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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Alternator Vs. Generator

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Alternator Vs. Generator -- page: 1 2 3 4     TomO 08-31-2015 @ 7:13 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7256 Joined: Oct 2009 Sunflower, the procedure that I gave is for a positive grounded system. For negative grounded system, you would disconnect the POS terminal and connect the test light between the cable and the battery. The procedure is the same for both 6 and 12 volt systems. Tom sunflower 08-25-2015 @ 8:15 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 108 Joined: Feb 2010 Hi Tom,that is a good way to test for a short on my car, do I disconnect the - side of my battery even on a 6 volt battery to find a short? Thanks sunflower TomO 08-22-2015 @ 8:21 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7256 Joined: Oct 2009 You need to have your battery checked with a load tester. If it is OK, you will need to check your fuel pump output pressure for 2.5-3.0 pressure. If it is less than that, you can have vapor lock when your engine temperature is above 200F. I would also look into having the radiator and block cooling passages cleaned. You may be able to bring the temperature down. Tom 39Fordfan 08-21-2015 @ 11:02 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 202 Joined: Oct 2009 After replacing the Generator and Voltage Regulator I've taken the '39 to an old time auto electric expert. He said the gen' was producing perfectly, but that these tended to be a bit underpowered at idle. Since the gen' was newly remanned he put on a smaller pulley to get it to spin faster. He also determined that I don't have any shorts or electrical leaks anywhere on the car. But when I get into a place where traffic is heavy and its hot out and I have to sit idling, after about 5 to 10 minutes the car will start to act like the battery is draining down. I can see the in-dash voltmeter starting to descend below the "N" and the engine will begin to splutter and miss until I can get the car back up to hi-way speed. Then it sorts itself out and settles down and purrs again. I have a modern cylindrical coil that sits over on the inside fender. Since they are cheap, I replaced that too, to no avail. The battery is about 2 years old. It has not had a tune up for a long time. One other note is that I had a modern temperature gauge installed conspicuously so I can keep a better eye on it. It seems everytime I have this issue the engine gets hot - somewhere around 200, maybe its even risen near 210 according to the new gauge. Is it possible I've got a couple of problems? Like maybe a vapor lock when it gets hot? I'm not sure why that would affect things like not being able the honk the horn? Thanks for any further input. supereal 09-03-2014 @ 11:31 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Tom covered most of your question. I built a relay board to handle the current draw of my halogen headlights. The original wiring just wasn't heavy enough, in spite of cleaning, tightening, and even replacing the dimmer switch. The addition of the alternator was due to the fact that the output for halogens would take everything the generator could provide, particularly at low speeds. TomO 09-03-2014 @ 6:55 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7256 Joined: Oct 2009 Supereal has a relay board to handle his headlights. AS he mentioned, the voltage drop to the head lights can be as much as 3 volts due to corrosion in the system. I prefer to correct the voltage drop, by repairing the switches and connections. I disassemble the switches, clean the contact surfaces and coat them with a corrosion inhibiting conductive grease. Vaseline works well also. When I complete the repair, there is .1 volt drop across the switch. The dimmer switch is seldom used these days and it builds up corrosion that will drop the voltage going to the headlights. Using a relay board, reduces the current through the switch and provides a good source for 6Volts to the headlights. Tom murphy 1941 09-02-2014 @ 11:13 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 191 Joined: Nov 2013 Supereal, you mentioned with your alternator you had a relay board?. I just received an alternator from joes, please tell me about a relay board and do I need one one the 1941 coupe? Thank you, John Early Super Deluxe 41 Coupe TomO 08-24-2014 @ 9:55 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7256 Joined: Oct 2009 39Fordfan, I am sorry that I took so long to get back to you, but I have been at the CNM in Springfield. The inexpensive digital meters made in China, do not work very will in our old cars and do not seem to be very accurate. I bought one at a swap meet a couple of weeks ago, and it showed my battery was at 5 volts, when my old reliable analog meter showed the correct 6.5Volts. It would not give a steady reading when the engine was running. The voltage readings that you posted are so far out of the normal range, that I suspect that your voltmeter is very inaccurate. I don't know where you live, but in your situation I would try to find a local repair shop with an older technician that can help with your electrical problems. It sounds like you have multiple issues and need someone who can isolate each problem and the provide a fix. It will probably be less expensive than replacing parts or altering the car. Tom supereal 08-21-2014 @ 2:43 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 The relay panel will brighten your headlights considerably, even if they are not halogens. The problem is inadequate old wiring and the switches in the system. The dimmer switch, alone, can reduce voltage at the headlight by nearly half, and the repros are not much better. 39Fordfan 08-20-2014 @ 3:59 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 202 Joined: Oct 2009 Thanks to all who have posted. It is greatly appreciated. To summarize, it doesn't sound like the 6 volt positive ground alternator is going to be useful to me as the only halogens that seem to work with my application are the sealed beams which won't work with my '39 unless I use '40 buckets. If I really want to take the leap, it would probably be best to just go all the way to a 12 volt system, which I don't want to do. So I'm thinking I'm getting another generator at Little Dearborn. I'm going to track down a leak in my system. And I am going to try and improve grounding where I can. Does anyone else have any other ideas on how to brighten old 6 volt headlights?

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