From: David Cole (DavidCole@tk7.net)
Date: Thu Jun 03 2004 - 20:49:54 PDT
The field voltage should only be a couple of volts. If your multimeter is
accurate - it sounds like the generator is putting out current. But as
mentioned do the before and after running voltage check to make sure.
Dave
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
On Wed, 2 Jun 2004 09:09:33 -0500, John Brian Seeling <JBSeeling@cox-
internet.com> wrote:
> OK, kudos and thanks to the list for helping me start the process of
> removing the dunce hat. However, I'm not sure that the problem is
> solved.
>
> Before I posted my question yesterday, I put a 2-amp battery charger on
> the
> half-track and left the charger on the battery all night last night.
> Figured I would need a hot battery today either way.
>
> Next thing I did was to tear my house apart looking for my half-track TM.
> Found it on the top shelf of my hall closet.
>
> Many people had replied to my posted message and had asked me what type
> of
> generator and what type of regulator I have. Well, I have (what I think)
> is
> the older stuff and not a "new" charging system. Generator is a Delco,
> Model 1117308, 12-volt. Regulator is a Delco, Model 1118488, 12-volt,
> also.
> Hope this information is enough to correctly identify what I have under
> the
> hood.
>
> Next, following the good advice provided by the many fantastic replies, I
> decided that I had better start by "polarizing" the generator since I had
> not done this as part of my voltage regulator installation. Following
> the
> instructions in TM-9-710, with the engine and key off, I took a short
> piece
> of wire and briefly connected the "battery" terminal of the regulator
> (top
> post) to the "field" terminal on the generator. This didn't make any
> "spark" or other sign of doing anything, so I cranked the engine and
> repeated the procedure. That didn't seem to do anything either, so I
> decided to leave the engine running and go fetch my radio-shack multi-
> tester
> that I had not ever taken out of the box.
>
> While getting the multi-tester, I read the TM one more time. The TM,
> page
> 196 to be precise, says "To make certain that generator has correct
> polarity
> after regulator is reconnected, momentarily connect battery terminal of
> regulator to the field terminal before starting the engine. Momentary
> surge
> of battery current will correctly polarize generator."
>
> Well, I thought that I had done this in the proper manner, but perhaps I
> did
> it wrong because I had the key in the "off" position when I tried this
> the
> first time (see above description). Then, instead of just turning the
> key
> on and repeating the procedure, I cranked the engine up and did it. I
> don't
> know what effect, if any, this has on the success or failure of my
> attempted
> "polarization" of the generator.
>
> I figured I'd just check the output with the multi-tester (should have
> probably started by doing that, but hindsight is always 20/20). Using
> the
> multi-tester, I checked the "battery" terminal on the regulator. It was
> reading between 13.5 and 14 volts. The "field" terminal tested
> considerably
> lower, but I don't recall exactly what that reading was.
>
> That surprised me because the halftrack has a voltage meter on the dash
> with
> a spring-loaded switch that allows the operator to momentarily "check"
> the
> voltage. You have to push it in to "check" it. That meter always reads
> 12.5 volts when you push the button. Running or not, headlights on or
> not,
> and it did this before I changed the voltage regulator. I checked that
> dash
> guage one more time, and with the engine on, it read right at 12.5 volts,
> just like it always had. Killed the engine, and it was about the same,
> perhaps just a shade lower, but it didn't seem to have moved much, if
> any.
>
> One other thing. There is also an amperage "D/C" guage as part of the
> speedo cluster. Looked like the same type of amp guage I had seen on
> most
> of trucks from the 70's (just like my old international scout that I had
> owned in high school). On my old scout, when the engine was running,
> that
> guage would move over to the "C" side. On the half-track, the "D/C"
> guage
> never moves much, but will go slightly over to the "D" side (to the left,
> or
> what I believe to be the "discharge" side) when I turn on the headlights.
> When the lights are off, it appears to be very, very slightly over to the
> "C" side, but not very much. This is what it did before I changed the
> regulator and it is still doing this exact same thing.
>
> I was running out of time (did all of this before work this morning), so
> I
> shut the half-track down, and came up to the office.
> I figure I'll try one more time to "repolarize" the generator (this time
> with the key on, but engine off), and if that doesn't help, then I'll
> start
> running the multi-tester around the half-track (guages, at battery, at
> regulator, etc) to see what kinds of readings I get. perhaps I have
> fixed
> the charging issues and now I have a guage that isn't doing what I would
> expect. either way, I figured it would be best to consult the "experts"
> (ya'll on the list) before going further.
>
> Thanks to everyone that posted suggestions and replies. I will post more
> follow-up on the d-day museum trip prep and I promise to take lots of
> digital pics and post them on the smugmug website when I get back.
>
> - John Brian Seeling
> Alexandria, LA
>
>
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-- Dave
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