Classic/Antique Car Repair: Gen light on, generator light, field terminal

Question
QUESTION: 63 impala generator light on i checked the terminals "F" and "A" but all i get is the battery voltage and it just keps going down im not sure if its wired correctly but it has Arm to "A" from the voltager regulator to the generator and the " F to the F on the regulator
ANSWER: You should not have battery voltage on the "F" terminals.  It should be a much lower voltage.  

Your wiring is correct.

Make sure the regulator is securely grounded, by measuring the voltage on the metal case of the regulator.  If that is grounded, the regulator must have failed. Any auto parts store will have one in stock.

Dick

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Ok now that i know that the wiring is ok i have another question is the field terminal supose to have a black wire?
also i checked the resistance on the regulator to the ground and it is .02 ohms so thats good i checked the other terminals and and they seem to be grounded is that ok?
i also have a wire coming from the battery to the regulator is that ok?  

Answer
I'm not certain that the Field wire is supposed to be black, but I think so.  All your measurement are OK - and now I'm pretty sure your regulator is bad.   I don't have a wire color guide to double check, but I seem to recall black is right.

If you have an AutoZone store near you, take the car to them - they will check the regulator and generator for you at no cost. They aren't geniuses, but I think that would be a good thing to do before you spend the $40 or so for a new regulator.

One thing you could try is: with the engine running, temporarily ground the "F" terminal on the generator, and rev the engine while you keep a voltmeter on the "A" terminal of the generator.  It should jump up to at least 15 volts or higher as long as you have the "F" terminal grounded.  If it does that, you've proven that your generator is good, and pretty much proven that the regulator is bad.  Don't leave the ground on the "F" terminal for more than a minute or so - it makes the generator put out maximum current, which will overheat it if you leave it that way.

Dick