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Positive or Negative

R

Rusty Smith

New User
I have a stock 1948 Model C. it has the 6 volt system. it has a magneto, the battery was not connected when I got it. I have seen different opinions on it's polarity. Is it a positive or Negative ground system? or could it have been either?
Thanks
Rusty
 
It would have had a positive ground when new.
Not being able to read between your lines I would hope you are talking of hooking up the charging system to the battery as the magneto does not get hooked to a battery unless someone has put a coil on the out side and changed it to a distributor.
 
The wiring is all there and untouched, I just wanted to know when I hook up the battery to hook it up neg ground or positive ground, I don"t want to kill the generator or the starter.
 
Generators are pretty forgiving the first sign of a wrong connection will be the ammeter going to the negative when you rev the engine and the battery doesn't like it very well so cables will get hot and so will the battery basically generators are DC motors and if hooked up backwards you are basically shunting them (creating heat) the gen will get hot too It's like putting on the brakes and the engine wide open. Alternators on the other hand will not tolerate a reverse connection at all you can blow diodes instantly.
 
Like Dick says, originally it was pos ground. You can hook it up either way and it will work. Hook the battery up which ever way you want and then polarize the generator. To polarize, momentarily jump across the cutout relay. Once it's polarized, it's good to go. The starter does not care which way the battery is. It will turn the same way no matter what.
 
Its when you start one with the genny having an opposite polarity from the battery that things can really get serious and possibly damage the Voltage Regulator. However, if properly polarized with respect to the battery they can charge fine at either Pos or Neg ground with nooooooooooooooo problems. Similar they can run as the DC motor they are at either polarity.

John T
 
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