Ugh! Charging problems

[Aaron65]

It seems like on my '53, I finish one problem and another pops up...it's constant! Anyway, I had it out for a ride yesterday, and the ammeter dropped to discharge and stayed there...I threw the voltmeter on and it read 5.98 volts, no matter how high I revved the motor. The charging system was supposedly gone through before I bought the car, and the voltage regulator looks new...any idea where to start looking for problems, or more specifically, how to test the generator and regulator separately on the car? Any help's appreciated!

[rcull]

I would suggest that the first thing is to put a voltmeter on the Battery terminal of the generator and see if it is putting out. Then put it on the other end where it goes into the regulator to see if it is still good there.

[tbone]

It could be that the voltage regulator isn't polarized. Heres a site with some info for you. Your generator is easy to check, as its a motor, and if you drop the belt and juice it with 6 volts "properly" it will spin, if its good. You can check your contacts on the voltage regulator if it turns out that the generator is good. The regulator is most likely and contacts are adjustable for setting charging. http://www.nls.net/mp/volks/htm/gen.htm
~T~

[Aaron65]

Well, the oddities continue...I fired it up today and it was back to charging 7.2 volts and stayed that way as long as I drove it...who knows...maybe it's a wire, maybe a little dirt or moisture in the regulator...I'll keep you posted if the problem returns! Thanks for the website and help tbone and rcull...

[chub chub]

Hey Aaron,
I had similar problems a while back. Hopefully your problem is gone. If it does pop back up, here is a link to my questions and the answers I got...
http://www.teambuick.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9642

[Aaron65]

It's back and worse...the car ran fine...I shut it off, went back out 10 minutes later...nothing. No starter, no power to the starter switch, but power to the coil with ignition on. The starter worked when I jumped it across the solenoid though. So I checked the relay, and it looked fine, but something had drained the battery overnight...nothing was on. Miraculously, after putting the starter relay back on, I had power to the stater switch and it started, but there is absolutely no generator output. So, I'll be checking the generator soon. Ugh! I hate electrical issues.

[tbone]

Nothing exotic there, take it a step at a time. Chances are your generator is not charging part time. Your voltage regulator and starter relay has relays that could be intermittant, or contacts corroded. You solenoid is an easy rebuild you can flip the contacts that make the connection with the brass disc. A drain is likely since your battery isnt staying up. Check wires for nicks, exposed wire, loose connections. down load a wiring diagram if you dont have one. I would start with the voltage regulator if its working part time it wont keep your battery up. Is your amp gauge indicating charge while running? You got lots of help here, dont get discouraged, could be worse you could not own a Buick. I'll keep track of this post. keep us informed. ~T~

[tbone]

Check the earlier post i left you with the polarizing directions. you might have to polarize again to get the generator charging. ~T~

[Jim Carmichael]

I know it sounds silly but often the problem boils down to dirty battery cables. Clean the cables, put a small amount of vaseline or grease around the post and reinstall the cable making double sure it's tight.

When I used to make service calls I would open the hood, twist the cables and the car would almost always start without a jump.

That may not be your problem but it is the place to start as everything else depends on those connections.

[Tom Gallagher]

Corrosian and Ground connections can play havic.

Dilectic Grease after some clean-up and some battry connection spray can provide some positive steps toward connection failures.

Regards,

Tom Gallagher