Generator problems

Hi, I had a post on here a couple weeks ago trying to figure out why my tractor has been dying. I figured the generator may be weak because my battery had been going down. I had just been using a portable jump starter to get it started and it finally occurred to me that if the battery is not charging it could be causing the tractor to die. So I bought a generator rebuild kit and cleaned up all the contacts, put in new brushes, bearing and sleeve. Put the generator back on the tractor and reconnected it except leaving the belt off of the pulley. I did the motoring test by connecting car jumper cable(dont have any small wires with clips) one from field stud on the bottom of generator to tractor frame, and the other from negative battery post to the armature stud on the end of the generator. Nothing, no spark, the wheel wont turn, no sound. Is there any way I can test the generator itself without using any of the tractor, incase there is a problem in the tractor wiring or the regulator?
 
(quoted from post at 17:31:12 05/14/15) Hi, I had a post on here a couple weeks ago trying to figure out why my tractor has been dying. I figured the generator may be weak because my battery had been going down. I had just been using a portable jump starter to get it started and it finally occurred to me that if the battery is not charging it could be causing the tractor to die. So I bought a generator rebuild kit and cleaned up all the contacts, put in new brushes, bearing and sleeve. Put the generator back on the tractor and reconnected it except leaving the belt off of the pulley. I did the motoring test by connecting car jumper cable(dont have any small wires with clips) one from field stud on the bottom of generator to tractor frame, and the other from negative battery post to the armature stud on the end of the generator. Nothing, no spark, the wheel wont turn, no sound. Is there any way I can test the generator itself without using any of the tractor, incase there is a problem in the tractor wiring or the regulator?
see where you have a Workmaster tractor............sooo, don't ground the Field terminal, but apply power to Field AND Armature.
 
(quoted from post at 17:51:57 05/14/15) Yes a 601 workmaster. So dont ground the field. Power directly from the battery? Positive and negative or just one?
ne side of your battery is grounded to chassis & chassis bolted to generator frame. So, connect the other side of battery to BOTH the ARM & Field terminals of generator.
 
Ok, so the generator passed the motoring test. Apparently if all of the connections are right it should be working. I picked up a cheap analog multimeter to see if I can test to see if its charging. I thought I would just touch the sensors to the battery polls at idle and full throttle with the generator disconnected vs with the generator connected and hopefully will read a higher voltage when the gen is connected right? Also, is the correct way to polarize the regulator on the 601 workmaster by disconnecting the field terminal at the regulator and touching it to the regulator batt. terminal?
 
(quoted from post at 18:28:14 05/15/15) Ok, so the generator passed the motoring test. Apparently if all of the connections are right it should be working. I picked up a cheap analog multimeter to see if I can test to see if its charging. I thought I would just touch the sensors to the battery polls at idle and full throttle with the generator disconnected vs with the generator connected and hopefully will read a higher voltage when the gen is connected right? Also, is the correct way to polarize the regulator on the 601 workmaster by disconnecting the field terminal at the regulator and touching it to the regulator batt. terminal?
ou do [u:6dc8c7ce20]not[/u:6dc8c7ce20] polarize regulators.....you polarize generators! Next, do nothing further, as you polarized the generator, just perfectly, when you motored it. Don't run it with wires disconnected. Just measure battery voltage before starting, then again after running at speed for 3 or 4 minutes & if you see an increase, it is charging.
 
I checked the battery polls with the multimeter setting on DC 10 volts. The needle read 6 volts. After starting the tractor and running the bush hog for 30-40 minutes The battery reads exactly the same.
1.Does this mean it is not charging. Does it maybe max out at 6 volts and have to go down a little first? The battery is new. I took my old battery to have it charged and they said it was bad. Certainly wasnt very old to have already gone bad. I also found out that even with a new battery I still have to jump start with my portable jump starter.
2.Can this hurt the battery, regulator or anything? Its probably not starting because the engine is in need of a good tuneup. I have noticed from time to time a sputtering or puffing sound at idle. It kinda sounds like it comes from the exahust but its not smooth or consistent. It does sound smooth at full throttle though.
3.Does this sound unusual or like a particular problem?
 
A fully charged 6 volt battery should actually read around 6.3 to 6.5 volts when the key is off. When the engine is running at anything above 1100 rpm or so it should read about 7.5 volts if it is charging properly.
 
