FARMALL VOLTAGE REGULATORS

I am having a terrible time keeping batteries charged. I"m starting to believe that my regulators are not working properly. When i restore a tractor I usually put a new regulator on and wire it correct to charge on the amp meter. Do i have to do something to the regulator to make sure its putting out the proper voltage. In a nut shell, how do i match the regulator and generator to work together.

I have had the same problems. I gave up and started using alternators, 2 wire type. Just finished a 53 cub today. I have had great success doing away with generators and regulators and installing alternators
JG

If 6V the regulated voltage should be 7.1 to7.3 volts measured across the battery at 3/4 throttle and with a fully charged battery. 12v systems should measure 14.2 to 14.6 volts with the engine and battery as above. Adjusting a regulator (if new should not be needed. Adjustment has been outlined in the archives many times, but it is sensitive to variables and is not the thing to recommend to an electronic novice. A Motors Manual from the 1950s, or a Automotive Electrical Systems Diagnostics and Repair from that era is valuable. Jim

I assume you have a generator, not an alternator. Is ammeter showing a charge and is voltage as noted by Jani below? Generator will show lower voltage numbers than alternator. 6.8 or 12.8. If no charge showing on ammeter, ground the field wire on gen to see if that makes it charge. Polarize generator per instructions in archives. Make sure base of regulator is well grounded. Must have good ground for reg to work. New paint will insulate base and reg won't work. If after all this and you get no charge when field wire is grounded, take genny to shop and have it checked and repaired. Take the reg when you go to the repair shop so they can check that too. Make sure to tell the shop which ground you have, positive or negative.

I like generators better than alternators on these old tractors. The regulators in the alternators seem to have a milliamperes drain on the battery and if the tractor sits for a long time, battery will lose its charge. Solution is to disconnect the battery ground when tractor not in use. With generator and old style mechanical regulator, the current is completely shut off when system is stopped and there is no battery drain unless the battery is bad.

If all else fails and while this may be wayyyyyyyyyy more then you asked for, if you work through my Troubleshooting Procedure it may help determine the cause of poor charging. In Para 5 it shows how to effectively by pass the VR function by dead grounding the gennys FLD post which will show what then genny can do (or not do) in that forced full output situation. If the charge is still weak with FLD grounded, the problem is the genny itself (or its wiring or its ground etc) NOT the VR. BOTH the genny and VR need a good ground to work properly.

John T
John Ts Troubleshooting Procedure

When the regulator is set up right, it will charge the same as an alternator. Should be around 14.5 or 7.2.

I have 3 Farmalls and just converted my SA to 12v. I've had charging problems for quite awhile and decided it was my regulator. While I was at it I rebuilt the generator will all new armature, coils, brushes, bearings and wick. Not hard to do at all but $$. I ordered a regulator from a major tractor parts supplier and it didn't work out of the box. I took the cover off and was amazed at the junk from China this parts supplier is selling. The contacts didn't meet right, it looks like the person testing the regulator bent the top contact about 45 degrees to get the right gap. The two contact surfaces are supposed to be oriented directly in line with each other and the faces parallel. One of the smaller guage wires where it's soldered to the frame was cold soldered. In all, a nasty piece of cr#$. Then I ordered one from Advance Auto and it is American made and it works but the quality is substandard as compared to the old days when electromechanical regulators were all that was used. I think it's a lost art and has seen it's days. That's why I decided to use an alternator. Generators are easy enough to rebuild, but I don't think it's possible to get a good working well designed old fashioned electromechanical regulator any longer to go with it. Now if you wanted to buy about a half dozen Chinese regulators and try them until you found one that works, maybe but I'm not made out of money.
Gerry

Chinese regulators are notorious. About the only thing they are reliable at is failing.

AFAIK, there is no "matching." Just attach the wires and bolt it down, or bolt it down and attach the wires. Your choice.

Your ammeter should show an obvious and steady charge if the charging system is working. If the needle is hugging the middle line, or the needle jitters all over the place, you've got a problem.

(quoted from post at 21:30:37 10/16/13) I am having a terrible time keeping batteries charged. I"m starting to believe that my regulators are not working properly. When i restore a tractor I usually put a new regulator on and wire it correct to charge on the amp meter. Do i have to do something to the regulator to make sure its putting out the proper voltage. In a nut shell, how do i match the regulator and generator to work together.

Click to expand...

If you're buying the foreign regulators pay the extra and buy the USA made. The China stuff is notorious for being bad.

Check the Delco Remy# on the gen to make sure you have the correct reg. Car Quests are USA

Well, a good bit of this has been covered by previous posters, so I will summarize and state what I know.

Most common problems I have found in order of occurrence:

1.) Dirty connections on wires: battery cables, VR connections, amp meter connections, generator connections.
2.) generator not properly polarized
3.) dirty commutator or worn brushes in Generator
4.) failed voltage regulator or cut out.

I prefer the US made Vr's, which are more expensive but also better quality.

People can disagree (and will), but a properly maintained, clean generator system will work and work well. Problem is, people don't want to take the time to maintain, nor for the most part, do they understand a generator system. Conversion to an alternator is immensely easier to maintain. 12v makes battery purchase easier on the wallet. However, neither will out perform a properly working 6v generator setup in my humble opinion.

If I had a true working older tractor, I would probably convert minimally to an alternator because I want to spend my time using it, not maintaining it (any more than I have to). My show tractors do some work, and always will, but that is not my source of income, so I can take extra time to tinker and maintain the generator and electrical systems. My thoughts........your mileage may vary.

PS:

I also prefer magnetos. They are definitely a little more complicated than battery ignition. A magneto produces a hotter spark the faster you turn it. However, at the RPM's that these old girls turn, that is really not a factor.

However, their true value is that regardless of battery condition, even a dead battery, the tractor will start and run if the ignition system is a working order. A battery ignition spark will degrade with lower voltage from the battery. Also for cold starting, a magneto can't be beat. Understand that the coil is nothing but a "step up" component. the lower the input voltage, the lower the output voltage. When cold starting a battery ignition, the amp/voltage drop due to the starter drawing current, will cause the spark to be "colder" and weaker. A cold start is when you really need a hot, strong spark, and exactly the worst time since you have significantly reduced voltage due to the starter draw on the battery.

Once again, mags are more complicated and require more maint. They are not for everyone. I prefer them.