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Re: 1955 Packard 400 electrical gremlins
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Home away from home
 
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Is the generator working and charging the car while it is running? What is the voltage on the battery posts while the car is running? What is the voltage on the battery when the car won't start?
If everything is working and the voltage is normal, then I suspect battery cables. If they are bad or the connections are bad then you won't be getting enough voltage to start the car. That's more of a problem on a 6 volt car, but it may still be a problem here. Maybe the voltage regulator is not set correctly?
Posted on: Today 8:37
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Kevin
1954 Clipper Super Panama "Van Halen" | Registry | Project Blog 1938 Super 8 1605 | Registry | Project Blog 1953 Clipper Deluxe Club Sedan "Rusty McRustface" | Registry | Project Blog 1956 Packard The Four Hundred "Tanner" | Registry | Project Blog |
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Re: 1955 Packard 400 electrical gremlins
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Forum Ambassador
 
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Was the charging system, specifically the generator polarized after the new items were installed using the procedure in the service manual electrical section on page 14 and detailed in the paragraph on installing the regulator?
If so, did you verify the settings are correct and the generator is actually producing the specified charging voltage? If not, there are a few quick checks on the following page in the SM which might help you narrow the problem area. The quick test of momentarily shorting the FIELD terminal as you monitor the voltage at the battery terminals will quickly tell whether the generator or regulator is the problem. The exact charging voltage is given in specs and varies slightly depending on Autolite or Delco equipment but typically for a battery to maintain charge, the charging voltage at fast idle needs to be 1 to 1 1/2 volts above the full charge sitting voltage. Since the sitting voltage on a fully charged battery should be 12.6v, the charging voltage required to maintain a charge needs to be somewhere around 14v. Also, remember 55s have a positive ground so make sure the battery is connected properly. Depending on which regulator you have, while most modern replacements are universal, be aware that some of the old NOS regulators were polarity specific and a few new ones still might be.
Posted on: Today 8:51
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Howard
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