Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

great ill try this ,a normally working system WITH THE GROUND JUMP would read 7.5 v @ 1500 with the test ?
I hate to be an idiot, but which pole on the generator is the field pole to jump from .Mine has 3 wires one(black) goes to a screw on the body of the generator( A ground? ) and theres two on the back end ? could I jump this to the engine ground on the block wherre the positive lead of the battery is??
I have a replacement harness ,I wonder if the mechanic installing it wired it up wrong... the coil was wired backward such that it was negativly grounded untill the error was spotted .
the power gen 6v alternator system is a one wire system that eliminates the voltage regulator and sends one wire to the battery ,puts out 75 amps
is there a ground line from the body to the frame ?Perhaps I have a incompletly grounded body

reply to peter ,the voltage regulator came from a packard parts house merrit ,so Im assuming its the correct one ,how would one know if it was a neg or positve ground ? theres a lead that seems to screw to the chassis of the regulator that grounds out on the firewall ,is my body grounded to the froame ,is there a ground strap thats supposed to be somewhere?

The insulated terminals on the generator in back are usually longer and are armature and field. Some generators have the separate ground screw directly into the case. Since you have the grounded regulator and gen grnd, they are connected together so any problem with needing another should be nil.

The armature wire is usually larger and goes directly from generator to the A or ARM or GEN terminal on the regulator. The field wire is smaller and goes directly to the F or FLD terminal on regulator. Regulator should be labeled although they may be hard to see or may have to remove the screw and wire from a terminal and see what is stamped. The generator terminals should also be stamped with an A or F close by on the generator case. If you can't find a label, you will have to verify the wiring. Disconnect the wire from one end (or both if still unsure) and use the ohm meter to verify which is which.

Whatever you do, keep the rpm at suggested speed and not for long. If generator is working, grounding the field provides the full output voltage the generator is capable of.

I will try the charge test ,It turns out I have a modern alternator pulley some rebuilder put on the gennerator and its too wide for the belt ,the belt fits the water pump and engine crank but is bottoming out in the generator pulley ,I bet this is the answer to the not charging at speed ! answers the faint glow too, man all of this good thinking and it was just me with a bad adjustment on a wrong part .Ive learned a lot ,thank you all .Ill order the new old pulley and try this as well as doing a drop of oil in the heater fan to see if thats the draw problem !

doing a drop of oil in the heater fan to see if thats the draw problem

You may be able to trickle a drop down the shaft from under the wheel to do the front but the back bearing is sealed. Several have had success drilling a small 1/16" hole in the middle of bump in back and dribbling a drop or so in. Don't put too much in the back or it will migrate by gravity into brushes and commutator.

Steve, if you have a place near you that rebuilds generators, they usually have a mountain of old pulleys. That's how I've gotten the few I needed over the years. Just take the belt & generator along with you. Often they'll give you the pulley gratis.

PS - looking at your generator belt and pulley in your photo on the 7212 thread, it seems obvious it's the wrong pulley - it's for a wider belt.

I found a used pulley for the generator in arizona at tucson packard ,Ill have it installed on the powergen and do my upgrade expariment with the 6v alternator and points replacement module ,thisll be fun ,if it improves performance in the straigt 8 as much as in the v8's and motorcycles ive used them in ,im in for a treat ..what do you think about getting a 4 bbl intake and carb to swop over for the 327 that has a 2 bbl ,worth the trouble?