Re: Charging system issue
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Forum Ambassador
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Simple test, back to basics. With the engine running at fast idle and a voltmeter on the battery, note the voltage. Then temporarily use a short jumper wire attached to the Field (F) terminal of the regulator and ground it. If the battery voltage increases, the generator is OK and the fault lies with the regulator. If the voltage doesn't increase, the generator is at fault.
Posted on: 2015/2/20 13:38
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Re: Charging system issue
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Forum Ambassador
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G'day Jim,
Congratulations on your '52 Convertible Coupe. And I invite you to include it alongside your '41 120 Touring Sedan in the Packard Owner's Registry.
Posted on: 2015/2/20 14:07
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Mal
/o[]o\ ==== ![]() Bowral, Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia "Out of chaos comes order" - Nietzsche. 1938 Eight Touring Sedan - SOLD 1941 One-Twenty Club Coupe - SOLD 1948 Super Eight Limo, chassis RHD - SOLD 1950 Eight Touring Sedan - SOLD What's this? ![]() Put your Packard in the Packard Vehicle Registry! Here's how! Any questions - PM or email me at ozstatman@gmail.com |
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Re: Charging system issue
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Home away from home
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Another simple test of a generator: connect 6volts to it with polarity correct (+ve earth) and it should 'motor'. That will mean wiring is generally ok and brushes / commutator are in working condition. But output is not guaranteed to be good using this test.
Might also be worthwhile to ensure the generator field is polarised correctly, as per Electrical Section of the Service Manual (page 7). Very briefly connect a jumper lead between the 'A' and 'B' terminals of the regulator to achieve this.
Posted on: 2015/2/21 3:28
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1951 Packard Club Sedan | [url=ht
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Re: Charging system issue
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Home away from home
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Grounding the Field terminal did not affect the voltage at all, so I will pull the generator and replace the brushes to see if that does it.
I spend about 1/2 my time in China, so I don't have many weekends to work on the car. But, plenty of time to order parts. It will probably be mid-March before I have a go at this. One thing I noticed as I was trying to figure this out. My regulator terminals are F, Gen, Batt going from driver to passenger side. The ones I see on line that purport to fit my car seem to go from Batt, F, Gen. Not sure why this is or which is correct? I frankly do not remember if this system ever worked, I got the car just as I began my gig in China and it literally sat is storage for a year before I could touch it. Then six months doing brakes, wheel bearings, ... It came with an 8 volt battery, grounded negative (which I assumed was incorrect). I put in a dry cell as they have been pretty bullet proof in my cars. I did hook it up positive ground, but my understanding is that there is not much in the charging system that really cares. Now I wonder if it has actually been changed to Neg ground (what would that entail) and is there a way to tell. The radio does not, and never, worked even with the 8V in the car. Everything else (except of course the charging system) seems to work fine. Can this be causing my current problem?
Posted on: 2015/2/22 21:47
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1941 Touring Sedan
1952 250 Convertible 1932 902 Rumble seat Coupe ![]() |
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Re: Charging system issue
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Forum Ambassador
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If the regulator was changed (and adjusted) for the 8v battery it could be the wrong regulator now and probably voltage is set too high and could damage your new battery. Some regulators are also polarity specific so that needs to be looked into. The terminal order is not really written in stone so can be different depending on mfg or model.
If the car was neg ground and you have corrected it then chances are the generator is now polarized incorrectly. Once the regulator is verified, redo polarization. With everything turned off but connected use a decent sized jumper wire to briefly touch the Bat and Gen terminals together at the regulator. Only needs a second or so and you will get a small spark as the two terminals are connected. It won't hurt and might help. A procedure that is recommended any time a regulator or generator is changed or worked on. In a stock car nothing will have been damaged with the reversed polarity. If the radio vibrator was changed at some point to the solid state replacements available today and was for a specific polarity then it could be damaged -- or anything else that might be solid state such as any regulators that might have been added to take care of instrument voltage needs. If it still doesn't charge after repolarizing then time to tear things apart.
Posted on: 2015/2/22 22:01
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Howard
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Re: Charging system issue
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Home away from home
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I was home briefly for Saturday, so I had time to run down and try polarizing the generator. Tried the test suggested by Owen and I see no difference when grounding the F terminal.
Is there a way to test the generator while in the car? I want to make sure this is not a wiring issue if some kind. I have a wiring diagram on the way, which will help next time I am in town.
Posted on: 2015/3/25 12:22
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1941 Touring Sedan
1952 250 Convertible 1932 902 Rumble seat Coupe ![]() |
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Re: Charging system issue
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Home away from home
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Good Morning to you in Irvine or China...Since you are in Irvine when playing with your Packard, a quick trip up the road to Santa Ana, Custom Auto is at Third and French and have been restoring Packards for about 40 years in that location. I'm sure they would check the generator for you if you took it to them. They could also see to the repair and provide advice. The phone number is 714-543-2980. The shop is owned by Robert Escalante. He is a really nice guy.
Ernie, caretaker of 'Miss Prudence' a 1949 288 Deluxe
Posted on: 2015/3/25 12:58
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Caretaker of the 1949-288 Deluxe Touring Sedan
'Miss Prudence' and the 1931 Model A Ford Tudor 'Miss Princess' ![]() |
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Re: Charging system issue
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Forum Ambassador
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O_D's test is the best simple way in the car. By grounding the field wire, that bypasses the regulator and makes the generator put out the max voltage. If you don't see a voltage jump at the battery from approx 6.3 to something well over 7 volts as the field wire is shorted you can assume the generator is not functioning. If you do see a voltage jump then that would tend to narrow the issue to the regulator. The next test would be current output. For that you would need some test equipment capable of reading a much higher amperage than the typical homeowner Volt/ohm meter can handle so probably need a shop.
Posted on: 2015/3/25 13:26
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Howard
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Re: Charging system issue
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Forum Ambassador
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Even w/o the test equipment HH56 recommends (best way), you can still get a reasonable measure of the generator output in amps, once you have ascertained that the generator works and have addressed the faulty regulator, if that was the issue.
Simple, start the car, turn on the headlights, heater and any other electrical accessories, increase the engine speed and watch your dashboard ammeter. If the gauge shows anything on the positive side (charge side), your generator output is at the least, adequate.
Posted on: 2015/3/25 14:23
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