49 B not charging

1. Since the ammeter shows discharge when lights are on, we know its gettign battery power and working AT LEAST in the discharge direction, so I first want to test to see if the system is actually charging BUT the ammeter just isnt ever swinging to indicate a charge: To do that, place a voltmeter direct on the battery and it should read 6.3 volts tractor off and rise to around 7 if on and wide open. If it does that, the charging system is okay, but the ammeter is maybe just not working in the charge direction. If you dont have a test lamp, if the charging system is okay, the lights should grow noticeably brighter as you rev up the tractor.

Try that and tell us what happens????? ????? ?

2. Okay, if the battery voltage isnt rising its not seeing a charge, so Im gonna look at reasons why a charging generator (as you say it is) isnt getting the charge to to the battery:

As Clooney told you, the BAT terminal on the Voltage regulator HAS TO SHOW BATTERY VOLTAGE ALL THE TIME. If not, it cant ever get to and charge the battery. There should be a wire from the BAT terminal on the VR to the load (non battery) side of the ammeter. If its not, the BAT terminal wont be hot, and even if the gen is working as you claim, it cant charge the battery.

IS THE BAT TERMINAL HOT AND IS IT WIRED TO THE LOAD SIDE OF THE AMMETER. ????? ????? ????? ????

3. Okay, if the BAT terminal is hot and its wired to the load side of the ammeter and youre still not actually charging the battery at high throttle, the prob could be the VR or the Generator, so lets by pass the VR and see if the gen then charges the battery. Thats the tests clooney told you to do, but first, be sure the generator has a good ground and the VR has a good ground to the frame of the generator and the belt is tight. Test the gen as below by first grounding out its field terminal to ground, (that by pass tests the field regulation part of the VR) and if she still wont charge, leave that grounded and connect the BAT terminal on the VR over to the GEN (or ARM) terminal, which by passes and tests the cutout relay portion of the VR. NOW, if the gen is grounded okay, and the VR is grounded to the gen, and the belt is tight, and the VR has its BAT terminal hot as it should (via a wire to ammeter) and with the field grounded and the VR bypassed BAT to ARM, I suspect a bad generator if she wont charge, regardless of your sayign it was good. If either of the by pass tests makes her charge, the VR is bad or miswired or has a broken wire.

This is enough for now, but if the gen is actually okay as you say, it may just be a missing or broke or miswired problem. Usually, the gens output charges the battery via and through the ammeter and then to the battery, often at the starter or even to the battery itself. Did you polarize the system????? ????? ???? If you need wirign diagrams, let me know, and if it has a cut out realy versus a VR, the troubleshootign will be a lil different.

Check the ammeter and VR wiring (I assume the VR is wired right to the gen???, ARM or GEN to ARM (bigger of 2) on the generator, FLD on VR to Field (smaller of 2) post on generator, and BAT terminal on VR to battery via ammeter). Also check the voltages I asked for and Im sure we can get her charging.

Good Luck n God Bless Ol John T Nordhoff

~To test your charging system�..

~ First make sure you have battery voltage to the [BAT] wire at the voltage regulator, if not find out why & repair that..

~Then start with a quick check by running at WOT & shorting the generator [F] post [smaller of the two] to ground, if it charges then you have a broken [F] wire between the generator & regulator, a bad regulator ground or faulty regulator.,,,,,

~If it still doesn't charge, again use a voltmeter or test light & verify you have battery power to the [BAT] terminal on the regulator [if not find out why],,,,,if that's ok, then with the [F] post still grounded & the engine running at fast idle jump the [GEN "or ARM"] terminal at the regulator to the [BAT] terminal at the regulator, if it charges then you have a bad regulator,,,,,

~If still no charge, shut the tractor off & remove both wires & the belt from the generator then jump battery power from the [BAT] terminal on the regulator to the [A] post on the generator, {it should motor} with it motoring short the [F] post to ground, it should still motor but slow down. If it doesn't motor you have generator problems like stuck brushes, dirty commutator, open in a wire, or open or shorted armature. If it motors & doesn't slow down you have field problems like stuck field brush, or open in field circuit.

~The usual cause of a functioning generator quitting to charge is stuck brushes or dirty commutator.

~If all ok per above verify that the ammeter is hooked up correctly. It should have only ONE wire hooked to the battery side stud & that is the wire going to the starter battery cable stud at the starter [or to the battery non-grounded post on some installations]. All loads including the battery wire coming from the voltage regulator should be hooked to the other ammeter post.

~Your B should have a voltage regulator system so the above should apply. If by chance you have a cut-out relay system [just 2 wires on the cut-out] most will apply but you will only have 2 terminals on the cut-out & the field will be controlled by the headlight switch.

~Do the above & if you still have problems, or need clarification on some of the procedures post back for more details�..

~To test: hook one post of a 6 or 12 volt battery to the generator case with a jumper cable, then hook the other to the [A] post [larger of the two], the generator should motor if it is good, then ground the [F] post [smaller of the two] & it should slow down.

~If it motors & doesn't slow down suspect an open field or field problem. If it doesn't motor at all, suspect stuck brushes, or open in the armature brushes or wiring, or bad armature.

~If you have a 3 brush generator, or an adjustable brush generator, move the 3rd brush as close as possible to the armature power brush before testing.

Basically, a DC motor or generator is the same thing, and it dont know what the H(*&^% it is lol. If you spin it, it puts out power, but if you apply power to it, it spins. Usually, if it motors as above, it will generate. There can still be Voltage Regulator problems preventign charging though.

Dont push ur old Tugboat too hard now.

Ol John T