The Ford Barn

Droobie · 12-12-2011, 05:27 PM

SO i noticed today when moving the Tudor that the ammeter goes up with the RPMs. At a fast idle the meter is reading 20 amps charge. I hooked a wire from one side of the cut out to the other ( i forget what its called) but that didnt work. If it is the cutout how difficult is it to rebuild or repair the cutout rather than buy a new one? Also my brake lights are still staying on. The pedal comes back all the way and the rods are not bent at all. I looked at the switch a while back and am stumped on why they stay on all the time. Could the wires on the switch being backwards make a difference? Thanks in advance fellas!!!

Drew

Tinker · 12-12-2011, 08:09 PM

The the ammeter should go up with rpms. Sorry no advice on the cutout rebuild. 20 is high but without anything on, it is not bad and maybe considered a great charge. Cutout is not like a voltage regulator, it's on or it off. That's my understanding.

The brake switch may need some work. The connections work as a in/out type of connection. Connecting to either post will not matter. Once the two pieces connect inside the switch it's on. Basically when you pull the switch rod it rides on a angled brass bar that releases tension till it makes contact with the other connection. Open it up, what I said will make more sense. They should not be touching at rest but at about 25% of the bar length. At least that works for me.

Good luck

Tinker · 12-12-2011, 08:30 PM

Jeff, it depends on usage right? Short trips vs long drives?

Don't know so I'm asking.

Purdy Swoft · 12-12-2011, 08:45 PM

The generator wouldn't charge 20 amps unless the third brush was pushed all the way down and the engine was reved up. For it to show a 20 amp charge at idle would indicate a bad ammeter or the connections behind the ammeter are reversed and it is actually discharging. I agree with Jeff about the brake light switch. I either use good used original or nos brake light switches. Berts in Denver probably has several. Call 800-321-1931 .

Tinker · 12-12-2011, 09:45 PM

Jeff, I thought it sounded high :]. I run about -2/3 at normal idle and 5-10 at high idle or speed. That is without any lights on. Power gen/ 28coupe.

6-7 years on a battery is pretty good.

As far as the brake light switch. I don't have an original switch but a repop. It needed adjustment right out of the box. Knock on wood. 1yr.

Tom Wesenberg · 12-12-2011, 11:02 PM

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I've actually seen a repro switch with one contact on the wrong side of the other contact. This made the switch stay on when the brake pedal was released, and the brake lights went off when the brake pedal was pushed.

The picture shows my original switch that needed a new spring because the old one was broken and not returning the switch to the off position.

If your brake lights have been on for a long time they will have run the battery down, and the less charged the battery is, the less control it gives to the unregulated generator. In other words a weak battery will allow the generator to put out more volts than a good fully charged battery. When I first bought my 29 Tudor it had a weak old battery and even on the lowest setting of the third brush the powerhouse generator was putting out way too many volts and amps. That's when I decided to make and sell EVR's to control the output.

Any time the battery is run down it's best to put a low amp charger on it for several hours to bring it back to full charge. By low amp I mean 1 to 4 amps.

sethkestenbaum · 12-12-2011, 11:02 PM

Drew,

I am going through a similar troubleshooting process and a newbie trying to learn all I can about cutouts, generators and all things Model A. This being said, the Long Island Model A Ford club has two great cut out graphics. Here is the link to their site.
http://www.freewebs.com/modela/techtalk.htm. There are also quite a few cutout/generator posts on the fordbarn.com site. A guy named Tom Wesenberg has also posted a few articles/images about cutouts/generators. They are worth reading.

I hope this helps. -Seth

Droobie · 12-13-2011, 05:00 PM

Thank you folks! I will piddle around with all this this weekend and get back to yall! Thanks again!!

