Does This Look Right?

[CatGuy]

Does this generator look right? Should the 'black stuff' be crumbling off? Would that cause it not to charge? What should it look like?

[TXGOAT2]

The commutator looks OK, but I don't see much solder where the windings connect to it. The black, crumbley stuff on the armature is probably burned insulation. Exactly why it does not charge is not evident by looking at it. It may have been damaged by being run with no load connected to it.

[CatGuy]

This is a rebuilt unit. Is it normal for it to look this way? It worked for about 30 seconds and then quit.

[speedytinc]

Take it back to the re builder. A reputable guy will stand by his work or be able to tell how you burned it up.
Selling rebuilt generators is risky business. Its a constant worry unless a new cutout goes with it.
What you have doesnt look like a full rebuild from the limited view.

[JTT3]

It appears that the armature is toast. Did you have the cutout connected? You have something cross wired I think but you’ll need another generator judging from the solder, that bad boy got HOT QUICK!

[CatGuy]

Could I have done that much damage in just a few minutes of running the car? I never saw or smelled smoke.

[speedytinc]

Could I have done that much damage in just a few minutes of running the car? I never saw or smelled smoke.

If you had a bad cutout/open circuit & ran @ moderate to hi speed, yes, a few minutes would be enough, but I would expect to see a bunch of slung solder.

[CatGuy]

I put a brand new VR on it. I followed the directions as best I could.

[TWrenn]

Lots of guys will hang me for this..but, as long as you're gonna spend big $$ replacing this, do yourself a favor and put on an alternator! You'll be glad you did. I am super glad I did on my Fordor after fighting with the generator for weeks last year.

[JTT3]

Ah where did you find a voltage regulator for a model T?

[CatGuy]

Lots of guys will hang me for this..but, as long as you're gonna spend big $$ replacing this, do yourself a favor and put on an alternator! You'll be glad you did. I am super glad I did on my Fordor after fighting with the generator for weeks last year.

That's my next move. I didn't think I'd like the looks of it, and I probably wouldn't because I'm a purist, but I want to drive this car!

[TWrenn]

Sent you an email Scott!

[TRDxB2]

Ah where did you find a voltage regulator for a model T?

I never got an answer to what he had fior the "Ammeter Function" discussion.
There have been numerous discussions related to wiring & generator issues for this car.
Magneto & Generator Jun 12, 2022 8:42 pm https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php? ... or#p228372
Mixed Up Wiring Jun 17, 2022 2:06 pm https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php? ... or#p229331
Ammeter Function Jun 23, 2022 11:54 am https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php? ... or#p230376
Generator Gear Puller Jul 15, 2022 8:28 am https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php? ... or#p233649
Does This Look Right Jul 18, 2022 1:55 pm https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php? ... VR#p234337

[CatGuy]

Ah where did you find a voltage regulator for a model T?

I never got an answer to what he had fior the "Ammeter Function" discussion.
There have been numerous discussions related to wiring & generator issues for this car.
Magneto & Generator Jun 12, 2022 8:42 pm https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php? ... or#p228372
Mixed Up Wiring Jun 17, 2022 2:06 pm https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php? ... or#p229331
Ammeter Function Jun 23, 2022 11:54 am https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php? ... or#p230376
Generator Gear Puller Jul 15, 2022 8:28 am https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php? ... or#p233649
Does This Look Right Jul 18, 2022 1:55 pm https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php? ... VR#p234337

I got the VR from the place I got the generator, but I don't want to say because I need to handle things first with the seller. I do have lots of questions and this car has been a struggle for me. Not sure why. I hope it's ok to ask questions? What was the question about the ammeter?

[TWrenn]

It's always OK to ask questions. Just be prepared for a plethora of varying answers, then you pick what works best for you!

[JTT3]

Scott it can be frustrating at times, hang in there. I am assuming (I know, I know) that you were unable to find an experienced competent model T member around your area of Iowa. That assumed I’m going to make a radical suggestion, I believe if I were you I’d remove the battery & all the wiring, then start fresh re-wiring. I’d make sure that the wiring to the battery is negatively grounded & the positive battery lead it not touching the battery holder or resting on it. Then inspect each lead & harness for any issues. You may find the issue during the inspection. Using the wiring diagram that you were given on a previous post that is correct for your year T will be your friend. At this point even though inspected, I’d probably buy new harnesses and run the wiring as suggested above. That way I would have taken any guess work out of the system & know it was installed correctly. It’s apparent that you have some type of electrical issue & for a far smaller cost than a generator you will have eliminated the supply side of the system. I’m still intrigued that you have a voltage regulator so is it a Fun Projects voltage regulator? If not I’d love to know what VR you have as I’m sure others would too.

