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It's ALIVE!!! (kind of)

H

howard

Donation Time
I finally got my SIV started after being re-engined and generally fixed up, but she's not drivable yet. Still need to finish "powering up" the transmission and fixing some odds and ends. And, of course, getting the insurance updated.

I've had some problems with the battery. It seemed to be drained voltage-wise, so I trickle-charged it for the time recommended. (This was a brand-new battery.) I put it back in and it started right up. After about 5 minutes, the car sputtered and died, so I tried to start it again. The battery was DEAD. I put the charger back on it to see if it had any current, and it was, indeed, dead. I was able to jump-start it fine. The ignition light worked to light up while I was starting, and quickly went out as soon as the engine cranked up, so I'm thinking it was recharging okay. I have since replaced the battery with another new battery, but was wondering- before I crank on the new battery- if I was overlooking something obvious.

The generator is about 5 years old, but it's been sitting for half that time. The voltage reg is also about the same age. All were working fine when I parked her for rebuilding about 2 and a half years ago. (The starter's been rebuilt since last month.)
 
kmathis

kmathis

Donation Time
Hey, good for you, there is nothing like hearing an engine roar to life after a long repair. I think if you check your voltage after you start it up with the new battery and you are getting 13 or 14 volts your generator is probably fine, and if your battery was completly dead, meaning there was a couple of dead cells, there was no reviving it.

have fun,
 
H

howard

Donation Time
Today I installed the new battery. It roared to life, and eventually settled into the best idle I've EVER heard my car do. But when I shut her off, again, the battery wouldn't crank the engine:confused:

Is it possible I have a wire crossed between the generator and the battery, whereby the engine is using battery current instead of generator power? (The ignition light operates while I'm starting, nice and bright, but turns off as soon as the engine begins to run.)

What's the procedure for checking the voltage output from the generator, and what kind of meter do I use?
 
R

RootesRacer

Donation Time
To check the generator output, measure the "D" terminal.

At rest it should output nil, and at about 1000 RPM, it will go above 13 or so volts. It shouldnt get much higher than 14.5v because the battery will load the generator down and it will begin regulating.

At low or no RPM, the "F" terminal should have 12 or so volts, when the regulator is working, it will measure some voltage between 0 and 12v since
the regulator dithers the Field coil to control the output voltage and current limit.

Some of the older regulator boxes are adjustable also cleaning the contacts with fine emory cloth couldnt hurt (so long as the battery is disconnected).
 
Jim E

Jim E

Donation Time
Would not think the battery should be dead after just running the car for a bit, Heck Steve K. drove all the way from Texas with no charging at all just swapped out a spare battery.

Is the big ground wire that goes from the transmission to the frame on the car?
 
H

howard

Donation Time
I thought it strange myself. I had the car running for maybe 20 minutes, tops. I remember installing the ground wire from the transmission but I'll re-check it in case I looped it back onto something ungrounded. If that were the case, could it cause this problem?
 
Rodewaryer

Rodewaryer

Donation Time
Sounds like you have plenty of good suggestions for what's going on. Being a person with a non-runner of many years I thought I'd offer a congrats on getting her running again. Good for you! Luck with the charging/battery situation.
 
Jim E

Jim E

Donation Time
howard said:
I thought it strange myself. I had the car running for maybe 20 minutes, tops. I remember installing the ground wire from the transmission but I'll re-check it in case I looped it back onto something ungrounded. If that were the case, could it cause this problem?
Click to expand...

Well I may be stretching it here but ... typically or at least on my car when I forgot to install the big ground it would not turn over, but I did not have heater cables or a choke cable. Which are what I believe is the usual path when the ground is left off. So if it is using say the choke cable for ground guess it could be draining a bunch of amps to start the car. [note the choke cable would most likely be very hot if this is going on] With no ground I doubt the battery is charging while it is sitting there running. So once you turn it off the battery is low and does not have the amps to weld the choke cable or what ever other ground it is using and the starter will not engage.

Then I may be totally off base on this...
 
H

howard

Donation Time
Rodewaryer said:
Sounds like you have plenty of good suggestions for what's going on. Being a person with a non-runner of many years I thought I'd offer a congrats on getting her running again. Good for you! Luck with the charging/battery situation.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Even with these electrical problems, I'm very excited. Looks like I may be driving Sunnye this spring! (Note: I did not come up with that cornball name myself!) Now if I could get the weather and my health to cooperate, I'd get this taken care of.

Jim: Sounds like some valid observations. I will check that grounding strap ASAP.
 
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