Erratic charging rate
 

I recently installed a voltage regulator on my generator (the one that replaces the cutout). My battery discharged on my last outing. I charged the battery, cleaned the connections of a little corrosion (maybe the reason for the discharge), checked the voltage and everything seemed normal. I got a steady voltage of 6.2. After I started the engine I checked the voltage to determine if it was charging properly. I got very erratic readings on my voltmeter. The ammeter seemed normal. I was getting readings all over the place. At idle it seemed to jump from 7 to 11 volts and all over in between and occasionally outside that range. when I increased the throttle it would jump as high as 16 volts. However, it was very erratic and jumping all over the place. Any ideas? By the way, this is a 6 volt positive ground system.

Re: Erratic charging rate
 

If you were using a digital Volt/Ohm meter it may have been affected by the electrical noise of the Model A. Try and analog meter and check again.

Re: Erratic charging rate
 

I will give it a try.

Re: Erratic charging rate
 

If you want to use a digital meter (DVM) I recommend a FLUKE or comparable quality. Make sure you have a good, clean connection / electrical path from the mount of the generator to the engine, as this is the other 1/2 of the electrical path that is needed. Also make sure you have a good connection between the engine and the frame ground location that the battery connects to. Remember your starter draws high current that may work through a poorer connection than a low current charging circuit can take.