QuestionJack, thank you for your time. My father recently purchased a 1929 Ford Sedan something he has wanted since he was a kid. Since bringing the car home it will not charge. The battery was going low so my dad put a 12/6 volt charger on it and i think it may have been set on 12 volt when he turned it on. The system was showing a charge but now shows a discharge once it is started and the lights are turned on. can you walk me thruogh how to trouble shoot this problem. i would like to repair the car so I can drive my father around, he is very ill and can not get around much. I thank you for taking the time to read this and for any help/solutions you may have.
Vince
AnswerVince, putting 12 volts on it for a while should not have hurt anything. For a long time, I'm not sure. I assume it is set up as a std Model A. It should have positive post connected to ground. I assume you are running a generator and not an alternator. My guess is that your generator is not charging. With the lights off and reving the engine, does the ammeter show charge? If it does, that means everything is hooked up correctly. If it is just a small charge and shows discharge when you turn the lights on, then the gen is not putting out enough current. If that is the case, then I suggest you spend $125 and put a 6 volt alternator on it. If you don't want to do that, then take the gen to a shop and have them fix it.
That's about all I can suggest at this point.
Good luck and get that car running right.
jack
Vince, most of us now run the alternator. It charges even at idle and keeps the batt up. We want to keep our cars original, but we do run the alt. The gen cut-out sticks quite often. Make sure your cut-out is working correctly. If it sticks closed, it will drain your batt as the gen tries to run as a motor. If it does not close, it will not let the gen charge the batt. With the alt, there is no cut-out, it is done electronically.
Good luck
jack
