The Ford Barn

Badpuppy · 06-24-2025, 08:34 AM

Appears to me the alt is going into current overload which pulls down voltage, indicating a bad battery or other fault. Excessive ammeter charge reading points to a battery fault. Discharge, it lies elsewhere.

The alternator regulator should limit current as well as voltage, but it appears it does not, otherwise it would not get hot. The original 12V had this as did all the older relay regulators, but the 6V mod is a 3rd party design, and they may not have deemed the feature all that necessary, as it's an unusual occurance. Your experience is unusual, but does happen.

2speed · 06-24-2025, 09:17 AM

Battery cranks the car fine. I will have do some further investigating when I get home from work. I have a HF load tester and a better voltmeter than the one installed on the car.

06-24-2025, 08:34 AM	#1
Badpuppy Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Guthrie, OK Posts: 1,247	Re: Alternators Appears to me the alt is going into current overload which pulls down voltage, indicating a bad battery or other fault. Excessive ammeter charge reading points to a battery fault. Discharge, it lies elsewhere. The alternator regulator should limit current as well as voltage, but it appears it does not, otherwise it would not get hot. The original 12V had this as did all the older relay regulators, but the 6V mod is a 3rd party design, and they may not have deemed the feature all that necessary, as it's an unusual occurance. Your experience is unusual, but does happen.

06-24-2025, 09:17 AM	#2
2speed Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2022 Posts: 105	Re: Alternators Battery cranks the car fine. I will have do some further investigating when I get home from work. I have a HF load tester and a better voltmeter than the one installed on the car.