voltage regulator issues

maxwell99

Well-known Member
I have grown to hate the voltage regulator on my old 1957, TO-35.

a few days ago I ran the old tractor a while, the voltage regulator worked ok with a few taps with the handle of my screwdriver.

but not so today, I charged the battery, then took the cover off the voltage regulator and using a thin piece of cardboard, pulled the cardboard back and forth through the points.

buttoned it back up, fired up the old tractor, the gauge showed positive movement.

but after using the tractor for a while I check it by turning on the lights, normally the gauge will go negative then kick back to the positive,

but not today, it went negative and stayed negative even with a few taps of the screwdriver.

guess I am going to have to buy another one. I will check the generator again, but when I do get positive readings on the gauge, I am almost sure it is working.

normally a new voltage regulator will fix the problem for a season or two.

others have ran the same voltage regulator for years with no problems.

what is the difference.???????

I use Borg Warner voltage regulators about the best, heavy duty, US made units I can buy.

any suggestions???????????
 
There must be something about the original equipment ones. They seem to do better than the replacements. Our 59 TO apparently still has the original! I even replaced the rubber mounts so could keep it. One of the few generator systems that I've had any success with, just never gives any trouble.

As many of these that get converted to alternators, there's got to be a bunch of the originals laying around looking for a good home.

Maybe you could get someone to sell/donate/trade/? one that just might work.
 
The main reason I have not changed over to an alternator is I do not want to lose my tachometer.

I guess I could get one of those 4" electronic tachometer that runs off the coil or some such.

But I have got pretty good at changing out the voltage regulators.

These new ones weigh about half what the original regulator weighed.

I will mess with it some more, if no positive results, I will just buy another one.
 
Something else I thought of, maybe off the wall...

If there were a problem in the generator, as in an intermittent short, or low resistance in the insulation of the field winding, could that be causing an overload on the regulator?

Don't know that much about generators, might open it up and take a look, take it to a gen shop and see if it checks out.
 
I'm assuming you have a 12 volt electrical system. The reason I ask is that I have a 6 volt regulator which my Dad bought for an old Ford tractor he had probably 30 or more years ago. It is new in a box, it was never put on.
 
Did some research... Found out that a high amp draw on the field will shorten the life of a regulator.

According to the manual, the amp draw for the field should be 2.0 - 2.14 amps. That would be testing with an ammeter between the F terminal of the generator to ground, regulator disconnected.
 
Maxwell, Hello, I'm running a Delco on mine. I bought 1 new one for it in 33 years, Before i learned how to give them a tune up.
If you take the cover off the regulator when it's running and charging you will see it arcing at the points when it is regulating.over time the contact will get burn spots in it and it has trouble making connection.
When mine gets lazy I sand both sides of the contact with real fine automotive sand paper to get the carbon and burn spots off, Then clean it with the paper. Makes a new regulator out of it.-ed
 
Before spending money, yeah clean- sand- the points first, and check the springs are clicking, not all rusted or gummed up.
Then, ignore the dash. Get the multi meter on it, amps, volts incase there's a short someplace, and ohms to be sure you don't have a broken wire that makes a connection as the vibrations allow one. Remember, my ideas are free- auto electrical parts are 'no returns, all sales final'...
 
I cleaned the points on the voltage regulator with the finest emery paper I could find, then cleaned the points with cardboard.

Fired the tractor up and the meter read as it should. Turned on lights, discharge then needle moved to charge then in a short while came back to center.

I disc the garden, so short run time, I checked the system again by turning on the lights, quick discharge, then back to charging.

As we speak the charging system is working correctly. Just hope it continues,

Thanks for all suggestions,
 
Max, I'm glad it worked out for you. I think the reason they mess up like that more than they use to is the contacts are made of poorer material than the old one's and they tend to burn spots on them more.
Just like cheep points last one year and good ones last ten, It's the contact pad quality as they arc all the time to. The people that make them call that keeping there industry alive, They sell more points. So i just clean them from time to time and keep going as I don't want to put an alternator on either-ed
 
Maxwell, Some more fuel for thought,The old lead-acid battery that these regulators were designed for pulled a charge almost the whole time the tractor was running as the were slow to recover. The new freedom battery's we run today recover very quickly so now most of the time the tractor is running the regulator is arcing at the points to control the charge that the battery doesn't need.-ed
 

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