The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Charging System

I'm looking for some help or a good shop in the Detroit area that can adjust/fix my 12V generator & voltage regulator.

When I converted my '41 to 12 volts I picked up a generator and regulator from separate sources. I think these two have overcharged the battery to a point where it goes dead in a few days, even with the cables removed.

I would like to stick with a generator system as it looks more original than an alternator.

Kip

Hy Kip's41, if your battery goes dead after a short time while not even connected electrically to your truck, then the battery has a major problem. I would suspect either sulphated plates, or an internal short. Take your battery in and have it checked out, you can't perform any proper electrical checks until you have a properly charged battery, hope that helps.

Hi 3B:

Interesting you should mention that.

First brand new Sears battery started going dead in a few days after 2 months in the truck. I took it back to Sears, they checked it and said it was OK. I put up a fuss and they gave me a new one. It lasted only a month. So the problem has happened to oth brand new batteries which is why I suspect the charging system.

With the engine runnng at a fast idle and a fully-charged battery, the battery terminal voltage should be around 14.5-14.7 volts. The charge rate will be around 10 amps or so. To adjust the full-charge voltage, change the spring tension on the set of points behind the "FLD" terminal of the regulator. Increased spring tension will increase the charging voltage, and decreasing the tension will lower it. Cycle the regulator 2 or 3 times by pushing the regulator points open after making an adjustment. When the voltage or current regulator points are opened, the cutout relay behind the "BAT" terminal will open, then reclose as the voltage comes back up. When the cover is reinstalled on the regulator, the setting will lower a little, maybe 1/10 volt or so.
Jerry

Hy Kip's41, "new" batteries can sit on the shelf for months, and when they sit there wet (with acid in them) they start to go bad and lose capacity. When I used to work in a F.L.A.P.S. we stored our batteries dry, and only added acid when a battery was sold. I had a problem with a "new" battery, it came to me dead, when I called the store about it, they told me that I had to charge it, I said I don't think so, but I will try that and see how long the battery lasts. Two weeks after charging the battery and using the vehicle, the battery was dead again. I removed the battery and grabbed my small hand held battery tester and headed for the store. I explained the problem to the store manager and asked if I could load test his stock of that brand of battery, he agreed, when I left all of his stock of that brand of battery was off the shelf and waiting to be sent back, none of them passed the load test, and most of them were not charged enough to even test. If battery stock is not rotated they will go bad, I still think your problem is more battery related. Once you have a good battery you can setup your charging system as Hotrod Lincoln suggests, or you can take it to an automotive electrical shop and have it setup, if you can find a shop with the experience to work on a generator/regulator setup, hope that helps.