CHARGING PROBLEMS

[Whitey]

Hi all,new to the forum and proud owner of a late 40s 6 volt neg ground cub complete with sickle,land plow,and snowplow.I have read many posts and am grateful to be able to glean from the knowledge.My cub(new to me)is constantly discharging.My ammeter is always reading just a hair on the discharge side,even with all the wiring disconnected.I completely rewired it,new lightswitch(new 3 position),new fuse and holder,new on/off switch,and rebuilt generator.The wiring is correct(I have been over the diagram 100 times)When I start the tractor the ammeter reads the same.I turn on the lights and nothing.No lights no change in the ammeter or lights.I ground out the post on the generator(thru the VR)and no ammeter change.I should add that when I put the generator on I repolarized it .I did get a spark,fairly good arc,and I can remember reading on this forum it should be a small spark,if that means anything.The previous owner put in a new battery and voltage regulator about two years ago(that didnt cure the problem either).Bad(wrong)Voltage regulator or ammeter?I do not have a tester and am new to tractors and mechanics so this is greek to me but those are the only two things left.I charge the battery and it goes dead after running the tractor for awhile.If I just use the battery to start it,shut it off and then unhook the terminals it will last for four or five starts.Thanks in advance.The old girl has a 600 ft. driveway to plow in northern NY(almost to Canada) so she cant call in sick.

[DuxburyFarmall]

Whitey,

Welcome to a great forum. I am sure Rudi will be along shortly to fully welcome you.

There could be two reasons for what you are seeing.

The first is that it was originally a Pos ground and a PO made it a neg ground and did not re-wire the ammeter.

The second is there is an open in the circuit from the gen to the battery.
This will require an inexpensive voltmeter. Start the tractor and remove the Pos terminal. Check from the Pos terminal to Ground to see if there is any voltage (best to check from the terminal to a bare piece of metal on the tractor). If no voltage move back through the circuit until you reach the generator to see if you have any voltage any where. Once you find out where you have voltage then it is a matter of replacing something down stream towards the battery. ammeter, wire, generator etc.

Best of luck.
Chad

[DuxburyFarmall]

Correction. I should not have used the word terminal. I should have used Clamp

It is a little difficult and dangerous to remove the terminal from the battery. It is much safer and easier to remove the clamp. From the sounds of the problem you may find that you have an open or you may find that the system should really be a Pos ground.

Chad

[Rudi]

Whitey:


First, to the greatest forum on the internet, and to the Cub Family. You will find that all the folks on this forum are kind, helpful and just full of Cub info and knowledge. They also happen to be the finest folks I have ever met

DF has given you some good info. I am really lousy at diagnosing electrical problems, but I do know this, a multimeter is a requirement. They are not very expensive either. I use an inexpensive one such as this one:



and you can get it at Northern Tool & Equipment. It is an excellent investment.

Tried Harbor Frieght, the have an inexpensive one but darn it, they have the right click blocked... so no pic.. but this is the url :Harbor Freight

You wrote:

I charge the battery and it goes dead after running the tractor for awhile

This tells me that you have an open circuit or a short. It is providing enough draw to deplete the charge rather quickly. I think you really need to get yourself a Multimeter such as indicated above (Wal-Mart has inexpensive ones as well) and then check all your grounds, connections and wires. Check for continuity in each of your wires. No continuity means that there is a break and hence a probably short..

BD: Did I get it right If I did my High School Electrical Teacher will finally have a smile on his face.....


Ok, so here is the spiel :

I would suggest that you read this thread: New Members and Visitors, Please READ Prior to Posting. There are many great links to informative pages such as the ATIS FAQ's 1 and ATIS FAQ's 2, The Best of H.L. Chauvin who has written very interesting articles on troubleshooting common problems with your Cub.


Also, you might want to visit the Cub Manual Server as there is tons of info on servicing, maintaining and re-building your Cub. In addition to this basic information, there are also a number of other useful tools available on the server. There is the Specialty Services page which has contact info for neat stuff like getting your seats recovered, buying quality Decals, Serial Number tags and a host of other neat items. Also there are the Parts Pages - both Used Parts Suppliers and New Parts Suppliers pages with links to quality dealers. I am always looking for YOUR favourite dealers for New and Used Parts to include here. These are intended to complement the businesses who support FarmallCub.com Website.

I would also recommend that you visit Binder Books and purchase the three most important manuals you can own for Maintenance, Repair and Rebuilding your Cub. These are the Owner's Manual, the GSS-1411 Service Manual and the TC-37F Parts Manual. Although they are available on the Cub Manual Server, it is better is you also have your own paper copy. Binder Books is the only Authorized IH Publication Reprint House and they have the best quality manuals available. Most other's are not of the same quality. Just a personal thought here, the I&T Shop Manuals, although helpful in some areas, really are not sufficient for the job. If you wish though, they are good additional reference works.

IF you really want to get the skinny on all things Cub, might I suggest you get a copy of Ken Updike's Farmall Cub and Cub Cadet's . Along with Guy Fay's Letter Series Originality Guide, these are two must have's in anyone's collection.

In addition to the above information, don't forget to check out the various articles that are available to help with your Repair, Restore, Rebuild or just your Maintenance Projects. There are a number of sub pages such as Electrolysis or Rust Zapper's, Maintenance Tips, Jigs and Techniques, Implement and Part Sketches and of course the Paint, Decals & Other Finish Questions which has the Paint Chart and the Paint Committee Decisions links.

I truly hope that you enjoy your Cub and that you will be a frequent contributor to the forum. Again, to the Cub Family

[Bigdog]

Whitey, Chad is right, the cub was originally a positive ground system. I'd start there. Then, repolarize the system again and see what you have. A few simple voltage checks will tell you a lot. If you ground the generator field terminal and get no output, the problem is in the generator or associated wiring. If you can, get a cheap meter and take some readings and we'll try to help.

[400lbsonacubseatspring]

and, if, as you say, the ammeter is constantly in the same position, and never changes, you may want to see if the ammeter is faulty as well. and depending on whether you have a regulator or a relay, you may wish to switch to the 4 position switch, to give it some extra charging from time to time. regulators get 3 position switches, relays get 4 position.

[Bigdog]

An open ammeter is a distinct possibility. It would be rare but possible. You can check for voltage on both terminals of the ammeter to confirm it is good or bad.

[Jack]

I had charging problem also...with the help from the good people here I got mine charging again. one thing to check is that all grounds are good on the voltage regulator and the gen. and all the connections are in good shape. I had to polerize the gen. again .