I'm trying to sell my Rambler, the price has dropped pretty far, and no takers yet...but someone is coming to look tomorrow. I drove it last weekend, worked fine. Fired it up Monday to go on some errands, and the Gen light stayed on after it started...so I took another car instead. Today it finally warmed up enough to look at it. I got out the volt meter and measured voltage at the F and A wires on the voltage regulator while it was running, both zero. I did some reading, to remind myself how they work, and decided the generator just isn't making any juice. Which is kind of strange to happen after just sitting a few days. So, I took out the generator, and looked inside. Seems one of the brush springs broke. That's a new one on me! They sell them on ebay, for twenty bucks...I don't have any old generators laying around any more, since the big move last year. I guess I'll have to make a spring.
@squirrel: Actually, that was quite common at the garage I apprenticed at, in '57-'61. We worked on maintenance/repair of everything rolling, mostly old cars even then... Red Mayfield had a wall cupboard 20 feet long that stocked generator, starter, and distributor small parts. From there I went to the Cadillac dealer in San Jose. (I was 'relieved' to work on newer, shiny cars by then!)
Any Ace Hardware their ,Here they have a section 2 allows with Brushes ,springs assortment of items that used to find in Country hardware stores, even gun screws
I looked in my box of springs, and found one extension spring that's the right OD, almost the right wire gauge, but the wrong "handed", it's left hand wound instead of right hand wound. So I had to change the ends a little to make it work. But it's in, and it charges again, and it didn't cost nuthin to fix it.
Second the ACE Hardware, my locals have a big selection of old springs. A lot of later AMCs had a lot of Ford electrical stuff, could that be a Ford gennie? I have a bunch, car & tractor styles
This is a Delco generator, all the electrics on this particular Rambler are Delco. And they're all the original units, as far as I can tell...correct matching date codes on them. That would be way too stiff, unfortunately. Pretty close to the right size and shape, though.
Don’t you just love it when you have just the right doohickey in stock and you don’t have to drive anywhere for parts? Pretty satisfying. And people wonder why we have these bizarre collections of random parts….
yeah, I drove the car 10,000 miles all over the country, and it waited till I was at home, to break. I love old cars.
Probably 75% of "no charge" problems with old generators can be fixed with a few taps with a ballpein in the area of the brushes. Probably the biggest cause of failure is failing to polarize a new installation. There are also a lot of small-diameter tractor & equipment alternators that can be made to fit inside a generator case
Sometimes the contacts in the voltage regulator get dirty...especially the cut out relay. That's an easy fix, if you figure out the cause before you screw up other things
Jim, I am glad that you used your ingenuity to solve your problem. As far as springs go where, I live in Shippensburg, Pa. we have the supposedly oldest hardware store in Pa. Pague and Fegan. They have a great spring selection. It is nice to go there to buy 1's and 2's of what you need, not like the big box stores.. I feel that if this store does not have it, you don't need it. But if they don't have it they will get it for you.
Nice thing with old springs is they were usually just sourced from outside, using what was available. The governor spring broke on my 1947 Clark Trukloader forklift with a tiny Continental engine, I took it down to Ace and found one on the wall display, perfect match
I just did full overhaul for 58 fordson major starter. It did nothing when it arrive to my shop. Just take it apart.grease the bushings. Sanding brushes armature etc..and most important...disssembly brush assembly and clean all oxidation away.put it back together and works like new.
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