Today seemed like the perfect Buffalo, N.Y. morning to replace the broken ammeter in my '53 Jubilee. The seal was broken, allowing water inside the meter. Since I discovered a few days ago that my battery (new in July) was almost completely discharged, I thought the condensation might be providing a path to slowly discharge the battery. Also, the lights have not worked since I bought the tractor 3 months ago - something I really need to fix. What I found as I started troubleshooting:
1) There were no wires connected to either terminal of the ammeter.
2) The battery is 6 volt NEGATIVE ground. With the tractor off the battery reads 6.6V. With the tractor running, the battery voltage is 7.4V. Is this adequate evidence that the previous owner properly flashed the field of the generator and the system is operating properly?
3) The light switch is a 3 position toggle switch, ON-OFF-ON. Each of the three terminals of the switch was connected to one wire from each of the lights. No power was provided to the switch from the battery. This basic, complete misunderstanding makes me leery of the state of my entire electrical system.
4) Bolts holding the sheet metal pieces around the steering colums were loose, allowing the sheet metal to move. The back of the ignition switch had chafed the wires connected to the regulator. I think at least one may have worn thru the insulation. (Maybe my problem).Tomorrow I am going to cover the bare wires, properly wire the lights, test the output of the generator, possibly re-flash the generator but leave the system a NEGATIVE ground and leave the ammeter out (not satisfied with the replacement unit). The point of this long winded dissertation is that I would greatly appreciate any advice and suggestions, since I have only weekends to fix the tractor which is regularly needed to remove snow. Thanks, in advance
Mike NAA 36663
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