John Deere 60 ammeter fluttering

pmarkel

Member
The ammeter in my John Deere model 60 flutters quite a bit when running. The tractor is 12v positive ground with a pertronix ignition and hot coil. It runs great and shows a positive charge with throttle open, but the ammeter needle is far from steady and when I put the lights on it shows a noticeable discharge. I replaced the voltage regulator (4 terminal) today but it does not seem to have made much of a difference. Should I be thinking worn gen brushes or a poor ground in the wiring? Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Peter Markel
 
"<font color="#6699ff">[b:654c4848f0][i:654c4848f0]the ammeter needle is far from steady[/i:654c4848f0][/b:654c4848f0]</font>"

Had the same problem with a new ammeter gauge that "bounced" radically on our 52A.

The gauge eventually failed and was replaced with another new ammeter gauge.

"<font color="#6699ff">[b:654c4848f0][i:654c4848f0]Should I be thinking worn gen brushes[/i:654c4848f0][/b:654c4848f0]</font>"

You might consider polarizing the generator.

Polarization is a procedure which matches the polarity for the generator and the voltage regulator by permitting a surge of current to flow through the generator, correctly polarizing it.

Damage to electrical components can occur if polarities do not match.

Polarization of the generator should take place whenever any of the following events occur:
1. The battery is replaced or disconnected from the tractor
2. The generator is replaced or serviced
3. The regulator is replaced or serviced

If any of these events occurred, do not start the engine until polarization is done. The polarity of the generator must be set to match that of the voltage regulator.

Make a jumper wire (14 or 16 gauge) and put alligator clips on both ends.

Polarize the generator by using the jumper wire and momentarily jumping from the BAT terminal on voltage regulator over to the ARM terminal on the generator to get a small spark.

"<font color="#6699ff">[b:654c4848f0][i:654c4848f0]or a poor ground in the wiring?[/i:654c4848f0][/b:654c4848f0]</font>"

Take a look at the diagram below.

a149288.jpg" width="650"


Check the white wire and connections at the [b:654c4848f0]BAT[/b:654c4848f0] terminal on the voltage regulator and ammeter post.

Check the voltage regulator lead to the [b:654c4848f0]F[/b:654c4848f0] terminal on the generator.

Check the voltage regulator lead to the [b:654c4848f0]A[/b:654c4848f0] terminal on the generator.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks.

It's easier for me to just "research/review" information already written in manuals and published on the web.

I'm just content to be outstanding in my field.

a149356.jpg" width="650"
 
(quoted from post at 17:44:27 01/21/17) Thanks.

It's easier for me to just "research/review" information already written in manuals and published on the web.

I'm just content to be outstanding in my field.

&lt;img src="http://photos.yesterdaystractors.com/gallery/uptest/a149356.jpg" width="650" /&gt;

James,

Thank you for your advice. I do make habit of polarizing the regulator to the generator whenever I change something electrical and did do so yesterday before starting. I also cleaned the armature and field terminals with fine sandpaper and parts cleaner before I rewired the new regulator to the gen. I also lightly sanded the terminals on the battery and applied some anti-seize to the terminals before reattaching the straps. I do not recall whether the original ammeter behaved similarly but I suppose it would be worth swapping gauges to rule out defective ammeter.
 
A stuck brush in the generator will cause the ammeter to flutter. Look in the back of the
generator with the tractor running to see if the blue fire on the brushes is excessive.
 
A few thoughts....

"Classic" charging systems with "vibrating point" VR's are by nature not as stable as what we have become used to in the modern era of solid-state, and at least some fluttering of the ammeter needle is not unusual.

Quality ammeters are "damped" to keep the needle from flopping around excessively.

If the system charges when the engine is at high idle, the generator IS polarized, doing it more/again isn't going to help.

There's a possibility the battery, charging system, and loads are not connected 100% correctly at the ammeter.

Having a voltmeter connected to the system and an Ammeter monitoring the output lead of the generator to show what it's putting out vs. "spec" would shed a lot of light on what's going on here.

Does the generator keep the battery charged during use? If so, the fluttering ammeter my be more of a cosmetic issue, and it depends on how much time and $$$ you want to throw at this, vs. ignoring in and enjoying the use of the tractor, IMHO.
 

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