6-volt generator pulley

[Kris1946A]

Hi,

I've been working on the electrical system on a 1949 M that I recently got a hold of. The wires behind the dash were all chewed up by mice. I was happy that once I replaced the wire harness and ammeter, the tractor started up. Now I realize that the battery isn't charging. The ammeter sits just below zero when the tractor is running or not. And after a few times starting the tractor, the battery is noticeably weak and needs to be charged. I was looking at the generator tonight and realize that the belt is tight, and the pulley appears to spin when running. But when the tractor was shut down, the pulley feels like it's locked right up. Should the pulley spin freely when the tractor is off? I'm wondering if the generator needs to be re-built.

Thanks!
Kris

 

[Pete in MD]

Loosen the belt and then the generator pulley will spin by hand when the engine is not running.

 

[Kris1946A]

Thanks Pete - I'll give it a try.

 

[James Howell]

[b:654c4848f0][i:654c4848f0]the battery is noticeably weak and needs to be charged[/i:654c4848f0][/b:654c4848f0]

Take a look at the photos below of [b:654c4848f0][i:654c4848f0]Sparky[/i:654c4848f0][/b:654c4848f0] our 51M.

Tractor is not running.

Tractor is running.

Hope this helps.