Thanks for the information! My "new" 1963 f100 has been sitting since 1997. It has a "New" generator and regulator installed in 1997. I'm hoping this procedure will get the generator charging again. Then on to the next outdoor, Northwest storage induced problem corrected...

 

Just installed a new battery on my 51 F-1 and found I had lost charging from the generator. Found this post and disconnected the Field wire and touched it to the Battery wire. I observed the small blue spark, reconnected the field wire to the regulator. On starting up, the charge gauge shows charge again. Thanks for the excellent help!

Steve51

 

When you say touch the battery connection on the regulator, what exactly does that mean? Like take jumper cables to it? I’m having the same problem, brand new battery 6v, installed after my dad mistakenly put in a 12v and also reversed the polarity thinking it was negative ground smh. Bless him thou.
I got a new 6v and it only clicks, no start no nothing

 

Basically there are two types of systems - Type A and Type B. Our Fords use type B.

 

How are your battery cables and the cable running from the starter soleniod to the starter? If the battery terminal clamps and the end connectors have a greenish or powdery corrosion around them, its time to replace them. And for 6 volts, you'll want to consider using large diameter battery cables. Many use the 00 size, or known as 2/0 or spoken as 2-Ott.
Make sure also you have a good solid ground to your engine block directly from your battery. Your starter will draw LOTS of current so you want every cranking amp going right to your stater. Then add a ground jumper between your frame and the engine block, and another another one between your cabs firewall to your engine block. You want this because the rubber used in engine mounts and cab mounts tend to electically isolate the engine cab and frame from the engine, so you need to give a path for the current to flow.

EDIT:

One more thing to add here. Are the battery clamps those "road side repair type"? The type that you loosen a strap, slide the cable under it, then tighten the strap down? Yeah, those will afterwhile get corroded and build up a high resistance, then give you trouble. If thats what you got, that could be a part of the problem.

 

And when I touch these is with the key on and the battery connected yes? Sorry about all the newbie questions

 

Its a good question!

Just the battery connected. The key shouldnt be on.

A little bit more about the key being on. It should never be on unless you are starting the truck or have the motor running driving the truck. Reason being if the engine is not running depending where the engine stops the points may be closed causing current to flow through your coil and your points. They will both heat up and you could lose your coil and will end up will having to replace your burned up points. This also drains your battery.
Just something I learned a while back. And it was painful! 😄

 

Stuart, good electrical advice as is usual from you. Many others have also said you need a direct ground from the battery to the engine block.

I do not have one and never have. And I do not have starting issues. I have (I am still 6 volt positive ground) 00 cables from positive terminal to frame, from negative terminal to solenoid and solenoid to starter. I have a braided cable from engine block to firewall. Isn't this overkill?

How is my engine block grounded? This is how it was originally from the factory.

 

I’m not sure my regulator and wires quite match up with the diagram? Or am I overthinking

 

Hey Abe!

Its a good question! I am no E.E. And believe me, I dont mean to put myself out as an expert on these things. I just like to share the information I have learned over the years if I think it might help someone. Otherwise, I am kind of an everday garden variety dummy. So please excuse me if I get a little long with this.

I have a friend with a 55 223 6 cylinder that doesnt have a direct ground to the block either. And it starts just fine. So I have wondered about it too. I have wanted to take a voltmeter and meaure the ground voltage difference between his starter bolts and the + grounded battery terminal while the engine is cranking to see what the actual voltage difference or drop is. But his attitude is "It starts, who cares?"
With his, yours and others without the added block to battery ground, the cranking return current from the starter is finding an alternate path. Maybe through a rear transmission mount to the frame or through the drive line, differential, rear leaf springs,spring pins, frame then back to the battery.

My thinking on this is, since the engine demands hundreds of amps of current when starting, you want a low resistance path back to the battery. This is also the case when the generator is charging. It would seem better if you could just "short out" a higher resistance path with a lower one by grounding the battery right to the engine block or starter bolt than connecting it just at the frame.
You could be right about the overkill part of this Abe. In fact if your voltage regulator is mounted on the firewall you automatically have a ground there as the base of the regulator should have a wire going to the ground terminal of generator.
But I think Mid-Fifty back in the day had it right in their catalogs when they said "Ground everything then ground it again!

Now that I've opened up a big ol' can of worms let's go fishing!😄

 

They all look correct to me. The Green one is the Armature connection on both your voltage regulator and Generator. The Yellow is your Field wire. This is the wire you disconnect from your voltage regulator and just touch it on the Red wire on your voltage regulator, then connect it back up. Then your generator should be polarized. And the Red wire on the right hand side of your voltage regulator connects to the battery cable on your starter solenoid.

 

Thanks Stuart. You may not be an E.E. but you do provide very methodical easy to follow steps for guys with truck electrical problems.

I agree like Mid fifty said, trucks need to be well grounded.

I will keep my truck as is. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

 

I was looking at this picture again. Specifically the label on the cover of your Voltage Regulator. The label is worn in spots so I can't quite read the writing on it. But what I can make out it refers to wires on terminals A and B. As if it could be a instructions regarding a polarizing proceedure. IF its talking about temporarily jumpering A and B together then it's the wrong type of Voltage Regulator. That proceedure would be for a type A charging system. To get your Generator to work you'll need to change it to one for your truck, which IF your Generator is correct to the truck would be a type B. So you might want to look into that.
Sorry I didnt pick up on that wrinkle a little earlier.

 

Standard Motor Products (SMP) V10 or Echlin ECH VR401 would be the appropriate voltage regulator for the application, available from many parts stores.

 

I completely agree Abe!

I tried to troubleshoot my partially working gas gauge yesterday thinking because I might had corrosion issues with one of those rubberized " L shaped" terminal connectors (Ford used them for years). Just a month ago, a corroded one on my starter soleniod kept my truck from starting.
Since the fuel gauge is connected with them I thought I should try pulling them off and cleaning them. Trouble was, I took a dumb short cut. I didnt bother dropping the speedo cluster to properly get to the connectors. I just dove under the dash and even though I couldnt see them, just felt around, and pulled them off. Then took a very small wire brush and contact cleaner and cleaned them up. Didnt really see any corrosion in them. So now the fun part, again not being able to see them, I felt around and got the sender side to the gauge connected again. But the power side was a little more challenging. Finally found what I thought was the other gauge stud and slid it on. Next reconnected the battery and turned the IGN switch to Accesories to eagerly watch the gauge come up BUT instead I am watching SMOKE! Shut the IGN switch off real quick, ran around and dusconnected the battery, and when the smoke cleared finally did what I should of done at the start. Disconnect the speedo cable and dropped down the cluster on to the steering column. There I saw my big mistake. I accidentally slid the fuel gauge power connector on to the wrong place! A ground stud! So when the IGN switch was turned to Accesories, 12 volts from wire that was supposed to power the gauge was dead shorted to ground. Unfortunately that circuit was not fused from the factory so It burned the wire inside of that harness completly up. In fact you can see where the wire is in the harness by just following the trail of burnt harness tape.
So this weekend, I will be repairing and inspecting a wiring harness. And adding a fuse to it.
Had I just been on the road to Truckstock, I wouldnt of had time to shoot myself in the foot 😉