[TRDxB2]

I was trying to verify if you have a VR or just a cut-out. Since you purchased the car from someone, they may have said it was a VR but it may not be.
The simplest way to verify what it truly is to view the underside. The 2 screw positions and the triangular hole are what the Fun Projects VR has. There are variety of cutout undersides in fact the Fun Projects cutout had just 1 screw next to the 2 pop rivets and the triangle slot was closed. A photo of it would help verify it.

[TRDxB2]

Scott it can be frustrating at times, hang in there. I am assuming (I know, I know) that you were unable to find an experienced competent model T member around your area of Iowa. That assumed I’m going to make a radical suggestion, I believe if I were you I’d remove the battery & all the wiring, then start fresh re-wiring. I’d make sure that the wiring to the battery is negatively grounded & the positive battery lead it not touching the battery holder or resting on it. Then inspect each lead & harness for any issues. You may find the issue during the inspection. Using the wiring diagram that you were given on a previous post that is correct for your year T will be your friend. At this point even though inspected, I’d probably buy new harnesses and run the wiring as suggested above. That way I would have taken any guess work out of the system & know it was installed correctly. It’s apparent that you have some type of electrical issue & for a far smaller cost than a generator you will have eliminated the supply side of the system. I’m still intrigued that you have a voltage regulator so is it a Fun Projects voltage regulator? If not I’d love to know what VR you have as I’m sure others would too.

Scott is 155 miles from me, if he was closer I'd be there, but he is just 30 miles from Birdhaven (Fun Projects) and there are several T owners witihn a reasonable drive time. Best to read what he has done from the past discussions.

Also there were Fun Project VRs for 6, 8 and 12 volt systems so he could have a wrong one.
By John F. Regan on Friday, April 15, 2011 - 04:14 pm:
All of our voltage regulators are easily discernible as to 6,8, or 12V as follows:
On the underside of the base the 8V units are stamped with a letter "A" while 12V units are stamped with a letter "B". No stamp at all and it is then a 6V unit. Positive ground Voltage Regulators have a steel washer in place of one of the center insulating washers. As pointed out - a rivet in one of the center locations designates that it is a cutout. Hope this helps.

[Moxie26]

Guys..... Scott wants to handle generator and cut-out/regulator questions with the seller, please give him time to get the response .

[CatGuy]

This is what I had. In answer to your previous question.

[speedytinc]

This is one of those really cheap "CUTOUTS" that are known to fail & kill a generator.

[TRDxB2]

This is what I had. In answer to your previous question.
VR01A.jpg

Your saying the is what you "had" - that's a solenoid cutout. Need to know what you "have" now. The cutout your holding may or may not have been an issue at some point. But if you replaced it and are having the same issues then it wasn't the cause

[Scott_Conger]

There's a huge difference between a repaired generator and a remanufactured generator. A repaired one can be expected to last out the door; a remanufactured one can be expected to outlast the purchaser. A remanufactured generator really ought to look like this:

Generator Brush Block 1.png (204.15 KiB) Viewed 3229 times

Generator Side.png (181.92 KiB) Viewed 3229 times

Remanufactured Model T Generator.png (203.86 KiB) Viewed 3229 times

windings should either be new or rewrapped

I quit remanufacturing generators when I realized I was competing against eBay Krylon rebuilds, and explainations that a rewound armature cost me more than an entire Krylon Rebuild would cost the buyer all too often fell on deaf ears. The Krylon all to frequently won out. 50 or so generators out the door and never a complaint, so they can in fact, be made to be reliable.

For an experiment, I once reworked a half-dozen armatures...turned, polished, undercut, insulated and tested...and attempted to sell them. Couldn't sell a single one. Am thinking about sending them to Hank and let them go to China, too.

Key up the alternator sales pitches now.

[JTT3]

LOL, SC you kill me! Ha

[Henry K. Lee]

Scott.., my commission rate is high and others are in front of you using my trailer. Will put you on the list! LOL

Hank