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Voltage Regulator Question


its a V-12

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confused.gif I know I asked about this before but its such a darn annoying problem I need to ask again. The ammeter in my 48 LC, 12 cyl, 6 volt positive ground will not go pass the middle bar when running. Before I changed the generator and voltage regulator it would show charge after starting and then settle to the right side on the center bar on the ammeter. The voltage regulator was one of those "off the shelf" with a blue cover which I replaced with a cadium cover from an old regulator. Should the voltage regulator be a positive ground regulator and does that make the difference? I afraid that I might burn up a new generator and Optima battery. I was told that the Voltage Regulator should be NOS for it has a higher draw than the off the shelf type. I would really appreciate any advise. Thanks and Regards...Rock
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I had a very similar problem on my just sold '41 Rock. The ammeter would not show a charge, but stayed right on the center line with the engine running and the headlights on. Without the engine running, the headlights being on made the ammeter go way down on the discharge side. I finally determined that the system was working OK by lifting the negative battery cable off the battery while the engine was running, it continued to run, so I settled for knowing the generator and regulator were putting out a charge, and I never had a low battery, or any problems at all, but it puzzled me that the ammeter never showed a charge, I am sure someone on here can explain it.

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Well 48LC here's something to ponder. It's just possible that the needle on the ammeter is "dragging" on the face of the gauge or the tiny pivot point for the needle is corroded a tad. There is nothing to "burn up" in the ammeters but they are real sensitive and it doesn't take much to make them inoperative. I recently had to "free up" the ammeter on my '46. It's not a fun job taking it out and it is fairly delicate. If you you want to check your system for charging, with the engine running, try grounding the the field terminal on either the generator or regulator momentarily. This will by-pass the action of the regulator and if the generator is ok the ammeter should show a full charge. If the ammeter is stuck, this "surge" of current may free up the gage or it may stick it to the "charge" side. You can also check the charging system with a voltmeter. At a fast idle you should get around 7 volts at the "A" terminal on the regulator. After market regulators have worked fine for me and should be ok. They don't quite fit your original mounting but they can be used. Good luck.

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