My battery which is new, will not stay charged. My first thought is Gen is not putting out or battery is defective. I can put battery on 6 amp charge for 30 minutes or longer and it will start truck. Can drive it several mile and it will start. Can let sit a few hours and it will start. If I crank engine a few times without driving and let idle , the battery becomes weaker. If it sits over night sometimes it will not crank. Last night I did not have my multimeter so I started truck and revved it slightly and disconnected neg battery and truck kept running, let truck idle down truck shut off. When I had battery cable disconnected , I revved truck and it started missing bad , did this twice to confirm, connect battery and it would rev smooth as usual . This morning I went out to lake and got my muliimeter and checked the battery , showed 6.01 volts. I then cranked checked at battery post and multi meter was flashing -18.50 or 18.50 . I then checked at gen or I should say the regulator ( mounted on gen) and got the flashing 18.50. I think I have a reg and or Gen issue that is causing battery to go down. The amp meter shows charge when driving except when I have headlights on. anyone here have this happen or know what is going on?
If you tell us all what the truck is, we might be able to help a bit more? But it sounds like it's a 6v system. Anyways, it's pretty common for generator setups to not charge much or at all at idle speed. Even when the cars were new. That's one reason they switched to alternators in the early 60s. If the voltage regulator is adjusted properly, then it should charge the battery enough to keep it all working right. If there is something with the engine that requires excessive cranking to get it started, that will be a problem. Have you gone through the entire voltage regulator checking procedure for your truck, as outlined in the factory shop manual? (trick question---you probably don't have the necessary equipment)
That's good and yes, the more information the better. And good test equipment (flashing 18.5?). Simply have to check/verify battery, generator, regulator, connections. Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk
What squirrel said Generators don’t charge at idle Or very high rpm Regulator need to be adjusted correctly Also your battery and starter cables need to be the correct gauge as 6v takes more amperage then 12v systems to operate. Clean connections Good grounds Correct wire size Correct battery And a proper generator and regulator It’s not one parts but s binch of stiff all working together to get it right. And with a 6v system if one part is off it can be enough to mess up The whole system.
Are you running an Optima battery ? For some magic reason they dont charge with a generator. I had that problem with my 32 roadster.... switched batteries and problem went away. Sent from my SM-G965U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Yes, as I said the mulitmeter was flashing or should say blinking 1-18.50 with truck running iehter in the battery terminal or the Gen or reg. I did this even if i reversed the probes on the multimeter.
Remove the cover of the voltage regulator watch the reverse current cutout if the points are closed the generator is charging. https://images.search.yahoo.com/sea...iscus/messages/257047/306861.jpg&action=click
How about we start with the basics? How old is the battery? Did you service it, check the electrolyte level, clean the top off, clean the posts and the cable terminals? Put your voltmeter on the posts and watch what the voltage drops to while cranking the engine over, record it and post back here. If the engine starts up, allow it to run for a short time then raise the rpms above idle speed and allow the generator to charge the battery, at what voltage does it stop charging?
Yes I know the gen does not charge at idle but I referenced that to be clear that it appears to be operating normal ( reg opening closing ) . Also in my post i mentioned that after several cranks and idles it becomes weaker which is somewhat normal should have been clearer. I can crank engine 4 times let idle 1 to 5 min and the battery will be low enough to where it will not crank engine . In my experience a properly charges 6 volt system should have a bit more starts than that I think. I just wondered if anyone had the weird mulitmeter reading I had. Wht this flashing or blinking and why -18.50.
I posted that it was a new battery . I will do your test but had to work out of town today so it will be after 6 pm here before I get to check it.
Forgot to mention the batt cables are correct ( 6volt ) and brand new as is the solenoid. this was done before i bought truck .
You might want to get an analog (with a needle) volt meter, so you can see what's happening. Digital meters work in strange and mysterious ways...
