Farmall B cut-out

It has been awhile since I have been on here and this is the best place to find an answer.
When I got my '45 Farmall Bn it has a regulator on it. The amp meter was not working and I found out that I had a 3 brush generator and that I needed a cut-out. Now it has a cut-out on the generator. I put all new wires on it in a harness and I hooked lights up to it and for a while everything was working fine. In the spring I went in the shed and turned the engine over just to circulate oil. I tried the lights and they were not working. I finally now have the time to work on it and the battery is still charged and is holding 6.30 volts. I tried some tests to find out if it was the generator or cut-out that was giving me problems. I did find out that on the BAT side of the cut-out that the large coil contacts were closed. I opened them cleaned them with some sand paper. My question is do both sets of points have to be opened when not running?
Also what is the best type of tests to perform to see if the generator is working correctly and the cut-out?

Easy ground the field terminal with engine running and if it charges the gen is good. You should read around 7 or so volts at the batt terminal on the reg when engine is running. Check with an OHM meter for ground by putting one lead on the positive ground battery. Other lead to cut-out frame should show thats it grounded also check the lite sw to make sure it is grounded. Does the charge increase when lite sw is in the second position. You can control the charge amount by moving the third brush. If it end up your cut-out needs replacing get a regulator for gen # ending in 355 or 423 as that would be the orginal gen #. 355 being the most common.

Gene, thanks. I will try that out and let you know what I found out.
Also I had asked if the second set of points should be open also. That one with the small winding is closed.

If the system has no electricity getting to the starter or ignition, a connection is bad or a wire failed. The cutout relay points (if only a relay and not a regulator)
should be open when ever the engine is stopped. if stuck closed, they have welded themselves together and may do it again. Jim

Jim, there is electricity going to the starter as I can start it.
In the beginning there was a regulator and I was told that if I have a 3 brush generator I need to have a [u:89057a8857]cut-out not a regulator.
[/u:89057a8857]When I first put the system in and rewired it, everything was working properly. I could set the head lights on bright or dim, the amp meter was charging. Now when I start it, the lights do not work and the amp meter is way over on discharge. When I shut it off, the needle comes back to 0.

When shut off you are saying both cut-out points should be open. Both of the points were closed when shut off. It looks like I can adjust the smaller coil points that in the rear that has a nut on a sliding post for doing this. The larger coil points were stuck and I did sand them and will try again.

This 3 brush generator does not have an adjustable 3rd brush and I am not sure it is a Delco Remy as the emblem has been painted over and I cannot see any outline of a name.

(quoted from post at 14:20:14 09/06/17)
Jim, there is electricity going to the starter as I can start it.
In the beginning there was a regulator and I was told that if I have a 3 brush generator I need to have a [u:4ee47bbbbe]cut-out not a regulator.
[/u:4ee47bbbbe]When I first put the system in and rewired it, everything was working properly. I could set the head lights on bright or dim, the amp meter was charging. Now when I start it, the lights do not work and the amp meter is way over on discharge. When I shut it off, the needle comes back to 0.

When shut off you are saying both cut-out points should be open. Both of the points were closed when shut off. It looks like I can adjust the smaller coil points that in the rear that has a nut on a sliding post for doing this. The larger coil points were stuck and I did sand them and will try again.

This 3 brush generator does not have an adjustable 3rd brush and I am not sure it is a Delco Remy as the emblem has been painted over and I cannot see any outline of a name.

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The 3 brush generator will work just fine with a regulator.

Thanks. I would like to see if I can get the cut-out to work. I do have a VR and will try that if I cannot get this to work.

You say both sets of points. A cutout has only one SET of points and they have to be open when shut off and when generator voltage exceeds battery voltage when running they shut to connect generator to battery. If you have another set of points, you have a regulator. The points of a voltage regulator will be closed when not running. Now days, we often put regulators units that originally had just a cutout on BUT only use the cut out portion. Only two wires hooked to it. One from battery and one from generator armature terminal of generator. Then you control the rate of charge with the light switch having a high and low charge position and the points for the regulator portion are mute. Also, many third brush generators use a voltage regulator , however, the field coils in those generators draw less current than the older models using the light switch to control the charge rate. Using a regulator on generators designed for high low charge switch control end up with very short regulator life. Problem is, rebuilders in this day and age usually make only one generator available .

You got to have the correct regulator to work on that gen not just any reg works. They do make one for those gens you should have a 1101423 or 1101355 for a gen check the tag on the gen to see just what you have cause over the yrs who knows which gen is there now thats why you check the tag.

(quoted from post at 08:01:02 09/09/17) You got to have the correct regulator to work on that gen not just any reg works. They do make one for those gens you should have a 1101423 or 1101355 for a gen check the tag on the gen to see just what you have cause over the yrs who knows which gen is there now thats why you check the tag.

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Gene thanks, the trouble I have is that the name plate has been painted over and I cannot see any lettering through it. Is there any other way to find out what type of generator do I have?

Also what is the best way to check for continuity in a 4 position light switch?
Like I stated in the original post, everything was working fine after I rewired everything, the lights were working properly the ammeter was showing a slight charge, but now the lights do not work at all. I took the cover off the switch box and using a jumper from the battery to the head lights they do work, same with the tail light, but not by using the switch. I do have continuity through the ammeter, the fuse is good on the light switch, there is continuity through the field connection on the light switch. Something is not letting power through to the switch from the different positions. The ammeter shows nothing.

In one of the replies above to my explanation saying I had a cut-out that had two contact points in it, the reply back was that it was not a cut-out but a VR. This whatever it is only has two connections out, GEN and BAT. The GEN wire goes to A on the generator and the BAT goes to one side of ammeter. The cut-out/VR is grounded and connecting a volt meter on each of the terminals gives me a little over 7 volts while running. Connecting the volt meter to the other side of the ammeter to fuse side I get 6.27 volts not running. Across battery the same.

When first started up, ammeter shows no charge after 20 seconds or so the ammeter shows a 20 amp discharge. Shut off stays that way until I break the contact points and then goes to 0. I had asked if the other set of points (small windings) should be open with engine not running as of now they are closed. When open using a piece of cardboard between the contacts, I do not see any change in anything.
I am baffled now as what to do.