1957 ford 640 not getting fire

Someone stole the battery off my dads old tractor. I went and bought a new 6 volt battery installed it and fired right up. Next time I went to use it the battery was dead. I found out it was suppose to be positive ground. I switched it charged it up and started right up. Next time I went to use it, it was dead again. I charged it up and it would crank over but not start. After charging and cranking a bit I started smelling hot plastic like electrical wiring. The wires going to the amp gauge were pretty hot as well as the voltage regulator. I pulled a plug wire to check for spark and was getting none, put a test light on the coil with the key on and still got nothing. Not sure if I have fried something or not. Would a bad voltage regulator keep it from getting fire to the distributor. Thanks for any help.

A bad as in shorted V.R would cause that problem but that is the only way it could do so.

congrats.

not paying attention when you put the battery in backwards, you welded the cutout contacts int he 40$ vreg together.. vreg is toast .. genny probably didn't like it at first either.

now at shutdown.. the battery discharges thru ammeter into generator as it is trying to be an electric motor.

genny is probabbly really hating continually draing that battery down.

I bet battery don't appreciate being used int hat manner either. you have probably shortened it's ultimate service lifespan significantly.

alng the way.. the wire path these moving electrons have taken are thru the ammeter.. a shunt device.. that's probably gotten pretty warm.. pretty much too often. plus the associated wireing that may have suffered from constant high drain of the shorted cutout and non turning genny (motor ), stalled, max amps.

pull line from genny bat lug, clean points nad regap..

charge that poor battery up again.. and hot wire coil from battery to bypass the brutally toasted wiring. if she starts up.. you are half way there.

hookup wire back to vreg... if ammeter shows a charge you are one luck person, as the genny itself survived.

as a test.. shut down and notice ammeter swings negative. disconnecting bat lug on vreg should 0 it again. if so.

replace vreg.

might make some NOTES on the vreg can or side of the battery on how to hookt he thing up to prevent this type of thing from happening again. On the other hand. I doubt you will ever forget it now.

soundguy

Thanks for the info, I appreciate the help.

These Guys are Right on Target, And i Might Add, You might evee have to "polarize" the Genny AGAIn as it being connected up Backwards, Just as Thought.. Larry