Feeling really stupid right now. Had to tow the 55 Thunderbird home a few nights ago. Generator light came on dimly about 40 miles from home and died about 30 miles later. 272 motor with some very mild modifications. Generator light used to come on when I would put the key into the accessory position then go off when I would get the car started. Now no light when in the accessory position and the light is dim when running and brighter under load. Battery is getting some charge by voltmeter but not a lot. The car is definitely charging while running but at a very small rate. Without lights it works just fine, under load with the lights it will discharge quickly. Almost everything else I have built has had a one wire but that is not going to work without a major retrofit and honestly that is what most people are suggesting online.
check the brushes in the generator, check the voltage regulator for adjustment and proper function. Is it still a 6 volt system?
Yeah 6 volt. unsure how to adjust a voltage regulator I thought they were just replace when dead items. I will check the voltages again and see what its kicking out.
Well that was anticlimactic. Generator was bad at idle and was low at driving speeds but ok off idle. Not sure how that works. New on came in and car charges now quite well. Runs slightly better as well not sure how that works.
The Jalopy Journal
