I've had to jump my 55 three times in the last two weeks. It was not charging the battery. I went to the auto electric store in town and he said bring in the generator and the regulator. I did that Friday morning. He bench tested the genny. It was good. Then he hooked up my regulator. It was bad. Called NAPA and they said they would have one in by 1:30 that afternoon. I went home and put the generator back in, cleaned up and went for lunch with the wife. On the way home I picked up the new regulator. I put that in place, hooked up all the wires but needed another pair of hands to pull on the generator while I was tightening the bolt on the bracket. I had to wait until my go-to truck helper friend was back in town around 8:00 that night. We got the belt tight, 1/4 to 1/2 inch deflection in the belt. The truck started right up. I took it for a drive to charge the battery and all is good. The old regulator looked real good inside but I guess a 63 year old electronic device can go bad! I still haven't put on the new fuel pump yet.....

old and new. And in case you are wondering, I put the old cover on the new regulator....


Old on left


inside of the old regulator looks very good....


I never saw this warning label before since it points towards the inside of the engine compartment.

 

 

Good deal, I applaud you for using your old truck as much as you do.

 

Good to hear you got it fixed up and charging.

That is not an electronic REG.
Unless one of the coils went bad most of the time the points on the end of the coil arms get pitted.
A points file can clean the contacts and maybe it will work again?
The center one looks dark like it was not making a good connection.
Dave ----

 

Nice. Cool that you switched covers.

 

I was just getting ready to "pounce" all over you. Nice call! LOL Glad it was a simple fix Abe. Have you ever had the Generator gone through?
Edit - I'll have to check and see if mine has those warning words!

 

Good point. If I can do that it could be a backup.

Can you check a voltage regulator on the bench by itself? The guy at the auto electric shop said I had to bring both the genngener and regulator in for him to check them.

 

Ha ha. I didn't want a bright blue cover under my hood.

 

There are quite a few tests and adjustments you can make when everything is installed on the truck. The electric shop guy was basically simulating that, he can test the generator for proper output by spooling it up, and then make sure the regulator is adjusted for proper cutout voltage, and current and voltage regulation. This is important because a misadjusted regulator can cause the generator armature windings to throw solder if current output is too high, or boil a battery dry if voltage is too high. If it's not charging enough there will likely be starting difficulties and poor performance under load. It's really tricky to make generator regulator adjustments, and probably should be discouraged. Use the manual procedure if you decide to try this.

Regulators used to be supplied in sealed boxes and lacquer on the adjustment screws. They would refuse warranty service if messed with. Too many yahoos with their "Golden Screwdrivers". They really shouldn't need much adjustment at all. Make sure cables and grounding and wires of all components, including regulator itself, are good.

The vibrating regulator point faces do need to be dressed with a spoon or riffler file now and then.

 

Very interesting. Thanks, Ted.

 

^This! I love when I see people using their vintage vehicles whenever they can. Mine is a regular visitor to the local Home Depot and Pep Boys, along with frequent jaunts and errands whenever the sun is out.