After everything on the engine was reassembled and the engine started I noticed the generator is not charging the system. The voltage only shows 12.2ish Volts (basically battery voltage) and not the usual 13.7 it does when the engine is running.
I tried to diagnose it, and came up empty. At first I thought the field and negative wires were put on backwards. I reversed them temporarily and that accomplished nothing so I put them back.
I also noticed that the Relay stud was loose and allowed oil to leak out. It appears that the stay nut attached to that stud was removed???
Also, it doesn't look like that relay stud is isolated from the generator frame like the field stud and f2 studs are. Should it be?
There are three studs on the generator, plus the battery attachment post.
-One is labeled "f2" and appears grounded to the body of the generator with a metal bar. That goes to the negative wire on the regulator.
-one is labeled "do not ground" and goes to the field wire on the regulator.
-one is labeled "relay" and goes to pin 3 on the generator relay.
-One thick battery cable goes to the battery and is attached to the DC terminal on the generator.
-There is also an additional mystery cable that I cannot trace to anywhere (except faintly to the same generator relay pin, using a tone generator on the wire). That was plugged into the relay stud as well.
The shop here has no idea what happened and they're saying all they did was take it off and put it back on.
I had planned on going to an alternator shop later today to have them take a look, but would appreciate any advice.
Thanks
George
George, turn the key on and check the field terminal with a screw driver it should have a magnetic draw if not there is no power to the field
Thanks Clifford,
With power on, there is no magnetic pull on the field stud.
So the field is powered from the positive terminal on the regulator? Do I have that right?
If so, where does that positive terminal get its power from?
From the diagram it looks like it's connected to a "regulator sensing magnetic switch".
So I assume that gets power, again according to the book, from the DC terminal on the gen.
But right now there is NO other cable connected to the generator DC terminal other than the thick battery cable.
Could that be the issue?
I'm going out there to poke at things with a meter, but will be watching this closely.
Thanks again!!
George
Mine doesn't charge until you have air up. Did you have full air?
Jack
Have you checked for voltage on the R terminal? If there isn't any voltage, it won't charge. Might want to look at the regulator board and make sure it didn't get toasted. Check the regulator to make sure it is receiving on the Field terminal.
Don and Cary
I looked it up George on a GM ,Current is supplied to the generator relay (terminal 3) from the R terminal of the generator when the engine is running and generator is charging you should have 6 or 7 volts at the R terminal with the engine running no voltage indicates a bad relay
On my 4106 the generator doesn't charge if the starter relay that prevents the starter from cranking When the engine is running is not energised.
Did you mention you switched 2 wires around?
On my 50DN...that would not be good. But my set up must be different. My "F1 and A1" both go to studs in the rear box then to the alternator and field relay, respectively, and the big cable attaches to the outside of that box on the junction box stud.
I just made a new harness for mine. No chance you grounded the wrong terminal, is there?
We got the charging part straighten out he has a different problem now
10-4.
And God Bless them. What they have been through is more than I can even imagine.