Switch from Gen to Alt? What about Tractormeter?

I put the ohmmeter across the ammeter and it had continuity, so I pulled out the faulty new voltmeter and installed the old ammeter according to the wiring diagram and ..... . IT WORKED! Now, when I'm starting the tractor, the ammeter needle moves to the left, and when I'm running it, it moves to the right. COOL!

So I guess it was the regulator all along. Maybe now I can put in lights, a cigarette lighter, a ten disk CD changer and maybe even a wide screen TV (It should fit perfectly on the bucket)!

Thanks, Gerald, Dean, and NEsota! and Happy New Year!

The key is that the battery charging current tapers off to zero in a reasonable time. Probably 15 or 20 minutes at the limit without a bunch of accessories. That's after a good start, not a tough start.

You don't have enough generator to run aircraft landing lights and charge the battery. You get only 20 or 30 amps at the most and the ignition and flashing light will take 6 or 8 of those.

You need a more precise voltmeter. Your multimeter showing 11 volts on a good working system like your car is off at least a volt.

Ideally the generator should charge the battery up to 14.2 volts (at 70 degrees F, a little higher for colder temperatures) when the charging current has tapered to zero. If it does reach that voltage without going over, you will have most of the charge the battery will take and you won't damage the battery from dissociating the water into hydrogen and oxygen so the battery will last the longest.

Gerald J.

So, Should I check the voltage at the battery to see if it's at 14.2 volts? Should the engine be off or on?

And (since my favorite passtime is buying tools) can you recommend a good multimeter? What kind of options should I look for? Digital? Analog? I always thought those little clampy things for measuring amps were cool. Or is mine fixable?

Thanks,

Tom

I checked a few spots with my multi-meter (I have just enough tools to get myself into trouble) and they all appear to be reading about 11 volts. the spots I checked are the battery, across the volt-meter terminals. I even checked my own car battery (engine off) and IT read 11 volts. Is there any place else I can check?

The most practical solution for the tachometer, I think if going to an alternator (you probably need one with a wide pulley which can be bought separately), is to go to an electronic tachometer.

Gerald J.

• Big Dean's Massey Ferguson web site