More Electrical problems

also, i am assuming it has been converted since it is using a 12 volt battery. there is a little white board thing with a connector going to ignition switch and the other going to the coil.

Where does the ammeter hook up??'

Where does the tachometer hook up??

Do you really have an old style alternator conversion.. like a 60's or 70's alternator that uses an external voltage regulator? Or do you have a generator that uses the voltage regulator.

Most modern alternators have internal voltage regulators.. not external ones.

Now.. as Dell said.. many people add a dropping resistor to the 6v coil to use it on a 12v system... IMHO.. it's better to just get a real 12v coil.

Also.. I'm guessing that when you said that the system voltage dropped when you hit the ignition switch.. and then the solenoid clicked.. you really meant starter switch.. and not ignition switch.. If your system voltage drops when the wimpy 4 amp ignition comes on.. then the battery is bone-dead.

If your system voltage drops when you hit the starter button and the solenoid engages 9clicks ).. then the battery is badly discharged or.. just ..bad.

Yor 4 wire solenoid is not oem.. however sounds like it may be hooked up ok.. a hot wire to one isolated post.. and the other isolated post to the thumb button for ground.. etc. Normally the solenoid would be a 3 terminal unit.. however the 4 terminal iso unit will work as specified.

Soundguy

8N's came from the factory with 6-volt battery and 3-terminal starter solenoids. The starter solenoid is internally HOT and operated by GROUNDING the little middle terminal by yer BIG thumb starter push-button by the tranny shifter. Iff'n yer 6v starter solenoid just clicks and draggs yer 12v battery down from 11.7 (should be about 12.6) to 8.9 volts. Guess what? YER 12V BATTERY IS BAD.

Many 12v converters continue to use the OEM 6-volt roundcan ignition coil and a white ceramic 12v-to-6v convering resistor, 'cuz its cheap. Me? I'd use a real 12v roundcan coil and NO resistor. NAPA IC-14SB is a real 12v coil that uses NO resistors.

Tachometer is speedometer cable driven from the back of the governor.

Unfortunately, many 12v conversions are a fly-by-nite "band-aide" to start a worn-out engine..... ....respectfully, Dell, a 12v advocate for the right reasons

That said, I haven't found the right reason for my eazy starting 6-volt 52 8N, and I know how to do it right the first time. Infact I know 8-ways to do it right and they all work.

As for yer 4-post starter solenoid, theres 2-types and its hard to guess which one you have. 1-type is an ignition coil resistor by-pass for starting purposes. The OTHER type is isolated coil with externally supplied HOT and ground terminals wires thru the ignition key switch, but not necessarily, could come from yer voltage regulator as described.

You ask how yer battery gitts its charge? It should be intuitively obvious that the voltage regulator HEAVY wire going to the battery is how the battery gitts it charge. Usually that same wire is fed thru the ampmeter to indicate how much you are charging/discharging the battery..... ...respectfully, Dell

Don't confuse the ignition switch with the starter switch.

Yer description of a toggle switch providing sparkie power is the ignition switch circuit. Normally provided by the OEM key operated ignition switch.

Yer description of an aftermarket "push-button" ignition switch implies that the BIG tranny push-button interlocked safety thumb STARTER switch has been by-passed. NOT GOOD.

As for yer ampmeter. ALL ELECTRICAL STUFF needs a goes-into annna cumms-outta wire. Yer OEM dashboard ampmeter is kinda different iff'n its a "loop" ampmeter. Yer battery charging wire goes thru the loop like thread and needle. And iff'n it don't indicate "charge" (+) when you know its supposed to be charging you went thru the loop backwards. It don't hurt the ampmeter to operate backwards, afterall its a center = zero meter.

Now then, iff'n yer ampmeter is a 2-terminal replacement ampmeter, itt'll require both the goes-into and cumms-outta wires. Again, iff'n it don't indicate "charge" (+) when you know its supposed to be charging, just swapp the goes-into with the cumms-outta wire terminals. And again, yer ampmeter don't care 6 or 12volts, afterall its an ampmeter, NOT a voltmeter..... ....respectfully, Dell, the flunking mindreader

its kinda like a safety seat switch on riding mowers. If you dont have that button push down, tractor won"t start. Some cares are the same way. Honda S2000 has an ignition switch with a key and then a push button starter switch. Key switch keeps electronics running, push button engages starter motor only.