I am sorry to be so much trouble on here. As anyone can see Im having a hard time figuring all of this out! I have at least learned a lot lately...
I was doing some research online and tracked down model and serial number it is a 641. According to what I have read these tractors were originally built with a POSITIVE ground on the 6 volt (I knew the Ns were). Has my battery been on backwards all this time? I have it on with a negative ground. Is there anyway I can verify or check to see which way the tractor is wired and setup to be? #HELP
 
(quoted from post at 22:25:57 05/16/15) I am sorry to be so much trouble on here. As anyone can see Im having a hard time figuring all of this out! I have at least learned a lot lately...
I was doing some research online and tracked down model and serial number it is a 641. According to what I have read these tractors were originally built with a POSITIVE ground on the 6 volt (I knew the Ns were). Has my battery been on backwards all this time? I have it on with a negative ground. Is there anyway I can verify or check to see which way the tractor is wired and setup to be? #HELP
hey will work equally well either way. I recommend leaving it as is. It is the changing where people cause trouble. Your gen appears to function. So I suspect VR. As a test of that, do the following to see if gen will charge battery: apply jumpers to connect all 3 VR terminals together. You do this quickly so that gen isnt sitting with battery power on it for more than a few seconds to a minute with engine off. Start and run at speed for approx 30 minutes and check battery voltage as before. Expect a rise. Stop engine and immediately remove jumpers.
 
so I just disconnect the wires from the VR and let them hang loose. then just use one wire to connect all three VR theminals together? or should I get two jumper cables with clips and 1to2and2to3 the middle one having two clips on it?
 
(quoted from post at 16:44:41 05/17/15) so I just disconnect the wires from the VR and let them hang loose. then just use one wire to connect all three VR theminals together? or should I get two jumper cables with clips and 1to2and2to3 the middle one having two clips on it?
on't disconnect anything, just get two jumper wires with clips and 1to2and2to3 the middle one having two clips on it.

All that this is doing, is "closing" the two sets of contacts that are inside the regulator, which is necessary to get the generator connected to battery & supply field current so that it can charge. If it charges like this, then one or both of those internal contacts is not functioning.
 
Not having any success getting the battery to charge. I need to put a new wiring harness on this tractor. There are several little breaks and slices it looks like. Is there some way to test the generator right at the gen terminals? While the regulator and wiring may not be up to par I'm thinking this gen is just not charging.
btw, It is back to positive ground now. And if anybody can tell me where I can get a clear wiring diagram for the Ford 601 workmaster I would appreciate it.
 
(quoted from post at 10:47:55 05/18/15) Not having any success getting the battery to charge. I need to put a new wiring harness on this tractor. There are several little breaks and slices it looks like. Is there some way to test the generator right at the gen terminals? While the regulator and wiring may not be up to par I'm thinking this gen is just not charging.
btw, It is back to positive ground now. And if anybody can tell me where I can get a clear wiring diagram for the Ford 601 workmaster I would appreciate it.
ow that you have swapped you ground polarity!!*@#, you need to re-polarize by loosening fan belt & motoring generator again with your new polarity. Ungrounded battery terminal to BOTH generator ARM AND generator Field should make it motor. If it does, then tighten fan belt, make same Battery to gen ARM & Field connections as for motoring & start tractor & monitor battery voltage when running at speed. If gen good & you correctly made connections it will be charging. Not VR, no tractor wiring involved.....just gen & battery and two wires. Disconnect when finished.
 
Well, it passed test. Motored the gen, reconnected the pulley, started the tractor with the cables from gen directly to the battery and it went from 6 volts to somewhere between the 7-7.5 probably 7.2. It is apparently charging it though. I disconnected the jumper cables and of course through the tractor wiring it wasn't charging. Reading probably 6.5 or a hair under. So it is probably the VR. I would like to replace the wiring harness at the same time though. The wires look bad and sometimes when I push the start button I get nothing until I grab one of the wires above the key ignition and wiggle it. Plus many of the ends where wires connect are worn and frayed. Close to breakage. I have ordered the ford shop manual for these tractors and hoping it has a good wiring diagram.
 
ooks like correct VR (quality unknown), but not enough info on harnesses for me to tell whats what? Sure don't see > 3X price of one over the other. Need more info.
 
So after I get new wiring in and a new VR, since the battery will have been disconnected I should motor it just like I have been to re-polarize it? No need to touch wires at the VR?
 
(quoted from post at 21:12:06 05/18/15) So after I get new wiring in and a new VR, since the battery will have been disconnected I should motor it just like I have been to re-polarize it? No need to touch wires at the VR?
olarization is soooo misunderstood! You don't need to do anything. Polarization of the generator field pole pieces (two soft iron parts with field coils around them) is simply a matter of establishing N-S magnetic poles in the iron. If not burned in a hot fire, dropped off a tall building, physically disassembled, or connected to a different polarity power source than your tractor will be using, then the iron poles will retain their magnetic polarities for year after year....maybe for decade after decade.
 

Ok thanks! That is very interesting since you can google it and people all over are saying do it this way and that way and must re-do anytime battery dies or anything is reconnected. Anyway since I couldnt find anything about it in the owners manual this makes more sense.
 
(quoted from post at 21:33:26 05/18/15)
Ok thanks! That is very interesting since you can google it and people all over are saying do it this way and that way and must re-do anytime battery dies or anything is reconnected. Anyway since I couldnt find anything about it in the owners manual this makes more sense.
ou know about "opinions".....they are like that other thing that everyone has one of......sadly. Often difficult to separate fact from opinion.
If I made it as a statement of fact, I can back it up. If I said, I think or I believe, then there may be a little room for doubt, maybe.
 

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