O/T Electrical on Old Car

Riverslim · Jan 3, 2010

All I know about electricity is that you get a bill every month. When I give it some gas, the amp guage discharges. Is taking the generator into parts store a good first step?

david from mo · Jan 3, 2010

maybe long shot but i would check alt belt first david

Janicholson · Jan 3, 2010

Maybe, but we need to know a few things first. What is the tractor (model & year) Is it discharging when the lights are on and the engine is off? If the needle moves to charge then, the battery could be in with reverse polarity, but it might be working that way. Most old 6v are positive ground. Let us know. JimN

tlak · Jan 3, 2010

Also feel your battery terminals, if one feels warmer clean and tighten that one.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 3, 2010

Sounds like your generator belt is loose or worn out. With engine off reach in and see if you can turn the pulley.If the pulley turns and your belt doesn't then your belt needs tightened or it's worn out.If your belt is pulled down inside the pulley I would replace your belt.Brian

old · Jan 3, 2010

It would help us help you to let us know what you have. Hard to help if we do not know what your having trouble with because many things can cause that and if we knew what the Car was we might know what it had for a charging system. Been 50 years since they used a genny on most cars so you probably do not have a bad genny since there probably isn't one on it

Kris Golden · Jan 3, 2010

If your car is old enuff it might be positive ground. If you have hooked the battery up negative ground and its supposed to be positive, it will discharge when reved up. We need more info!

Riverslim · Jan 4, 2010

I'll definitely check the belt first, should have thought of that, but I don't have a mechanical bent. Oh yeah, it is generator - 1948 Nash, negative ground, battery is under the front seat. thanks

PJH · Jan 4, 2010

Slim, I remember working for an old Hungarian farmer - he hooked his battery up backward, and it seems that it discharged completely and then recharged with the polarity reversed - ie positive post now negative and negative now positive. I was a kid then, but I remember pulling that old tractor every morning, and one day we thought to try the starter and it fired right up. A local mechanic pronounced the battery hooked up backwards, reversed the cables, and the amp meter showed discharge at high RPM. Hooked it up "wrong" again, and it worked good for the summer that I was there. As I said, I was a kid and batteries and charging systems were (and sometimes still are) a mystery.

Paul

Riverslim · Jan 4, 2010

thanks, I'll check on the Nash forum about which should be ground. You guys are usually a first source for such, for me anyway.

O/T Electrical on Old Car

Riverslim

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david from mo

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Janicholson

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tlak

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Anonymous-0

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old

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Kris Golden

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Riverslim

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PJH

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Riverslim

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