Generator woes

[Tiger Joe]

So after all my charging issues I had, all was well- for about two weeks.

My generator on my 48 8n has apparently quit working. It was tested by a shop about a month ago, new bearing installed. Today I noticed my amp gauge wasn't moving up- only down with lights out. I checked the genny with a multimeter- nothing coming out. I took the belt off and tried putting power to it- wouldn't spin.

Guess this means I need a rebuild?

On another note- in my search for a higher output genny, I was given a 20 amp genny but from a side mount motor. This genny is slightly larger than my 11.5 amp genny so I can't use the front mount. Has anyone mounted a side mount genny on a front mount motor?

 

[Royse]

I think I'd take it back to the shop and ask them to fix it under warranty.
I have not tried to put a side generator mount on a front mount engine.
Other than the physical mounting I don't see why it wouldn't work.
You might have to make brackets and adjust belt length.
Just as you do if you convert to 12V and an alternator.

 

[NOXJohn]

If you have to pay to have that generator fixed
you may wish to instead convert to a one wire 12
alternator kit sold by this site. A 6 volt system
is good for these old Ns but parts are getting
very hard to find. In some areas there are few if
any shops that rebuild generators. A good 6 volt
regulator for these Ns is beyond hard to find and
most of the time cannot be returned when they
don't work properly. If you put out a few more
dollars now for a 12 volt system you should not
need to deal with the charging system for years to
come.

 

[teddy52food]

Just take it apart. Maybe just a brush stuck. Doesn't anybody fix anything anymore? I do all the time. not much to it.

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 00:09:21 11/28/13) So after all my charging issues I had, all was well- for about two weeks.

My generator on my 48 8n has apparently quit working. It was tested by a shop about a month ago, new bearing installed. Today I noticed my amp gauge wasn't moving up- only down with lights out. I checked the genny with a multimeter- nothing coming out. I took the belt off and tried putting power to it- wouldn't spin.

Guess this means I need a rebuild?

On another note- in my search for a higher output genny, I was given a 20 amp genny but from a side mount motor. This genny is slightly larger than my 11.5 amp genny so I can't use the front mount. Has anyone mounted a side mount genny on a front mount motor?

"I took the belt off and tried putting power to it- wouldn't spin. " You probably did this correctly, but what you did with both the ARM and FLD terminals does matter.

 

[Tiger Joe]

It's not a matter of me fixing it, but a matter of I just paid a genny shop to go through it and put a new bearing in the front less than a month ago.

As far as 12v conversion, since I'm not working this, more just a big toy for me, I prefer to keep it all original

Jmor as far as what I did. I tried everything really. I took the belt off and grounded the genny. Then put juice to the FLD and then arm term. Nothing

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 11:35:22 11/28/13)
It's not a matter of me fixing it, but a matter of I just paid a genny shop to go through it and put a new bearing in the front less than a month ago.

As far as 12v conversion, since I'm not working this, more just a big toy for me, I prefer to keep it all original

Jmor as far as what I did. I tried everything really. I took the belt off and grounded the genny. Then put juice to the FLD and then arm term. Nothing

N generators are type "A", so you need to ground the Field and apply power to the ARM & of course ground the case. Applying power to BOTH ARM & Field would have been correct on later series tractors (type "B" generators) but not Ns.

 

[Tiger Joe]

Ok JMOR. Did what you said and the genny spins!

Oddly enough when I started her up just now to pull in the garage I'm hearing a weird "buzzing" off and on. Sounds like it's coming from the Voltage Regulator

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 12:39:49 11/28/13) Ok JMOR. Did what you said and the genny spins!

Oddly enough when I started her up just now to pull in the garage I'm hearing a weird "buzzing" off and on. Sounds like it's coming from the Voltage Regulator

ny indication that it is charging? When you applied power to spin it, was it still mounted on tractor, such that you spun it with same polarity that it normally operates with? A VR regulates by switching on/off/on & the buzzing you hear may be normal.

 

[Tiger Joe]

No sign of charging. When buzzing it actually looked like the ammeter was going lower into the negative

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 13:26:51 11/28/13)
No sign of charging. When buzzing it actually looked like the ammeter was going lower into the negative

ith it running, ground Field to gen ground & see if charges and if not jumper ARM to BATT AND simultaneously ground Field & observe for charge.

 

[teddy52food]

Clean the points in that regulator and make sure it has a good clean ground. I would guess the regulator is bad.

 

[Tiger Joe]

Tried cleaning the points- it looks like one of the points- I believe on the side that's held open not closed- is half melted.

I jumped the regulator with two wires and it shows charge.

This is the second VR off eBay that's junk!

Where can I get a good one at?

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 16:24:22 11/28/13)
Tried cleaning the points- it looks like one of the points- I believe on the side that's held open not closed- is half melted.

I jumped the regulator with two wires and it shows charge.

This is the second VR off eBay that's junk!

Where can I get a good one at?

do not know where to advise a person to get a good VR. If the burnt contacts are the set that spring force holds open when at rest, then that is the cut out & jumpering BATT to ARM effectively closes that set. The other normally closed would be the regulation function that grounds the field when higher charge is needed. This is the set that can be open/closed/ or vibrating, depending on state of charge/battery voltage.

 

[teddy52food]

Let me do some checking as I have a bunch of regulators in my cabinate.

 

[souNdguy]

what's ammeter says.

some reg's are louder clickers than others...

 

[Tiger Joe]

Ammeter says no charge unless I jump the VR

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 23:18:53 11/28/13)
Ammeter says no charge unless I jump the VR

retty conclusive, VR, unless wiring is wrong.

 

[Tiger Joe]

(quoted from post at 00:16:51 11/29/13)

(quoted from post at 23:18:53 11/28/13)
Ammeter says no charge unless I jump the VR

retty conclusive, VR, unless wiring is wrong.

Yup. I ordered a new Vr last night. This one was new but I just looked and there are different part numbers for 48-50(front mount) and 50-52(side mount) voltage regulators?

The one I bought originally said it fit all 8ns but the part number is for the later genny on the side mount. I ordered the one that says it's for 48-50.

See if that makes a difference. This VR was only on there three weeks

 

[souNdguy]

yup..

 

[Tiger Joe]

Well just to finish the story of my genny woes...

I got the new VR on, and it "fixed" my N the best it could, however once the lights were on, I was never charging.

Fast forward a week. Im surfing ebay and I stumbled upon an ad for the larger 20 amp genny. bid and won! got the VR and a spare 6v coil to boot!

Anyway swapped the larger 20 amp genny on and my charging issues are solved! tractor running, give it a bit of gas, its charging , pull lights on, it shows discharge then recovers and shows a slight charge.

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 09:22:46 12/16/13)
Well just to finish the story of my genny woes...

I got the new VR on, and it "fixed" my N the best it could, however once the lights were on, I was never charging.

Fast forward a week. Im surfing ebay and I stumbled upon an ad for the larger 20 amp genny. bid and won! got the VR and a spare 6v coil to boot!

Anyway swapped the larger 20 amp genny on and my charging issues are solved! tractor running, give it a bit of gas, its charging , pull lights on, it shows discharge then recovers and shows a slight charge.

ood to see a successful, happy, tractor'er!

 

[souNdguy]

yep.. with 11 a genny. you are pretty much discharging with ignition AND 2 lamps on ....