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Farmall & IHC Tractors Discussion Forum
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Dim 6V lights

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chadd

03-25-2007 14:24:30




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Yes, I know that 6V lights are nothing to brag about when in good condition, but as of late they seem to have gotten worse on our W6. I tried running a ground wire to each of the headlight housings, but it didn't seem to help. The backlight has also gotten dimmer. On the high setting, they are only good enough to light up your hand about a foot away with a dull yellow glow, however, they take about 10 or 15 amps of current to operate. I was wondering:
a)If the switch and light box lid needed to be properly grounded

b)If it is normal to get a voltage of 6.45 volts across battery terminals but then to get about 5.44 volts between a ground and the headlight.

c)What gauge wire should be used on 6V headlights (should it be larger than a similar 12V system?

d)The junction block mounted to the box cover was still available, as mine broke off of the box due to age when I removed the cover, and I haven't found a suitable replacement anywhere else.

Thanks.

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Jim Becker

03-26-2007 08:44:07




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 Re: Dim 6V lights in reply to chadd, 03-25-2007 14:24:30  
Bob M told you the right thing. You need to find the 1 volt that is being lost between the battery and the head light. Check the voltage on each side of the light switch. Same with the fuse holder You will probably find the drop is mostly in one spot. It will turn out to be in the switch, a connector or an individual wire going bad. (If I was a betting man, I would bet on the switch.) The bad place will probably be warm to the touch too. You can get a good jumper wire and jump past parts of the system to isolate it too. When the lights get brighter, you have jumped over the problem.

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Roger Mills

03-26-2007 06:30:08




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 Re: Dim 6V lights in reply to chadd, 03-25-2007 14:24:30  
Ever see an old car with one dim headlight. It happens often with 6 volt systems and dampness. Check the main battery cables at both ends for corrosion, paint etc. Since it is all the lights I would suspect the wire from the ammeter to the light switch as well. The tail light comes from a different contact post than the headlights so the switch should be OK but check those connections as well. If the lights were brighter, (I know not BRIGHT), before then it is a common connection to all of them that is bad. I have seen the terminals on the end of the wire go bad so check those too. As far as gen vs alt goes the gen on my 27 Ford T is the original and still works, and I have seen many alternators go bad so I have no preference.

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Bob M

03-25-2007 18:36:21




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 Re: Dim 6V lights in reply to chadd, 03-25-2007 14:24:30  
Chadd - the approx 1 volt difference you observe between the battery posts and the lamp terminals is excessive - it should only be a few tenths of a volt. And this voltage loss will cause significant dimming of the lights.

I recommend a minimum of #14 wire from the light switch to each lamp - #12 wire is preferred.

Also does the light switch become hot after the lights have been on a few minutes? If it does switch contacts have high resistance - may need to disassemble the switch and clean the contacts.

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Hugh MacKay

03-25-2007 16:29:04




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 Re: Dim 6V lights in reply to chadd, 03-25-2007 14:24:30  
Chadd: Do you know if your charging system is doing the job. 15 years ago I was faced with the same on my 6 volt tractors, none of the lights seemed to be worth a damn, yet voltage and amperage all tested out.

One day I was cultivating row crops with my Super A and the generator actually caught fire. I took the belt off and finished my day as I had a new battery. A couple of days later I went to my usual auto electric shop. I told him I need this generator fixed quick, and it has to be 6 volt as I have a new battery. His responce, "Quick with that old generator will be 2 weeks as I don't have the parts, quick with a new 6 volt alternator will be 5 minutes, just give me time to change the internal regulator to 6 volt."

As I said that was 15 years ago, the system has operated trouble free ever since and only two years ago I replaced that 6 volt battery. My lights on that tractor are as bright as any of my 12 volt tractors. In fact in the late 90s I had 6 lights on that Super A, two head lights, one down each side for cultivating and two at rear. That system never faltered with the alternator behind it.

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chadd

03-25-2007 17:33:08




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 Re: Dim 6V lights in reply to Hugh MacKay, 03-25-2007 16:29:04  
When the lights are on high beam setting, the amperage gauge never deflects to the negative setting, and stays just a tad above the zero line. The generator was just rebuilt and the regulator is new. The trouble all began when it sat in a damp shed under the barn for a year while I replaced the clutch. When I pulled it out, the headlights wouldn't work at all. I had to take them off and clean the connection to the bar and then to the frame for them to start working. Ever since then, the lights have seemed dim. I am just wondering if maybe something else lost its ground from being in that shed. . .

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Gary in Mozarks

03-25-2007 21:07:42




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 Re: Dim 6V lights in reply to chadd, 03-25-2007 17:33:08  
No matter how you cut it, the lower the voltage a system has the more critical the connections and ground are. also heavier wires) Having worked on a lot of old 6 volt cars, and assuming the generator is working correctly, I would suggest the ground is the culprit. Dialectic grease will help alot on the connections to keep them from coroding.



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Hugh Mackay

03-25-2007 18:00:21




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 Re: Dim 6V lights in reply to chadd, 03-25-2007 17:33:08  
chadd: I gave you my honost opinion, maybe I should have been a bit more precise, there is noting wrong with 6 volt systems, it's just those damn generators. They are not worth a tinkers damn, don't care how well they test.



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dave guest

03-25-2007 16:19:52




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 Re: Dim 6V lights in reply to chadd, 03-25-2007 14:24:30  
If you raise the charging voltage they will be brighter. Get a real accurate reading on it. Maybe a problem since you have I assume 3 lights that went dim.



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