The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay 1955 3600 Series 2 Voltage Regulator / wiring question

I bought my '55 3600 a few weeks ago. The previous owner had the electrical system a mess. When you ran the truck and shut it off you had to disconnect the battery and then you'd hear a click from the voltage regulator. I went through the system wire by wire and have everything working when it should BUT...
As soon as you connect the battery, the voltage regulator makes one click as if energizing a relay. Also the Ammeter shows charge when I turn the lights on (key off) so I assume I simply need to reverse the wires @ the ammeter. I have B+ coming in to the ammeter then jumping to the Batt terminal at the ignition switch, then from the other terminal at this port on the ign switch B+ goes to the headlight switch. The other side of the ammeter goes to the voltage regulator B terminal. I've looked at the schematic over and over retracing my steps.
Should the voltage regulator click when the ignition key is turned on and if so then should the ammeter be wired "switched" through the ignition switch, therefor my problem should be solved. Thanks

do you have a wiring diagram?
no, the voltage regulator shouldn't click when the key is turned on, and yes, you probably have the ammeter backwards .... your best reference is the shop manual, found here

Bill

Bill,
I do have the '55 Chevy wire diagram as well as the '56 supplement but it is not clear enough to see the ammeter circuit. One side is clear that B+ comes into the ammeter from the B+ @ the starter but the '55 manual looks as if the other side of the ammeter ONLY goes to the voltage regulator.
The '56 supplement looks like it instead goes to the headlight switch however the circle indicating the blow up view is in the way of where it goes and there is a connector 1/2 way down that could simply be the connector in the horn circuit and has nothing to do with the charging circuit. Further the wire is marked 12ga red about 1/3 of the way down and in the main picture of the headlight switch it shows a 12ga red but in the blown up picture the 12ga is not shown.
Maybe someone has gone through this and can shed some light.

The original ammeter looks like it only has two wires connected one on each side. Currently I've jumped the B+ side of the ammeter over to power up the ignition switch, seemed to make sense.

Basically I'm just looking to clarify where is the ignition switch supposed to get it's B+ from, where the headlight switch gets its B+ from and what should both sides of the ammeter get connected to.

I'm sick enough that I actually enjoy electrical but I'm mystified.

there are minor variations over the years, but I think the 55.2 diagram is actually a carry-over from the 55.1 and doesn't show actual production .... the 12ga wire you see from the ammeter to the light switch is actually to a junction on 56 and later diagrams, that leads back to the regulator and is intended for the accessory fuse panel supply

there should be a 14ga red wire from the pass side of the ammeter to the ign sw BATT terminal and a 14ga red from that ign sw BATT terminal to the light switch BAT terminal .... and try to think of the connections in terms of current flow, the ammeter simply passes current from the generator/regulator to the battery, so connections are from the regulator and to the battery, when the engine is running things get power from the generator, when it's off they get power from the battery

the colors on the diagram indicate which wires go where, and the items on the diagram are in the exact orientation and position that they are on the truck, with a line across the diagram labeled 'front of dash' [which means firewall in factory-speak], so that all you need to do is put the right colors on the right terminal - the right terminals being shown in the expanded views

if the regulator is clicking [indicating current flow] at odd times, something is hooked up wrong or it or the generator may be bad - or you didn't polarize it?

Bill

Unless you are a stickler for all stock and you don't care about fires, use a voltmeter instead. Many people knowledgeable about electrics do not recommend using an ammeter. It requires ALL the power/current from the generator/reg to go inside the car and back out to the battery so it can read charge and discharge, which will require larger wire because of the longer length. In the 60's they used a shunt in the engine compartment, so the meter only sees a small amount of the total power. Voltmeter only needs a 12V source and measures the voltage storage level of the battery. 14.5V= everythings OK, dropping below that= something's wrong, rising above that= something's wrong. Fires and burnt wires have been experienced by many who have used ammeters on old cars/trucks.

Thanks guys for the input. I've been professionally restoring Vintage VWs for over 30 years and have always liked the TF trucks. This is my first non VW ever and Im having a blast working on it.
The voltage reg clicks even with the generator disconnected sounds like the cut out relay after looking at the later diagrams, will start there.

Bill, good point. I didnt even think about polarizing even though I had to polarize a beetle yesterday. Looking at the later wire diagram was a lot more help. Thanks

Bartamos, I agree with you about fire dangers but have added fuseable links to the truck. Id like to keep it as stock looking as possible. I wont rule out a voltmeter though as the P/o already added a water temp gauge under the dash.

Thought I'd update you on my electrical gremlin. I took a good look at the regulators faded decal while getting ready to polarize and could just barely make out the "6 VOLTS" worn off the sticker. Ive ordered the proper 12v unit for it. Ill bet that helps!

Success. 12v voltage regulator, polarized and its charging. Got brakes, runs good, got lights, wipers, heat....going to take it out on the road tomorrow!

Watch out boys, here he comes, he's a pavement eater..

"Detective" Darby!! Good-job!! We LOVE SUCCESS!! glad you found the problem,and the fix was low-buck! Congrat's! Enjoy the ride 1

Had a great ride, the old truck runs great. Now on to the oil leaks!