ynst
Well-Known Member
I just lay a screwdriver close to the pulley to see if it's magnetic.
it's a lot easier to get to
it's a lot easier to get to
Battery Not Charging
- Thread starter boboh1
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Stupid....And what does that prove? NOTHING....very much like rocking on the rear bumper to hear if there is fuel sloshing in the tank.....Or laying a screwdriver across the battery terminals to see if the battery is charged.....
BOB RENTON
Hey Bob! It's brinelling... Just the Merriam-Webster Dictionary's opinion, of course...lol.
Go ahead, I can take it. Filling in for Kern Dog today.
Go ahead, I can take it. Filling in for Kern Dog today.
My uncle worked for years at a parts distributor.
He started as a full service mechanic then transitioned to a bench rebuilder for starters and magnetos.
He would get pallets of core batteries and his quick test was to dead short them with a piece of flat stock. If they made a good hard crack sound he would charge them.
We never bought car batteries when I was younger he always had several good used batteries, fully charged as well.
He started as a full service mechanic then transitioned to a bench rebuilder for starters and magnetos.
He would get pallets of core batteries and his quick test was to dead short them with a piece of flat stock. If they made a good hard crack sound he would charge them.
We never bought car batteries when I was younger he always had several good used batteries, fully charged as well.
ynst
Well-Known Member
No, dummy. It indicates that the alternator is, indeed, magnetized and trying to charge.
Way back at the beginning of this post, someone said to check the rear bearing for magnetism. All I'm saying is that it's a lot easier to put a screwdriver (or any metal object) against the spinning alternator pulley to check for magnetism. There's a really helpful removal boss on the front of the pulley that serves the purpose very well.
And another thing. Someone asked about brand new diodes failing. It happens. I just, within the last month, replaced a pair of diodes in my numbers-matching '68 alternator only to have one of them fail within 50 miles and had to replace it again.
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Magnetized??? To what value? What is magnetizized?? The field windings or the stator windings??? Magnetism is measured in gauss or flux density .......how much is too much....how much is insufficient? Old wives tales are just that.....hearsay.....in spite of what Uncle Elmo says or does.....without any quantifiable values or actual proof......just like being a "little pregnant". And yes....new diodes can fail.....either open or shorted.....
BOB RENTON
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THANKS FOR THE CORRECTION...I should have looked it up ......it is appreciated....I'm interested in accuracy......as far as KD goes, he's the only person who asks and answers many of his own questions.....in great detail....measuring ballast resistance with a DVOM plus other inconsequential information .....anyway .....cheers......
BOB RENTON
BB69R/T
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BB69R/T
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I have a square back Alternator. One Green field wire coming from the mechnical voltate regulator. Yes, I have one small wire external ground wire that is connected from male ground connector on the alternator to the alternator case it self. Hope that helps..
ynst
Well-Known Member
....and, had that second, non-standard ground wire not have been added to the square backed alternator tied to a mechanical regulator, the alternator wound NOT have been magnetized at all thus prompting further investigation as to why there was an open circuit causing the problem and, not necessarily, the alternator, itself.
Just a quick and dirty way of checking "is it plugged in?"
Pop the bonnet and touch a screwdriver to the spinning pulley and figure out which way to chase down the problem. Might take all of 45 seconds to get an idea of where to start looking.
Just a quick and dirty way of checking "is it plugged in?"
Pop the bonnet and touch a screwdriver to the spinning pulley and figure out which way to chase down the problem. Might take all of 45 seconds to get an idea of where to start looking.
boboh1
Well-Known Member
Thanks. I made a connector from the unused field tab to a bolt on the case. It is now charging fine.
Sorry @boboh1 , I had been on a cross country trip the last couple of weeks, often with little to no cellular reception but I wanted to share this with you.
I have been meaning to go back to an old thread from a couple of years ago. This topic was fresh on my mind at the time.
But it sounds like you're already on to the solution.
You still may find this helpful for the future.
Swapping original alternator for new
***And from the sounds of it, your "grounding connector" you made may have just as easily been accomplished by removing the plastic insulating washer behind the unused field tab you are referring to. Just my $.02. ***
A couple of advantages to just using the jumper wire to the case:
1. It pretty obvious what the terminal is doing.
2. The terminal is occupied so you can't accidentally plug the voltage regulator wire on there.
( If you remove the insulating washer you would have a dead short)
Good point. Couldn't the unused terminal be removed and the bolt reinstalled with a steel washer accomplish the same thing? Aesthetics would be the only thing gained there I suspect. I'm not near the shop right now to look at the spare I have on the shelf.
And you can easily convert to a newer electronic style regulator.
(Which is what I recommend)
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