6BangBronk
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2005
- Location
- Durham
One full day and 2 evenings later. Wasted! Poof! And then a tip from a member from another forum at the last minute and I put down the gas can and lighter, returned to the ole routine and walla... 12V to the Regulator Stator / Dead end the Alt. Stator and we're finally fixed!
Ain't it crazy how something so simple can drive a person crazy? Rebuilt the motor myself, carb and then fine-tuned and running like a champ but just couldn't get the damn battery to charge. I was afraid to drive it even down the road and back without a bicycle in the back. I swapped out everything multiple times. And even had to use a running truck to confirm everything worked. Harness, Reg and Alt and even swapped belts just for giggles.
But what I found out was thet the initial wiring of a pre-79 is wired for a dummy light. The wiring must have to be altered this way if you don't have a working dummy light or if you swap to gages? For I tried everything to wire it stock...
The things I thought upon and still remain a mystery is:
1. How the HELL can a simple voltage regulator sense a dummy light? It's getting 12V regardless directly from the battery terminal? I even HAD to waste one and open it up to look inside and it looks pretty darned simple? No sensors though??? We're talking pre '79 back to '65??? And pre '64 reg.'s were just adjustable being the only difference. Those are made to come apart.
2. on a stock vehicle, the motor mounts are rubber. There's no direct metal to metal contact? Same goes for the transmission mounts, t-case and front and rear ends by the spring bushings. The whole drive system is isolated from the frame / body, right? So it seemed that I HAD to add a wire to connect the motor and frame (body) for the system to work? Even seemed it had to be as big or bigger than the battery wire to the alt for doesn't every action result in equal and opposite reaction? Wasn't it that Neuton dude way back when that said that and it stuck? I never went back and removed the wire (from frame to engine block) to see but it just made sense for a complete circuit for the reg is mounted on the body/frame and the alt is mounted to the motor. If I get bored sometime I may try but most likely that will be part of the 5% mystery...
3. Is it common to go through so many Ford Starter relays? I cooked 3 of them. They were used ones I had laying around but looked good? 2 got stuck and 1 died. One was freaky when I got through doing something different to the alt (can't remember for I tried like every combination along with multiple alts). But when I put the cable back on the positive of the battery, the truck started and ran automatically.
After that you damn fuzzy I started confirming with amp gage to measure resistance between the battery prong and switch prong of the starter relay before I installed another one!! Makes me wonder if one night I'm going to be in bed and hear my truck start??? I have super senses. I can hear a mouse fart from 20 feet, smell it and even tell it's gender. But I smelt and heard the starter relay cooking. I smacked one of the stuck ones on the bottom with a wrench and it fixed it (amp gage test) although it still went to the dead pile...
Anyways, nothing else, I mainly just had to vent for I don't care if the remaining thoughts remain a 5% mystery. I know how to make a Ford external regulated charging system work now. If the reg isn't telling the alt to charge, 1'st bypass the reg. (connect alt. Field wire to the 12V reg. wire) and check alt. If no-go, just pull the Alt. Stat. wire and apply 12V to Reg. Stat. and move on. You wouldn't believe how many times I had to read articles over and over to comprehend. And studied wiring diagrams over and over to go to the shop (no puter at shop) and have to walk back to the house for I suddenly didn't understand something. It's a simple system after you get to know it but it sure will drive you crazy to learn it on your own!
Now on to the remaining issues...
Ain't it crazy how something so simple can drive a person crazy? Rebuilt the motor myself, carb and then fine-tuned and running like a champ but just couldn't get the damn battery to charge. I was afraid to drive it even down the road and back without a bicycle in the back. I swapped out everything multiple times. And even had to use a running truck to confirm everything worked. Harness, Reg and Alt and even swapped belts just for giggles.
But what I found out was thet the initial wiring of a pre-79 is wired for a dummy light. The wiring must have to be altered this way if you don't have a working dummy light or if you swap to gages? For I tried everything to wire it stock...
The things I thought upon and still remain a mystery is:
1. How the HELL can a simple voltage regulator sense a dummy light? It's getting 12V regardless directly from the battery terminal? I even HAD to waste one and open it up to look inside and it looks pretty darned simple? No sensors though??? We're talking pre '79 back to '65??? And pre '64 reg.'s were just adjustable being the only difference. Those are made to come apart.
2. on a stock vehicle, the motor mounts are rubber. There's no direct metal to metal contact? Same goes for the transmission mounts, t-case and front and rear ends by the spring bushings. The whole drive system is isolated from the frame / body, right? So it seemed that I HAD to add a wire to connect the motor and frame (body) for the system to work? Even seemed it had to be as big or bigger than the battery wire to the alt for doesn't every action result in equal and opposite reaction? Wasn't it that Neuton dude way back when that said that and it stuck? I never went back and removed the wire (from frame to engine block) to see but it just made sense for a complete circuit for the reg is mounted on the body/frame and the alt is mounted to the motor. If I get bored sometime I may try but most likely that will be part of the 5% mystery...
3. Is it common to go through so many Ford Starter relays? I cooked 3 of them. They were used ones I had laying around but looked good? 2 got stuck and 1 died. One was freaky when I got through doing something different to the alt (can't remember for I tried like every combination along with multiple alts). But when I put the cable back on the positive of the battery, the truck started and ran automatically.
After that you damn fuzzy I started confirming with amp gage to measure resistance between the battery prong and switch prong of the starter relay before I installed another one!! Makes me wonder if one night I'm going to be in bed and hear my truck start??? I have super senses. I can hear a mouse fart from 20 feet, smell it and even tell it's gender. But I smelt and heard the starter relay cooking. I smacked one of the stuck ones on the bottom with a wrench and it fixed it (amp gage test) although it still went to the dead pile...Anyways, nothing else, I mainly just had to vent for I don't care if the remaining thoughts remain a 5% mystery. I know how to make a Ford external regulated charging system work now. If the reg isn't telling the alt to charge, 1'st bypass the reg. (connect alt. Field wire to the 12V reg. wire) and check alt. If no-go, just pull the Alt. Stat. wire and apply 12V to Reg. Stat. and move on. You wouldn't believe how many times I had to read articles over and over to comprehend. And studied wiring diagrams over and over to go to the shop (no puter at shop) and have to walk back to the house for I suddenly didn't understand something. It's a simple system after you get to know it but it sure will drive you crazy to learn it on your own!
Now on to the remaining issues...