Drew

12-12-2011, 05:27 PM	#1
Droobie Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Mooresville NC. Posts: 161	is it the cut out or the generator? SO i noticed today when moving the Tudor that the ammeter goes up with the RPMs. At a fast idle the meter is reading 20 amps charge. I hooked a wire from one side of the cut out to the other ( i forget what its called) but that didnt work. If it is the cutout how difficult is it to rebuild or repair the cutout rather than buy a new one? Also my brake lights are still staying on. The pedal comes back all the way and the rods are not bent at all. I looked at the switch a while back and am stumped on why they stay on all the time. Could the wires on the switch being backwards make a difference? Thanks in advance fellas!!! Drew

12-12-2011, 08:09 PM	#2
Tinker Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: MN Posts: 7,063	Re: is it the cut out or the generator? The the ammeter should go up with rpms. Sorry no advice on the cutout rebuild. 20 is high but without anything on, it is not bad and maybe considered a great charge. Cutout is not like a voltage regulator, it's on or it off. That's my understanding. The brake switch may need some work. The connections work as a in/out type of connection. Connecting to either post will not matter. Once the two pieces connect inside the switch it's on. Basically when you pull the switch rod it rides on a angled brass bar that releases tension till it makes contact with the other connection. Open it up, what I said will make more sense. They should not be touching at rest but at about 25% of the bar length. At least that works for me. Good luck

12-12-2011, 08:30 PM	#3
Tinker Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: MN Posts: 7,063	Re: is it the cut out or the generator? Jeff, it depends on usage right? Short trips vs long drives? Don't know so I'm asking.

12-12-2011, 08:45 PM	#4
Purdy Swoft Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Alabama Posts: 8,099	Re: is it the cut out or the generator? The generator wouldn't charge 20 amps unless the third brush was pushed all the way down and the engine was reved up. For it to show a 20 amp charge at idle would indicate a bad ammeter or the connections behind the ammeter are reversed and it is actually discharging. I agree with Jeff about the brake light switch. I either use good used original or nos brake light switches. Berts in Denver probably has several. Call 800-321-1931 .

12-12-2011, 09:45 PM	#5
Tinker Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: MN Posts: 7,063	Re: is it the cut out or the generator? Jeff, I thought it sounded high :]. I run about -2/3 at normal idle and 5-10 at high idle or speed. That is without any lights on. Power gen/ 28coupe. 6-7 years on a battery is pretty good. As far as the brake light switch. I don't have an original switch but a repop. It needed adjustment right out of the box. Knock on wood. 1yr.

12-12-2011, 11:02 PM	#6
Tom Wesenberg Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mpls, MN Posts: 27,582	Re: is it the cut out or the generator? Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) I've actually seen a repro switch with one contact on the wrong side of the other contact. This made the switch stay on when the brake pedal was released, and the brake lights went off when the brake pedal was pushed. The picture shows my original switch that needed a new spring because the old one was broken and not returning the switch to the off position. If your brake lights have been on for a long time they will have run the battery down, and the less charged the battery is, the less control it gives to the unregulated generator. In other words a weak battery will allow the generator to put out more volts than a good fully charged battery. When I first bought my 29 Tudor it had a weak old battery and even on the lowest setting of the third brush the powerhouse generator was putting out way too many volts and amps. That's when I decided to make and sell EVR's to control the output. Any time the battery is run down it's best to put a low amp charger on it for several hours to bring it back to full charge. By low amp I mean 1 to 4 amps. Last edited by Tom Wesenberg; 12-12-2011 at 11:09 PM.

12-12-2011, 11:02 PM	#7
sethkestenbaum Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Westchester County, NY Posts: 632	Re: is it the cut out or the generator? Drew, I am going through a similar troubleshooting process and a newbie trying to learn all I can about cutouts, generators and all things Model A. This being said, the Long Island Model A Ford club has two great cut out graphics. Here is the link to their site. http://www.freewebs.com/modela/techtalk.htm. There are also quite a few cutout/generator posts on the fordbarn.com site. A guy named Tom Wesenberg has also posted a few articles/images about cutouts/generators. They are worth reading. I hope this helps. -Seth

12-13-2011, 05:00 PM	#8
Droobie Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Mooresville NC. Posts: 161	Re: is it the cut out or the generator? Thank you folks! I will piddle around with all this this weekend and get back to yall! Thanks again!! Drew