cut out wires reversed
 

during the once over on an A I purchased I noticed the ford script cut out has the wires reversed hot wire on arm side. I figured the previous owner made a mistake. here is the problem if I turn the cut out around the case covers the arm wire. if I leave the cut out where it is the arm wire has to stretch around to the front connector and seems short. shorting across the cut out shows a charge on the ammeter. whats up?

Re: cut out wires reversed
 

If you jump the cutout with the engine off and the ammeter shows a charge either the battery is in backwards
or charged backwards or you need to reverse the wires on the back of the ammeter.

Bob

Re: cut out wires reversed
 

ok, lets try this again. the cut out on the generator is mounted where the terminal marked bat the is to the rear and arm terminal to the front. the wire out of the generator was hooked to the cut outs bat terminal ( probably because it wont reach around the cut out). I tried to turn the cut out around to get the arm terminal next to the arm wire but the case covers the arm wire and crimps it. the mounting bracket is offset. im thinking there must be more than one style cut out.

Re: cut out wires reversed
 

A picture would sure help, but if you have wires coming throught he generator case then it was made later than the Model A generators. If you have two wires coming out then one is the armature output and the other wire is the field ground wire, which can be fastened under the cutout mounting screw. When you touch the ammeter wire to the cutout there should be no spark (battery drain).

Is the cutout backwards, or did someone just put the cutout cover on backwards?

Re: cut out wires reversed
 

Do you have a round or rectangular cutout? I think the round one should fit either way.

Bob

Re: cut out wires reversed
 

after looking through ebay pic of generators and pics of stock model A s there appears to be ones with the arm stud by the pulley and others with the stud towards the rear. there are cut outs that have centered mounting brackets on them, mine is offset. I have a single cloth wire fed through a rubber grommet. if the round script cut out is placed on the generator with the bat connection towards the pulley the armature wire comes up under the cut out. who ever had the car mounted the cut out so as not to sit over the wire but in doing so he hooked the cut out backwards, pos term to arm wire/pos wire to arm term, so the arm wire reached. since I started this thread I notched the cut out bottom hooked it up correctly, polarized it and no charge. the cut out is bad. when I jump the bat and arm wires it charges correctly but don't want to run without a cut out. has anyone tried the cut out diode? will it fit in a cut out case? thanks to everyone if I was better with a camera I could save typing.

Re: cut out wires reversed
 

Model A long style generators had the output post toward the front of the generator and also had a rear ball bearing for the armature shaft until about March 1930, then the rear bearing was changed to a bushing and the output stud was moved towards the rear of the case. After the Model A production ended the generatos had wires coming through a rubber grommet.

Model A cutouts should all have open mounting feet and the opening faces the output stud. Later cutouts had closed mounting tabs, but still mounted as the Model A cutouts did, that is the short side faces the output stud.

Yes, a diode will fit in your cutout case. Any chance the cutout cover was put on backards, or do you have the short side of the cutout facing the output wire?

Re: cut out wires reversed
 

thanks tom. looks like I have a later style generator and the cut out had later closed mounting tabs. will go the diode route. It doesn't look as if the cover has been removed, until I put the diode in. cant wait to road test it.