6v voltage regulator

wharenj

Member
I had replaced my voltage regulator with a brand new one. Actually, I replaced all electrical components except for the generator. Would a bad regulator affect spark? I started having an issue with spark and started to replace, again, coil, points and condenser and wiring. There is still no spark. All wiring is done to a diagram. I will most likely replace the regulator again, just was curious if this would affect spark. With a meter, it tested 6v to coil. My ammeter doesn't work, just got a new one, could that also interfere with power flow?
 

If you have 6v at the coil, see if you also have 6v at the points when they're open, (and 0v when they're closed).
It is unlikely the regulator is the culprit. I'd be looking toward the distributor rotor, points, distributor cap.
 
The regulator wouldn't directly affect spark, but a low battery would.

If you have voltage to the coil, and spark when tested by sparking the points, but loose spark when cranking,
could be the battery is low, battery cables are too small, or the starter bushings are worn causing the
starter to draw too much current, depriving the coil of enough voltage to fire.
 
OK, first, I'm not trying to be a wisenheimer here, but, problem solving involves a methodical step by step procedure that will determine the root cause of the problem rather than just throwing all new parts (and $$$) into the mix without a clue as to what the issue is. A poor or bad battery will greatly affect the system and should be the starting point of any electrical issue. If you don't have the equipment handy, you can take your battery, coil, ammeter, voltage regulator, generator, and starter if need be to your trusty local starter/alternator guy and he can bench test all of it for you usually for free or for a very little service fee. Why did you replace the voltage regulator? A generator is best if just rebuilt rather than replacing with a new cheena made unit. Originals can be rebuilt with parts that are still available and is highly recommended by just about all tractor guys. Even if the unit burned up in a fire, the housing can still be used and all internal parts replaced. Now, you say NO SPARK. That can also be a distributor problem once battery checks out good and will hold a charge under load. That is where I'd be looking. The ammeter won't impede flow but you do need a good working one to do the tests. I would not keep replacing parts and my gut feeling is most of your original parts are good anyway. Brice(VA) has a list of 75 tips for Ford-Ferguson owners and is a good reference guide to help diagnose problems. My procedure is: Get a good battery, but always connect cables last when working on electrical system. Get a good ammeter. Get a good generator. Ensure wiring is correct. Your original coil is probably good likewise your voltage regulator. Start with those -put them back on. Rebuild distributor or remove and inspect again. Use good Echlin or Blue Streak brand points. Cheap Cheena junk that use the plastic rubbing block are crap. Take a piece of brown paper bag material and clean points once rebuild is complete. Go back to basics, then report back here and for God's sake put your wallet away! you don't need to keep buying new parts without knowing what it is you really need. If it is a battery, spend the extra bucks on a good brand like Interstate. Cheap brands sold at discount multi-hardware stores will not last but a few years. Last will be polarizing the generator once all is good and battery cables are connected.

[i:654c4848f0][b:654c4848f0]<font size="4">Tim *PloughNman* Daley(MI)</font>[/b:654c4848f0][/i:654c4848f0]<table width="100" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bordercolor="#000000"><tr><td height="25" colspan="2" bgcolor="#CC0000">
<font color="#FFFFFF" size="3">*9N653I* & *8NI55I3*</font>​
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This issue is driving me crazy. Even though the distributor cap is new, with Grandfatherjim's advice, I put the old cap back on and got a weak spark. The meter shows the proper volts at the coil as well as the points. I have the battery on the charger now.
Steve, I did replace the battery cables and that took care of the slow cranking and the starter is new.
The kicker of the whole thing is that when it does run, it will just die at no specific time, just like if I turned off the key.
 
(quoted from post at 17:34:43 05/05/15) OK, first, I'm not trying to be a wisenheimer here, but, problem solving involves a methodical step by step procedure that will determine the root cause of the problem rather than just throwing all new parts (and $$$) into the mix without a clue as to what the issue is. A poor or bad battery will greatly affect the system and should be the starting point of any electrical issue. If you don't have the equipment handy, you can take your battery, coil, ammeter, voltage regulator, generator, and starter if need be to your trusty local starter/alternator guy and he can bench test all of it for you usually for free or for a very little service fee. Why did you replace the voltage regulator? A generator is best if just rebuilt rather than replacing with a new cheena made unit. Originals can be rebuilt with parts that are still available and is highly recommended by just about all tractor guys. Even if the unit burned up in a fire, the housing can still be used and all internal parts replaced. Now, you say NO SPARK. That can also be a distributor problem once battery checks out good and will hold a charge under load. That is where I'd be looking. The ammeter won't impede flow but you do need a good working one to do the tests. I would not keep replacing parts and my gut feeling is most of your original parts are good anyway. Brice(VA) has a list of 75 tips for Ford-Ferguson owners and is a good reference guide to help diagnose problems. My procedure is: Get a good battery, but always connect cables last when working on electrical system. Get a good ammeter. Get a good generator. Ensure wiring is correct. Your original coil is probably good likewise your voltage regulator. Start with those -put them back on. Rebuild distributor or remove and inspect again. Use good Echlin or Blue Streak brand points. Cheap Cheena junk that use the plastic rubbing block are crap. Take a piece of brown paper bag material and clean points once rebuild is complete. Go back to basics, then report back here and for God's sake put your wallet away! you don't need to keep buying new parts without knowing what it is you really need. If it is a battery, spend the extra bucks on a good brand like Interstate. Cheap brands sold at discount multi-hardware stores will not last but a few years. Last will be polarizing the generator once all is good and battery cables are connected.