I had a voltmeter reading just like that recently, on a 12 volt, alternator system, ( except higher voltage), and it was the wire to the back of the alternator, it looked fine, but was corroded in the crimp. New battery cables don't always mean good cables, a TT truck of my father's recently threw us a loop, and cranked slow, then wouldn't start. Had brand new cables made from welding leads. It turned out they were neither crimped or soldered in the cable ends, just stuffed in and covered with shrink tube. I'm on board with the bad connection idea in your case, which also includes the points in the regulator, ( if I'm correctly remembering/assuming which you have) If they are burnt, they don't make good contact, and I've seen them stick, and drain a battery over night. Disclaimer- I'm a newbie, and not a bonafide proven documented electrical wizard or anything. Sent from my E6810 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Well, my plan is to check every connection, they all look good and clean but I will remove them and do a bit more cleaning if necessary. Will put my needle meter to it ( left that on boat ) and see what happens . I talked to guy in town who rebuilds gens, starters , alts and so he is going to check it properly if I dont get it figures out with what I have as far as equipment . I am thinking I might get him to convert to 12 volt. I mentioned it to him and he said that was good idea. been contemplating getting a eletronic ign or whole eletronic dist (Mallory) and I might just replace everything. Have done lots of electrical work over the years but this weird reading I was getting was something I don't recall ever seeing.
That take the cable off nonsense started when Chrysler corp people drive a little mopar several hundred miles with the battery disconnected in 1959 or 60 for bragging rights about their new alternator but serves no purpose on a vehicle except entertainment. Battery goes down while sitting for any length of time. 1. bad battery. 2. This may be highly likely. parasitic drain across the top of a dirty battery where the moisture in the dirt is causing a current flow and draining the battery. 3. Some item on the truck draining the battery such as a light staying on in a glove box or dome light or other item that causes a drain. As Squirrel said generators don't charge much if any at an idle. That is why your lights go dim at stop lights. You can't just fire up the truck and let it idle to charge the battery up.
OK, so I am going to check my wires even though mine is a gen. Will pull it apart this eve and peak at what I cant see from outside/ The wires seem ok and are in good shape from what I see.
Also a 6v starter pulls a lot of amperage, I’m not shocked you get three or four starts only if it’s not allowed to charge in between Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Yeah, I am thinking I could have a bad battery even though it is new. The guys that bought it probably bought the cheapest or it could be a really good battery and just happens too be bad.I have one of those centech ( I think it is called) metered testers that you can put a load on battery. I left it on my pontoon back a few months ago and forgot to get it his morning
If you can get the cover off, don't overlook the regulator points. Good luck buddy! Sent from my E6810 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
As far as battery , how many cranks do you guys think would be normal for a 6 volt before it would need recharge? I know it does not charge at idle and usually mutable starts with no chance to charge is going to weaken the batt , but s I mentioned I can crank truck a few times , and it becomes so weak it, will not crank. I just re set points , plugs are new and engine cranks easy when bat is charged up so I know for a fact it is generally an easy start engine.
I took the cover off this morn. I was in a hurry being I had to drive out to lake to get my multimeter and had to be at work away from home so I didnt really check the condition of points but I as I posted they were opening and closing pretty normal as I could tell .I will look at them closer this evening .
Does the battery have a date code sticker on it? like 7/19 or something? if so you can tell how old it is. If you bought the truck and the battery was in it, even if it looks new, I would expect that it might need to be replaced...they go bad fast if left to sit, partially discharged. Also if you see a reading of 6.0 volts at the battery, it is seriously discharged (unless it has a load on it it at the time)
Install a shutoff on your battery. I’ve seen regulators stay stuck on in the past. Even had one turn red and smoke. Scared the hell out of me. How much voltage are you getting at the battery terminals with the engine running at a high rpm?? Not idle.
Yep, from what I have read here I am thinking I have a bad battery even though it is new ( 4/19 on sticker) This has been battery fail week fro me. First my ole 92 F 700 diesel dump truck batteries were dead on Monday, then I went to crank Motor Home ( 2002 Fleetwood Revolution diesel pusher) and the chassis batteries were dead and I bought them Nov of last year, then my house batteries in the motor home were dead ( actually been getting weaker for sometime) there are 4 of them all 6 volt deep cycle. So far this week I have spent over $1000.00 on batteries and I have not got batteries for dump truck yet , oh forgot, my flash light batteries died while I was working on truck last night. Must be some kinda vortex , magnetic force going on.
When I tested with engine running with the multimeter I got the weird -18.50 flashing or blinking on the meter I mentioned.
Ok, so 3 or 4 is on the normal side. That is what I wanted to know. The only other 6 volt system I worked on in a few years was a ford 8n I restored and it always worked properly and a 1941 Cadillac I worked on for my dad and it too worked properly so I really couldn't remember how a 6 volt performed.
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