Six volt system hooked up backwards

Dave H (MI) · Nov 8, 2009

Just running thru some things on the new '57 LoBoy and find the battery had been hooked up with the negative going to ground. Manual says it should be a 6 volt positive ground system. Never ran into this and wondering what effect, if any, his cranking away with it hooked up backwards might have. He said he charged the battery and it would turn over but not start when he put it back in. Any harm?

John G. Hasler · Nov 8, 2009

> Never ran into this and wondering what effect,
> if any, his cranking away with it hooked up
> backwards might have.

None. The starter is a series motor. It doesn"t care about the battery polarity. The generator must be properly polarized for the battery polarity, though, and the ammeter connected properly or it will register backwards. As 6 volt systems are almost always positive ground I suggest that you rewire it that way and then repolarize the generator. I"d also inspect all of the wiring (not that there is much) to see what other improvements he may have made.

CNKS · Nov 8, 2009

IH 6 volt systems have voltage regulators for positive ground -- so if negative ground, the regulator won't last as long. It won't fail immediately, if ever, with light use. It has nothing to do with starting.

ScottyHOMeY · Nov 8, 2009

Thinkin' it mighta coulda toasted the regulator. Dependin' how long it might've run in that condition and how it was polarized int he first place, might be some coil damage, but if it was done right, there shouldn't be any harm at all. Which side of the coil is hooked up to the distributor?

CNKS · Nov 8, 2009

My little used C has been reversed for 3-4 years. Due to difficulty getting the battery out (my cables are custom fit), I haven't fixed it yet. Wrong wire to coil also -- still gives a good charge (to the left, of course). Will cost me $70 for a NAPA regulator some day.

CNKS · Nov 8, 2009

My little used C has been reversed for 3-4 years. Due to difficulty getting the battery out (my cables are custom fit), I haven't fixed it yet. Wrong wire to coil also -- still gives a good charge (to the left, of course). Will cost me $70 for a NAPA regulator some day.

CNKS · Nov 8, 2009

I only hit "submit" once, I think.

ScottyHOMeY · Nov 8, 2009

The battery in a C ain't the easiest thing to manage anyway, especially with that short connection to the factory ground. Add the rods that go with a Touch Control and it can get even touchier.

Dave H (MI) · Nov 8, 2009

Thanks all! The tractor is wired normally for the positive ground, I believe, but it done got dark on me and I am challenged enough without poking around in there without light. My belief is that he only reversed the cables after he charged the battery but I will look at that a little closer tomorrow. He only cranked it a few times also, it never actually ran this way. Have to wait until Thursday for my new-to-me Snap-On torque wrench to arrive from the e-bay seller so I jumped this tractor ahead of that "other brand" tractor currently filling my one and only repair bay. Nice weather to work outside, though. I'll check out the rest of that wiring tomorrow and see what else he may have meddled with.

John G. Hasler · Nov 8, 2009

The coil cannot be damaged by being hooked up "backwards".

ScottyHOMeY · Nov 8, 2009

Bless your heart, John, for chiming in. Are you here these last couple of days merely to indulge your penchant for sniping or might we invite you to contribute?

Coils are marked for polarity. If reversing that does not harm the coil, perhaps you'd care to enlighten us all as to what difference the polarity makes at all. Is it an otherwise harmless factor that might show up in performance, or might there be adverse effects on other components of the ignition system?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Anonymous-0 · Nov 8, 2009

He did contribute. He told you the coil could not be damaged by hooking up backwards. Any duffus would know that, but then it wouldn't be a contribution to that duffus, would it?

Anonymous-0 · Nov 8, 2009

the only difference hooking the coil up with polarity backwards is the spark pattern will be backwards.to prove what i'm saying hold coil wire approx. a 1/4 inch from a good ground spin engine observe spark pattern, should be arrow shaped, change polarity the arrow shape will face the other direction,on dc current it flows positive to negative, engine will run either way with out hurting coil,seen a many a one running this way,i've always tried to hook them up correct when working on them, never understood the reason for positive grd. except on trucks it was claimed to stop electrolysis that would eat holes in clyinder walls from water jacket side, don't know if that all the problem.

ScottyHOMeY · Nov 8, 2009

You'll excuse me, I'm sure, for saying so but name-calling doesn't contribute much to our aims here, either.

The original question was "what effects, if any . . ."

Can you contribute by answering the question that I put to John?

scot in pa · Nov 12, 2009

What would be the procedure to change it over to negative ground? Swap the regulator and cables? Or is there more?

Six volt system hooked up backwards

Dave H (MI)

Well-known Member

John G. Hasler

Member

CNKS

Well-known Member

ScottyHOMeY

Well-known Member

CNKS

Well-known Member

CNKS

Well-known Member

CNKS

Well-known Member

ScottyHOMeY

Well-known Member

Dave H (MI)

Well-known Member

John G. Hasler

Member

ScottyHOMeY

Well-known Member

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member

ScottyHOMeY

Well-known Member

scot in pa

Member

Similar threads