bunch of directions.

Where is the ground point (fender tie point) located?

Thanks much,

Mark

I'm having difficulties troubleshooting an electrical problem in my 1950 Standard Eight.

Some background: I've recently replaced the generator (rebuilt) and voltage regulator (brand new aftermarket supplier). A few years ago I had the car completely rewired with a setup from Rhode Island Wiring. My 6-volt battery is just a few months old and holds a good charge. To the best of my knowledge all wires and cables are the proper gauge and have corrosion-free terminals. Last autumn I replaced the distributor and had an electronic ignition installed. The radio and blower motor seem to work reasonably well. I replaced the headlight switch a couple of years ago, along with the hi/lo beam pedal switch.

Most of the time the electrical system runs well. There seems to be enough electrical power to run things just fine. HOWEVER... on some occasions when I start the car at night, and turn the headlights on, the needle on the charge/discharge meter on the dash swings way over to the left--discharge--side. It goes so far over to the left that it almost seems to peg out. The needle stays far to the left regardless of engine speed. If I rev the engine or let her idle the needle barely moves.

Sometimes I can 'correct' this by turning the headlights on & off a few times. Other times the only solution is to hope like hell I make it home before the battery goes. Sometimes it never happens at all. So far the pattern seems to be that if it doesn't happen right when I turn on the headlights then it's not going to happen during this drive. In other words, it hasn't happened during the middle of a drive.

Interestingly, when the needle makes its swing the lights don't seem to become noticeably dim nor can I detect a reduction in engine power. Of course, when it happens I immediately turn off accessories like the radio and blower, so I can't say for certain how the apparent power loss affects those units.

I'm wondering if the problem lies in the generator, the headlight switch, the ammeter or someplace else. I'm terrible fixing electrical stuff but I have a pretty good mechanic. Sadly, he admits he's not that good with electrical stuff, either.

Any ideas or suggestions on pinpointing the solution to my problem would be greatly appreciated!

All the best,

Mark

I realize I'm showing my ignorance here, but what happens if the generator isn't polarized? I recently installed a rebuilt generator. Some weeks later I added a new voltage regulator. No polarization took place at either time, so I'm wondering if I'm asking for trouble.

Thanks much,

Mark

Owen wrote:

"those sitting with antifreeze as the corrosion inhibitor packages have a finite life."

Could you expand on this please? All I have in my 1950 radiator is a 50/50 mix of water and Prestone. Is this inadequate for a daily driver?

Thanks much,

Mark

My Packard still has a 6-volt, positive ground system.

Regarding the power drop, I'm referring to the info I get from battery charge indicator in my instrument cluster. When I start from a dead stop the needle swings significantly over to the left (discharge) side for a second or so, then swings back to the right.

I'll be honest and say I have no idea whether that indicator measures volts, amps, or moonbeams. All I know is things are going well if the damn needle stays near the center and slightly off to the right most of the time.

If the needle swings too hard to the left, the car stalls. It's my understanding the power (voltage? amperage? moonbeam?) drop affects the performance of the PerTronix. This is connected, somehow, to the presence of the overdrive kickdown switch. I may be mistaken on that but it's what I understand.

Before I installed the PerTronix ignition the car would sometimes stall when I started off from a dead stop. I attributed that to not giving her enough gas. Since the new ignition has gone in, I've noticed the battery charge indicator swing. I don't recall seeing this before but that may be due to my inattentiveness.

Thanks for all the comments,

Mark

Hi, all,

Based on the comments above I did some checking and discovered the existing generator--a Delco model 1102715--was basically tired and not up to spec.

I ordered a rebuilt Delco generator and Delco voltage regulator from Tucson Packard (AKA Chirco). The generator was $185 with a $75 core charge. The voltage regulator was $85. Both items were somewhat disappointing. The pulley on the generator had a significant dent and the voltage regulator showed corrosion.

My mechanic was able to cannibalize the existing generator and swap the pulley. He installed the generator and lubricated the blower motor, too. He reported the existing voltage regulator was just fine, so he didn't use the new one.

I asked him to tune the charging system for the following condition: engine at idle, all running lights lit, (including headlights on 'high beam'), radio on, blower motor on and turn signal blinking.

The rebuilt generator is performing considerably better than the old one but there is still a significant battery drain when the above conditions are in effect and I pull away from a stop. My trouble is that I've installed a PerTronix electronic ignition. The car runs very well with that device but--and this is a big but--the ignition really sucks up the juice when I start moving. The ignition will cut out completely if the power drops below a certain level. This leaves me stopped in the middle of an intersection, frantically hitting the starter.

The solution, thus far, is to adjust the idle speed to where the amp meter shows minimal discharge when the car idles.

This is not the solution I prefer. The high idle burns a lot of gas and is also rather noisy.

So now I'm at a loss for the next step. Any suggestions?

Thanks much,

Mark

Kanter lists a valve for your car under "accessories"

Heater thermal valve, 1951-54, exchange or add $55.00 deposit $115.00



Tucson Packard lists the valve, too:

HEATER CONTROL VALVES 1941 - 1956

$ 100.00 * exchange



Max Merritt lists them for $125 each, plus a $50 core deposit:

http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb.dll?parta~dyndetail~Z5Z5Z50000022d~Z5Z5Z5AACHZ~P125.00~~~~S3DK0S0BSY71174123680i~Z5Z5Z5~Z5Z5Z50000022D

Quote:

The problem existed before I installed the new battery. I've just noticed it more since the weather turned colder and the daylight hours grew shorter.