1970 Ford 2000 Generator question

That machine should have a B-Circuit lucas 12v genny and regulator.

Have you polarized it? Take a jumper wire and jumper from battery 'hot' to the field post on the genny.

Then start her up and get her to 900 rpms or soo and see if your gen lamp doesn't go out.

If it is still on, jumper the post again while it is running.

If that makes the lamp go out.. but it comes on when you remove the jumper, then the reg field circuit is bad.. replace the reg.

If lamp don't go out, then it's time to decide if it is the genny or the regulator cutout.

Turn engine off, slip belt off genny, jumper battery HOT to genny armature. jumper field to bat hot/armature. gen should spin ( motor ). Most gennies that motor will charge.. most gennies that will charge will motor.

If the gen motors, but when you hook her back up charge voltage does not come up on the battery, and lamp doesn't go out, then bypass the reg altogether.. start tractor, set to 1000 rpm, jumper bat hot to field.. then jumper bat to armature.. if charge voltage comes up on the bat, then you have a bad vreg cutout and/ or field and cutout. replace the reg.

If the genny don't motor.. then take both to a rebuilder.. the genny needs attention and you can't easilly check the vreg without a working genny.

( Actually you can.. using a spare battery and a battery charger.. but it gets involved for the non electrically inclined ).

post back if you need help... these charge systems are super easy. Lucas gennies are fairly tough.. though not so much as a ford genny.. however the lucas regs are fairly junky.. some of them can be revived by a contact cleaning.. but you are living on borrowed time.. etc.

If you are industrious, you can swap in a 12v reg from a ford 100 series diesel in place of the flaky lucas reg.. it is much more robust.. however.. it is only charge limited at 25a or so.. where the lucas reg is charge limited to 20a so theoretically you can overwork the lucas genny with an older ford reg if you have an amperage demand in excess of 20a.. etc...

Soundguy

Rod

Some of us have gennies that have never needed more than a song and dance to keep working for years on end..

I do agree that if you need higher than 20a capacity at throttle, or need more than 5a-7a capacity at idle for long periods of time.. then the alt is the way to go.. etc.

Soundguy

Rod

My 8n, 660 and 5000 have a genny.

The 660 has been 100% hassle free. The day i bought her i polarized her and put in a battery ( seller put an old one in just to get her on the trailer ).. and I've never had to do anything to her since.

The 8n I've had to have a regulator, as the one on it when i got the tractor was the wrong type.

The 5000 genny works fine, though the lucas reg cutout will fail to close immediatly if i don't user her for 2-3 months.. A quick knock on the reg, or simply driving into the field usually gets her in a minute or so.. first pothole or ridge i cross is enough to let it kick in. sometimes while I'm doing my pre-flight check letting the engine warm up it will kick in, if it has been stuck. If i start and use her every couple months no problems. since it has been mowing season.. she's been used every 6 weeks or so.

I do, ( knock on wood ), have a spare regulator setting in a box waiting for the day when the charge lamp simply won't go off with a rap or waiting 5 minutes.. etc. I do believe the v-reg was the weak link in the lucas system.. etc..

The one thing I like about the generator is it's durability to withstand mismatched polarity.. and that stems primarilly from it's lack of solid state electronics, and the working of the normally-open cutout relay. Often times I have 'helpers' over and while the 5000 is 12v n ground.. my oldies are 6v p-grnd.. hasn't happened to one of mine.. but with people i have been helping I've seen my fair share of helpers trying to 'boost' a tractor that had an alternator, and still thinking it was p-ground.

not the fault of the alternator.. but of the helper.. or owner.. etc..

Soundguy

You battery should be reading around 12.6v if it is a good battery.

there are no 'battery leads' on your generator.

the genny will have a 'field' and an 'armature'/

Have you polarized the system yet?

Jumper battery to field for a couple seconds with the tractor off, and then start up. Rais to 1000 rpm.. see if that doesn't make your dash lamp go out, and also make your charge voltage show up on the battery.

post back.

soundguy

good luck, and post back if ya need any more help.

Soundguy