QuestionHello Howard,
Thanks for your quick response. I did what you said and here are the results. With the car off the battery read 12.80 v, with the car on 12.39 at RPM above 1500. with the lights on and the radiator fan on it went to 11.60 and started dropping fast from there with RPM above 1500.
I believe i only have a genarator due to the age of the engine and i dont see anything else. Alot of parts on the car say Lucas however, i cant be sure if that is the case for the genarator.
I will tell you when i turned the headlights on, the wires under the dash which connect to the headlight switch began to smoke and it was very hot to the touch (but thats a whole other issue).
The genarator is at the lower part of the engine and has a belt that that spins it along with the water pump and the engine.
I am not sure what other info i can give you sorry! Again thank you for your advice.
Alan
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The text above is a follow-up to ...
-----Question-----
I have a 1950 MG with a 1968 Ford Cortina engine(4cyl). My problem is that my battery keeps dying after i drive it. I have a running light that is on all the time when the car is on, and i also have a fan for the radiator that i also turn on so the car wont over heat. do i have a bad genarator? how do i keep this from happening?where do i get parts for this engine?
-----Answer-----
Hi Alan,
There is a simple test for a charging system. All you need is a volt meter. (not expensive at Radio Shack)
Connect the volt meter across the battery posts and read battery voltage. Then start the engine and set the RPM at a fast idle. You should see a raise in voltage to 13.8 volts to 14.5 volts. If you have this, the charging system is working. Now turn on the headlights and heater fan,radiator fan and set the idle at fast idle. (1500 RPM or more) if you still show 13.8 to 14.5, the charging system is working OK.
Does the engine have a generator or an alternator? and is it "Lucas"?
If you did not get the 13.8 to 14.5 voltage, let me know what kind of charging system you have and I will tell you how to test for a regulator, generator or wiring problem.
As for the parts for this engine (if you are in the US) go to this website,
http://www.pixelmatic.com.au/cortina/parts.html#yanks
Let me know what system you have.
Howard
AnswerAlen,
Look at the generator/alternator. A generator and an alternator are shaped completely different. A generator is much longer than it is in diameter. An alternator is usually short and it's length is about the same as it's diameter. If you do have a generator, then you must have a regulator which if it is Lucas it will have the connections labeled with the letters F,A,D,E not necessarily in that order. The generator will usually have just two wires, one larger than the other.
Your charging system is not working and you need to test if the generator is at fault or the regulator or wiring. To do this first check to see that the belt was tight, then remove the two wires on the back of the generator and secure them so they do not contact each other or any ground. If this is a Lucas generator it will be stamped into the case so you may have to clean it and look at it with a strong light. Make up a long test lead that will reach from the generator to the battery out of a heavy wire (12 gauge) then make a second test lead which can be smaller (14 gauge)
There are two basic types of generators that have just two leads. One hot wires the field (small wire) to increase output (Lucas) and the other grounds the field to increase output (Bosch) Next you need to know if the car is positive ground (usual for old British cars) or negative ground. Someone could have made your car either way so you first need to look at the battery cable connections to see which you car is.
First test,
Remove the generator drive belt. Then connect the large wire to the large post on the back of the gen. Connect the small wire to the small post on the gen. and the other end of the small wire to the large post on the gen along with the large wire. Now, touch the other end of the large wire to the "Hot" post of the battery. The "Hot" post is which ever post is NOT connected to ground. If it is a Lucas gen. it should start running like a slow electric motor in the direction that the engine turns. If it does not move give it a spin by hand while the wire is connected to the battery. It should at least try to run in the direction the motor runs. If it turns in the opposite direction of the motor then someone installed the battery backwards or the gen has just been replaced and needs to be polarized.
If nothing happens it is either a Bosch generator or some other brand or it is a Lucas that is bad. To test a Bosch generator just remove the small wire from the large wire and ground it and do the same tests with the large wire. You can not test a regulator until you have a working generator so you can forget the regulator for now.
Run these tests and let me know the results before you go to the next step.
Howard
