Edz Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 Hi, my name is Ed. I have a 1938 Ford with a 1946 Ford flat head. Could anybody tell me if that is supposed to be positive ground or negative ground? Because I’m having problem with an electrical shortage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
certjeff1 Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 6 volt positive ground Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trini Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 6 volts positive ground. I HVE HEARD STORIES OF MISTAKENLY HOOLING UP SGARGERS THE WRONG WAY MOMENTARILY THAT CHANGED THE BATTERY POLATITY . May be or may not be . I do not know . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterc9 Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 Yes it can be done. If the battery is flat dead and you hook up the charger backward ,negative lead to positive post and positive lead to negative post. The battery will charge with reverse polarity. I have seen this done by accident. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 Assuming the charging system components are either 1938 or 1946 Ford, In my opinion... 1) Make sure the battery is not charged backwards. 2) Make sure no relay(s) are stuck inside the voltage regulator (or cutout). 3) Hook it up positive ground. 4) Polarize the generator before you attempt to start the engine. That should make sure the charging system doesn't burn up when the engine starts. You mentioned a short though, what is actually happening? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edz Posted November 10, 2019 Author Share Posted November 10, 2019 Thanks Jeff I have it hooked up positive ground, but something is draining the battery down over night . I’ll just have to keep looking. Those old bullet conectors rattle lose . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edz Posted November 10, 2019 Author Share Posted November 10, 2019 Thanks Bloo, the car is hooked up positive ground . It starts and runs great just when I park it the battery draws down over night . There must be a short somewhere in the system. I’ll just keep looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 (edited) DIsconnect your ground cable from the battery, and connect a small 6v bulb IN SERIES with what you disconnected. A test light with a 6v bulb would be real convenient, but most people don't have that handy. The smaller the better, a taillight (not brake) would work but a small dashlamp bulb would be way better. Connect the bulb base to the post and the bulb tip to cable you removed (or vise versa). A socket would sure help. In any event make the current flow THROUGH the bulb filament to get from the post to cable. If you have a current draw like that running your battery dead the bulb should glow. Do not turn the ignition on or try to start the car. Make sure the dome light is out. Disconnect stuff to make your test light go out. I would start by disconnecting the wire going to the generator. I would disconnect the harness from the cutout (if it is still a cutout), or the ARM or GEN terminal at the regulator if it has the 1946 charging system. Does it have an electric clock? They are notorious for having the points stick. Disconnect it. Other likely trouble spots are the glovebox light not shutting off (if it has one), and any underhood or trunk lights. If it has any of this stuff, make sure it is shutting off. Pull any fuses it has, one by one. Keep an eye on the test light during all of this. When it goes off, you found the trouble circuit. If it wont go off for any of those, then get out the wiring diagram, and by process of elimination, figure out which things are live all the time (with the ignition off), and determine which have not been disconnected yet. Try those. There won't be many left. Good luck. Edited November 10, 2019 by Bloo (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edz Posted November 10, 2019 Author Share Posted November 10, 2019 Thanks Jeff I have it hooked up positive ground, but something is draining the battery down over night . I’ll just have to keep looking. Those old bullet conectors rattle lose . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edz Posted November 10, 2019 Author Share Posted November 10, 2019 Thanks Bloo! I am trying everything ! Just one problem of many to deal with. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maok Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 Also, your battery may have had enough. Disconnect the ground terminal over night to see if the battery holds its charge. If not, check the water, if low top up and see how it goes, but it maybe time for a new one. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 5 hours ago, Edz said: Those old bullet conectors rattle lose . Loose connectors would not drain your battery. They could cause something to work intermittently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFranklin Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 13 hours ago, Tinindian said: Loose connectors would not drain your battery. They could cause something to work intermittently. Loose connections can cause a battery to explode if enough hydrogen gas has formed. I had one explode just as I hit the starter, made a BIG mess. I'm glad I had water and a box of Arm&Hammer baking soda handy and close! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trini Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 Bloo is on target. Get an old socket and install a #53 bulb in it with two leads.. attach one lead to the battery wire (disconnect from battery) and the other lead to the battery post. That is in series. If there is a drain the lamp will glow. Isolate one component at a time until the lamp goes off. That circuit is the culprit. One Precaution. Working on a problem, tired and sweaty, does not help. Leave the stupid thing alone and come back at it next day. What have been bothering you for hours , you will be able to fix in a few minutes. It works for me. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edz Posted November 11, 2019 Author Share Posted November 11, 2019 Thanks Jeff I have it hooked up positive ground, but something is draining the battery down over night . I’ll just have to keep looking. Those old bullet conectors rattle lose Thanks for everyone’s help and great tips. I am working on it a day at a time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank DuVal Posted November 13, 2019 Share Posted November 13, 2019 Loose connections do not drain batteries. They can cause them to not charge. Trini's bulb testing method works on most all old cars. It is an old electrician's trick. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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