does anyone know if this is an alternator or generator ?. i am asking as im having problems on my galaxie 289 v8 , i believe this is the original engine to this 1963 car. the battery isnt charging from the engine and it no longer holds a charge if left connectod on car and im fed up with having to un hook the + lead every time i leave the car . i am new to engines and wondered if i fitted a new battery if it would last or die and if an alternator (if not already fitted) would charge it better, also as this part has 3 wires and i can only find a single wire alternator on ebay will it fit and if so how? ? can anyone reccomend a place that has the needed parts in stock and do i need new brackets bolts etc?? has anyone got a parts list taht i need to do this job please? i will be first to be honest and say i am clueless:lol: generator or alternator ? by mark & anne's photos, on Flickr generator or alternator ? by mark & anne's photos, on Flickr generator or alternator ? by mark & anne's photos, on Flickr thanks in advance
That is a generator. When new battery is put in, it may need to be polerized. If you test the generator and it shows good, replace the regulator and polerize it. Your troubles will be over.
It's generator and as long as it is charging when running it may still be fine. The battery running down may have nothing to do with it but may actually be a draw on the battery someplace else altogether and no relation to the generator.
polarized? no idea what that means lol as i say im totaly new to this, any chance you could explain ? any idea how to test the regulator to see if it needs replacing ,if it does where do i get one or will any ford one fit? how do i test the draw on the battery please ?
it may save a lot of headaches....by taking the generator and regulator to a good auto electric shop, and have them tested and repaired. 4TTRUK
thats not a bad idea if i had a good shop near me but to my knowledge i dont lol. i dill ask about though thanks i didnt know they could be repaired
You need to find someone locally that can diagnose the problem for you. If it is charging the voltage regulator and generator are working fine and don't need to be polarized. I doubt that either has a problem going by your description. If you remove the battery cable and it runs fine but it goes down over night with the cable still hooked up, it sounds to me like you have a problem with a draw on the system. I think you are suspecting the wrong thing. That is not a symptom of a bad generator or V. reg. Trying to get you up to speed on diagnosing electrical problems can take a long time.
had the same issue with my galaxie but was a bad battery got a new one then the boltag re regulator, got a new one. then the brushes on the armarture , i went with a single wire chevy alternator , if you want to keep the stock gen you can have it convert to a alternator, but is not cheap, ford are well known for this .good luck
If you are going to polarize it, make sure you polarize it the FORD way NOT the GM way. Theres is a difference, I cant remember what it is but do a search here. This was just discussed within the last week or so on a thread
how did you fit chevy alterntaor , did you make brackets or did it fit the ford ones ? did the single wire go to battery or regulator?
update.............. Today i looked at this (voltage regulator)? and it looks like the devils work ford galaxie country sedan 1963 voltage regulator by mark & anne's photos, on Flickr so i cleaned up the metal where the bolt is missing and put a rogue earth ring i found in wiring just below it inbetween wing and casing and fitted a new bolt in the missing hole. i the fitted new earth strap from battery to engine and battery to body. i fitted a new battery + feed to starter solenoid(i think). i tested battery and it read 12.89v i then started the car with first touch of key and battery still read 12.8v, revved engine slightly and the voltage increased to 13.6 v , so i am happy with this but will fit an ampmeter inside car to keep an eye on it i think. thanks everyone for their help
OK, I got my learning hat on what is polarizing? I have NEVER heard that term in relation to generator. Keith
It's a term that ONLY pertains to a generator. You do not polarize an alternator. Get a manual and look it up. There are 2 ways of doing it depending on the grounding. I always look it up to get the correct way for the generator that I'm dealing with.
Pride 63, based on your post 13, it sounds like you have solved your problem. The generator is charging. If you are running an essentially stock car (no big amps or sound systems etc) your car should function properly. (It ran fine in 1963 with the generator.) There is a reason manufacturers went to alternators. Generators are low output (but adequate for a stock 63) compared to an alternator. Also, generators do not charge well at idle or low speeds. You need get some speed (30 or 35 MPH) or at least RPMs up to get the generator to charge. Suggest you drive it for a while and see if it performs OK. If it drains the battery overnight, you may have other problems. Re: hooking up an ammeter. Your stock car has either a factory installed ammeter or an "idiot light". Use that. Hooking up an ammeter can be a fire hazard if not done properly. Good luck
thanks for that spitbucket, found out tonight most of the idiot lights have no bulbs in them and the temp gauge doesnt seem to move at all, the clock and heater fan dont work, i cant find the fuse board but the fuel gauge does work lol
update have ordered a nippon denso alternator of ebay to charge battery so just need to make some mounting brackets and wire tghen thats done. the fusebox is /was integral to the light switch but a new one is now mounted on the brake pedal frame with blade fuses as these are the only fuses you can get in the uk. clock terminal was broken out of original box but is not connected as yet as i need to trace wires a bit more yet. temp gauge didnt move as no thermostat was fitted but that is now corrected. all is good in my world, at least for now
iin the end i fitted a 120amp alternator of an audi a4 and connected it to the ignition thru a light in dash and it works fantastic
Pride63: Congratulations on stepping up and learning what you needed to know to fix your problem. Wiring and charging systems can be very intimiidating. Thanks for getting back to us and letting us know what you did and how it turned out.
Two things cause a battery to not hold a charge, a bad cell or a dead short. Do this make sure that everything is turned off and then remove the cable from the battery ( I usually pull the ground not the hot). If it makes a spark you have a dead short in your system and you need to chase it down. If it does not spark then you shopuld suspect that your battery is bad. Something else to check, when you engine is running throw a voltage meter on the battery plus and a ground. Is it showing 12-14 volts? Try revving the engine slightly does the voltage then come up to the 12-14 volt range? Then there is probably nothing wrong with your charging system. DO NOT start changing parts, check it out and see what the problem may be first.
i fitted a s/h audi 120 amp alternator to the generator bracket and rewired the bulb holder so it feeds direct to the alternator. this now works perfectly and also allows me to run 2 air compressors,1500watt amp for rear speakers, hidden ipod, 500 watt amp for front speakers,and 4 halogen headlamps plus all the normal electric stuff in the car with no problem. when i rewire it i will remove all the old ch\rging system wiring and tidy it up but i have a lot to do before i get onto that lol
Pride63. Looks like you really increased the load on your electrical system. I hope you increased the gage of the "charge wire" (the wire that carries the current from the alternator to the battery)You increased your amps from about 25 to 30 to 120. You could possibly melt the stock charge wire. When you are sure you are charging at a pretty good rate, feel (carefully) the charge wire and harnesses for excess heat. (I learned the hard way)
yes i have wired everything i needed to with heavier duty wire , i used 220 amp welding cable for battery charging.my 2 compressesors should run 40amp wire each so i ran 80 amp to each to allow for the length of the wire. one of the resaons i took so long to do this was researching what i needed and effects . thanks for all the help everyone .
How to polarize a ford generator below. Thought I would have to do it when I had mine rebuilt but the shop said "nope" and it's been fine. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=103849
Update: I fitted an 120amp from an Audi a4 after fitting a 80amp on as that was crap, it was simple to do ,1 wire to light and 1 to solenoid . Happy days
The Jalopy Journal
