Quick generator question

[TommyCoupe]

For some reason the (made in Taiwan) ammeter burned up today. The car was just sitting there, not running, with the key off (I think) and smoke started bellowing out of the car.
I think there may have been a short in the ammeter, or maybe the wires connecting to the ammeter, but I will look for other possible shorts.
The only other thing that I think I could possibly have wired wrong is the yellow/black wire to the generator. It does go on the side marked "Bat" right?

I've been running the car a bunch of times, and never had a problem until today.

Tommy-

[Tom Wesenberg]

BAT side is correct.

Try to find a good original ammeter. I suspect your meter was junk and one of the terminals may have shorted to the case. The nuts holding the wires on the ammeter are special insulated thumb nuts available from the parts suppliers.

[Mitch//pa]

Inspect your entire dash harness carefully , they are around 10.00 you may want to replace it...
Here is a thread from a customers car I just did... Basically the same issue
http://fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=198484

[TommyCoupe]

Tom, I think the ammeter may be junk too. I have the original ammeter that I originally didn't want to use because the glass was kind of ugly. I found out today that it's pretty easy to clean up, so i'll use it.
I'll check all the connections and make sure nothing else is shorted before I put it in.
Mitch, you're right, I will have to replace a few wires. A couple of them look a little toasty.

thanks for your help guys.

Tommy-

[Joe K]

Check back side of terminal box. Some of the reproduction boxes allow the two bolts (terminals) to "back off" and short themselves to your firewall.

Joe

[Mitch//pa]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Pretty cheap

[TommyCoupe]

Yup. Need to replace those guys, and probably the yellow and yellow/black wires that go to the starter and generator.

Seeing smoke come out around the gas tank is no fun.

Tommy-

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by TommyCoupe

Seeing smoke come out around the gas tank is no fun.

Tommy-

That's one of the things that has always concerned me, having all the current (Amps) going thru the ammeter right next to the gas tank.

IMO it would be much safer to have a volt meter (reads volts, no amperage) in place of the ammeter. Wish I could find one the correct size.

And yes, I know, not original...

[TommyCoupe]

Smoked another ammeter today.
I put a battery disconnect switch in and replaced the wires that I cooked.
I double checked and triple checked the wiring diagram, and I think everything is right. How hard can it be, right ?
Then started the car and smoke came out of the dash again. I quickly hit the disconnect and saved the wires from being cooked again.

I've been thinking that something is messed up with the generator so I unhooked the generator. The wire and the cutout were really hot.
I took some pictures with the cover off the cutout. I'm not sure, but I think the screw that the wire attaches to, is so long that it touches the generator case.

This electrical issue is driving me nuts.

Tommy-

[bettlesr]

Y-Blockhead:
From an earlier post I made:
I found a small voltmeter, changed the lighting from blue to red and mounted it in an ammeter bezel. As my key is wired in the hot lead, I connected the voltmeter there. I don't remember where I got the voltmeter. Maybe Summit racing?
Also shown in the first photo are a small tach and oil pressure gauge
Good luck
Dick

[TommyCoupe]

Cutout on its way, and definitely shorter screw. Plus another ammeter.

Tommy-

[TommyCoupe]

I'm not 100% sure that I can claim victory, but I received the new cutout and installed it. I ran the engine and there was no smoke.

I still have the 2nd ammeter in and it's toasted. It's stuck at minus 30 even when the power is off. I will hunt down another one and see how it goes.

The new cutout is a better design. The mount screw is on the front face, with the screw going into the cutout. The old one had the screw going down towards the body of the generator, and I think it was too long and grounding out.

Not sure why the picture of the new one came out so crappy.

Thanks again for everyone who helped me with this problem. I think I owe a round of beers by now.

Tommy-

[wmws]

I had a similar problem with my cut out. The insulator between the screw and the cover got out of place and allowed the cover to short out. It just kept blowing the fuse I had on the starter so didn't melt anything. I would try and see if it is OK with the cut out cover off.

[Bob C]

I assume everything is ok until you start the engine?

Bob

[Tom Wesenberg]

Your cutout looks cooked to me. I'd give Bert's a call for a restored original cutout. 800-321-1931

[TommyCoupe]

Car runs fine on just the battery, and no smoking when the generator's unhooked.
I'll give Berts a call and try again. Probably should buy another ammeter. I may have to change my username to Ammeter Tommy.

[bambooboy]

first couple things i did to my trk(after reading the forum for a while) battery cutoff on top of post,no battery floorboard cover.after running i shut off gas till rough idle,pull back carpet turn battery cutoff knob.also a long time trick to check generator operation.engine should keep running with battery disconnected

[jax55]

IF the screw is touching the case, get a shorter screw! As Tom said, the cutout coils appear to be cooked, that could be your problem as well.
Get another cutout and try again. If you replace the screw and cutout and still have a problem.... let us know.

[katy]

What about the screw on the side at the the generator terminal? Does it happen to be touching the case?

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by katy

What about the screw on the side at the the generator terminal? Does it happen to be touching the case?

That screw should be removed, as it serve NO purpose, and no wires get connected there. I'm wondering why it was installed in the first place?

Anyway, the cutout is cooked and should be replaced with a good original restored one from Bert's.
800-321-1931