The Ford Barn

1928Pickuppain · 11-21-2012, 08:49 AM

So iv got a problem with my headlights when I'm driving and it gets dark and I turn the headlights on the car starts to buck and fart and lose power they are stock set up with stock bulbs same with the tail lights. I have a repro light swich and have all the metal connecters on the harness individually shrunk wraped so they can't make contact against each other or the housingso and cause a short. Also I have the starter mount fuse that all the venders sell and I haven't had it blow but the car will buck and stall when on I turn the lights of I get all my speed power and smoothness back back also in the head light buckets I have all the connections hard wired souldered and shrunk wraped to the actual socket. My battery is pretty dead I start it with the hand crank but it still has power enough in it to turn the lights on with the car off. Just not enough to crank her over and the gen is putting out enough power to run the car and headlights at the same time so ya I am really confused only thing that can help is when I disconnect the light wich take off the actual swich part and play around with it can make it work for a short time. Help would be apreeshated iv been stuck driving home with no lights a few times when I get stuck at work late and that is mighty scary let me tell you haha!!

socalplanedoc · 11-21-2012, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1928Pickuppain

.... the car starts to buck and fart and lose power

funny, same thing happens to me when you turn my lights on...

I'd try sorting out that battery problem first... had a similar problem years ago that turned out the generator wasnt charging and I was running on the battery.. amazing for how long it would run like that. when you turned the lights on they would suck down the voltage to the point that the ignition was weak...
Fixed the gen, no more problems.

1928Pickuppain · 11-21-2012, 10:19 AM

I have a back up generator idk if it works but im thinking maybe ill swap it outfor shits and giggles

John LaVoy · 11-21-2012, 10:22 AM

If you have a problem adding aditional demand on the battery (turning on the headlights while the engine is running) you don't have enough supply. You admit to a diminished battery, have you charged it with a battery charger to full strength? I concur with socal check the output of your generator. Perhaps that is also why your battery is low in the first place, the generator isn't charging the battery so you are operating on the battery to run the car and when you turn on the lights it puts to large a demand on the battery and the car performance suffers.

TinCup · 11-21-2012, 10:34 AM

Have you adjusted the third brush for more output?

1928Pickuppain · 11-21-2012, 10:35 AM

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So perhaps i just need to turn my third brush up i have been meening on doing this but i am not sure by wheat mesurement i should go buy alot of guys talk about its putting out xx# of amps but i dont have an amp tester besides my amp guage witch i cant trust. (repro junk) is it ok for me to go by volts so if its using say bring it up so its putting 8 volts out as with a modern alternater say from 14 volts for a 12 volt car? or does the 6 volts stay the same and the ampage change? also in regards to the tird brush wich direction is uping it and witch direction is droping it?

Tom Wesenberg · 11-21-2012, 11:47 AM

The third brush sets the amps, not the volts. You move the brush DOWN to increase the output. Be sure to put a 3 to 6 amp charger onb the battery to bring it up to full charge. A battery kept low on charge is very bad for the life of the battery.

11-21-2012, 08:49 AM	#1
1928Pickuppain Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Billerica, Ma Posts: 461	Head light problems So iv got a problem with my headlights when I'm driving and it gets dark and I turn the headlights on the car starts to buck and fart and lose power they are stock set up with stock bulbs same with the tail lights. I have a repro light swich and have all the metal connecters on the harness individually shrunk wraped so they can't make contact against each other or the housingso and cause a short. Also I have the starter mount fuse that all the venders sell and I haven't had it blow but the car will buck and stall when on I turn the lights of I get all my speed power and smoothness back back also in the head light buckets I have all the connections hard wired souldered and shrunk wraped to the actual socket. My battery is pretty dead I start it with the hand crank but it still has power enough in it to turn the lights on with the car off. Just not enough to crank her over and the gen is putting out enough power to run the car and headlights at the same time so ya I am really confused only thing that can help is when I disconnect the light wich take off the actual swich part and play around with it can make it work for a short time. Help would be apreeshated iv been stuck driving home with no lights a few times when I get stuck at work late and that is mighty scary let me tell you haha!!

11-21-2012, 10:19 AM	#3
1928Pickuppain Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Billerica, Ma Posts: 461	Re: Head light problems I have a back up generator idk if it works but im thinking maybe ill swap it outfor shits and giggles

11-21-2012, 10:22 AM	#4
John LaVoy Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Rocklin, CA Posts: 1,219	Re: Head light problems If you have a problem adding aditional demand on the battery (turning on the headlights while the engine is running) you don't have enough supply. You admit to a diminished battery, have you charged it with a battery charger to full strength? I concur with socal check the output of your generator. Perhaps that is also why your battery is low in the first place, the generator isn't charging the battery so you are operating on the battery to run the car and when you turn on the lights it puts to large a demand on the battery and the car performance suffers.

11-21-2012, 10:34 AM	#5
TinCup Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: OKC / Tonkawa, Ok. Posts: 1,977	Re: Head light problems Have you adjusted the third brush for more output? __________________ Oklahoma City Model A Restorers Group.

11-21-2012, 10:35 AM	#6
1928Pickuppain Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Billerica, Ma Posts: 461	Re: Head light problems Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) So perhaps i just need to turn my third brush up i have been meening on doing this but i am not sure by wheat mesurement i should go buy alot of guys talk about its putting out xx# of amps but i dont have an amp tester besides my amp guage witch i cant trust. (repro junk) is it ok for me to go by volts so if its using say bring it up so its putting 8 volts out as with a modern alternater say from 14 volts for a 12 volt car? or does the 6 volts stay the same and the ampage change? also in regards to the tird brush wich direction is uping it and witch direction is droping it?

11-21-2012, 11:47 AM	#7
Tom Wesenberg Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mpls, MN Posts: 27,582	Re: Head light problems The third brush sets the amps, not the volts. You move the brush DOWN to increase the output. Be sure to put a 3 to 6 amp charger onb the battery to bring it up to full charge. A battery kept low on charge is very bad for the life of the battery.