I know it works, but never understood how: Batt/Alt/Start

[SeaSlugs]

Originally Posted by Mitch//pa

Pure f*****g magic

haha its usually just F&M for me...

pesky hoses always clogged with copper

or at work us electricians are refered to by the mechanics as wirebenders, we call the mechanics hammer draggers.

[jmeckel]

Originally Posted by Roadster62

Read all the posts and haven't learned a thing, other than add one new electrical term that even Google doesn't have a defination for, so Rowdy what is PFM? I've always wondered if the electricaly gifted that understand the invisable are also more knowledgeable in thing religious? Bob

It may help you to think of the circuit as supply and return, in the case of an A supply is the neg. post ( via the wires) and return is the positive post ( via the car frame). In the case of an A the supply is a negative voltage when referenced to the frame of the car (return). The starter is of course bolted to the return side and a switch in the supply side allows you to control the current flow at will (think of it as a valve in a water pipe). The generator is bolted to return side and is wired to the supply side the cutout is just a switch in the supply side that connects the generator to the battery automatically when the generator is generating a voltage that is higher than the battery so that current can flow from the generator to the battery.

For now do not try to understand the electrical theory of electron flow, magnetic flux.... Etc... This type of theory is beyond simple posts here.

[Roadster62]

Thanks Jon, I know it works some how, I'll just never be a guy than can do it, time to do some body work on the Roadster, that I full understand and enjoy. Bob

[Ken Ehrenhofer]

Originally Posted by Tom Endy

I recall an instructor during the first few weeks of navy electronics school telling the class: "The direction of current flow is a matter of theory since you can't see it. Here in the navy current flows from negative to positive. The air force may tell you it flows in the opposite direction, but you aint in the air force, so if you want learn anything in this school get it through your head current flows from negative to positive."

Tom Endy

Hi Tom,
Were we in the same class LOL???? ATN Ehrenhofer
Naval Aviation Electronics Training Millington TN
Squadron VA727 NAS Glenview 1965/72
Ken

[SeaSlugs]

Originally Posted by Roadster62

Thanks Jon, I know it works some how, I'll just never be a guy than can do it, time to do some body work on the Roadster, that I full understand and enjoy. Bob

see body work is something i hate doing. i can do electrical ll day long. how about you fix my cab and sheetmetal and ill fix your electrical leaks

[Rowdy]

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Working on Electric Forklifts I end up doing a lot of both. Thankfully the body work does not have to be exacting, just good enough to not cause problems. Did some body work on the delivery this last winter. That went alright and most went as planned. Rod

[theHIGHLANDER]

I've worked with more than a dozen guys who can't get their heads right when dealing with positive ground. The most recent event, I took the battery out of the car and asked him, "What's so different now?". The look on his face was suitable for framing, but believe it or not, still a problem. "Because the grounds hook to the hot side!" Hot side? No such thing.

We can surely study electrons, atomic theory, Ben Franklin, et al, but it still doesn't replace good grounds (star washers can be your friend) and clean connections. It still doesn't replace a well set generator that doesn't cook the battery. Terms like "juice" and "hot" can be confusing for many as well. My best advice would be a cup of coffee and the wiring diagram for your car. Start at the battery (forget the + and - signs) and follow the circuits. As to how does it charge the system/battery, well that's easy. Through that extra small wire that shares the battery connection with the starter switch. It's the connection to everything else via the box on the dash panel (firewall), which also loops through the ammeter so you can see if it's charging or draining the system. Using the plumbing reference, the ammeter is like a clear sight glass to observe flow through a tube. Not to dis the topic, some things are best left to the engineers who designed them. Look how long it's lasted.

[SeaSlugs]

personally i like cleaning up vehicle grounds (weither pos or neg) and putting a little bit of conductive grease between the cable and frame or whatever part. ensures it wont rust and gives better conductivity.

also you can never have enough grounds!

[Roadster62]

That's the thing I'll never get my head around, ONE little wire runs EVERYTHING on the car without bursting into flame. Battery cables must carry 50 times the electricit but that little thing is carring the same juice. Don't understand it, then again I can't understand why some people can't block sand a panel dead smooth and apply black paint. I'll just never get it. Bob

Originally Posted by theHIGHLANDER

Through that extra small wire that shares the battery connection with the starter switch. It's the connection to everything else via the box on the dash panel (firewall), which also loops through the ammeter so you can see if it's charging or draining the system.