[i:6494db6f48][b:6494db6f48]&lt;font size="4"&gt;Tim *PloughNman* Daley(MI)&lt;/font&gt;[/b:6494db6f48][/i:6494db6f48]&lt;table width="100" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bordercolor="#000000"&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td height="25" colspan="2" bgcolor="#CC0000"&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;font color="#FFFFFF" size="3"&gt;*9N653I* &amp; *8NI55I3*&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;img src=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/a379/ploughNman/TPD9N100.jpg&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;img src=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/a379/ploughNman/TPD8N100.jpg&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/table&gt;


This tractor sat since the blizzard of '93. It stopped running then. As of this year, the regulator was no longer attached to the tractor, the rubber rotted away and it lay on the starter switch. The next time it runs I will check the generator to see if it is still putting out power. It is still original. My starter was so rusted the springs holding the brushes rusted away. I will eventually have it rebuilt. In the mean time I bought a new one. There was no key switch thanks to my brother. The points and condenser was just a step to eliminate a potential problem. I replaced wiring and had to move some wires around since they were not attached properly. The battery is new and load tested at 670cca. I will try again after the battery is fully charged.
This should be a simple fix but obviously I am missing. something. With all this being said, I am taking all advice, no offense is taken. Thanks for all your help and ideas.
 
The only way a regulator can affect ignition is if it is a 4 post regulator (BAT, GEN, Field, and Load) The load post is connected to the BAT inside the regulator and feeds the ignition and light switches. Only way it can affect ignition is if there is an internal break in the Load side that blocks power to the switches. If you have power at the switches the regulator is not causing your ignition problem.

Stuck contacts on the cutout inside the regulator would drain battery and cause ignition problems, but you would probably see that as a starter problem before you noticed an ignition problem.
 
Since the regulator is new and we will say it is functioning, what would cause the spark to stop? I took out all the plugs and for peace of mind checked the timing, 6o btdc. While the plugs were out I stuck a plug in the boot, grounded it and cranked, intermittent spark. Put the new distributor cap back on and there was good spark. With a few cranks, it started. Let it warm up for a few minutes. Put the meter on the generator and got some weird readings. The numbers were constantly flashing and changing. Played with the loader, no problem. Started driving, no problem, running strong. After a total of about 5 minutes running and about 30 seconds driving, it shut off. All connections are double and triple checked. New components put in to eliminate any bad parts. Wiring replaced. Power confirmed through testing with a meter. Proper grounding has been confirmed for all components. By all accounts, this tractor should be running without problems.
 

Sounds to me like you have narrowed it down to rotor (did you replace that?), or coil.
Coils have been known to become intermittent once they get hot, although this isn't what you are reporting. Still, they can break down internally, and of course anything intermittent is really painful to diagnose. As you are presently noticing....
 
(quoted from post at 09:57:48 05/08/15)
Sounds to me like you have narrowed it down to rotor (did you replace that?), or coil.
Coils have been known to become intermittent once they get hot, although this isn't what you are reporting. Still, they can break down internally, and of course anything intermittent is really painful to diagnose. As you are presently noticing....

You are close.

UPDATE!!!
I'm glad I never said that I went over every inch of it, because there was about one inch I missed. I was talking to a mechanic familiar with older autos. We came to the conclusion there was something shorting out. This piece is actually two pieces about an inch long. I'll give it a day for guesses. :)
 
I also want to thank Tim PloughNman Daley for letting me take a step back. This issue had me so irate I couldn't see the forest through the trees.
 
No takers? That's ok.

The problem was a washer that was put on the inside of the distributor where the points and condenser attach to get power from the coil. My guess is that when they were changed last someone either lost the washer or one was added. This one was wider and touched the bottom of the distributor. The hole was also wider and allowed for some play. When it touched the distributor, I lost my spark. I removed the washer and it runs like a champ.

A big thank you to all those who gave advice, THANK YOU.
 

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