ammeter... previously posted

A. Bohemian, Dunk and Phil I hope this might answer your questions. I would appreciate any new info, Thanks

Yep. The fact that you are NOT showing a 3 amp or so discharge with the ignition thrown but the engine runs well can only mean the ammeter is defective or installed incorrectly.

The ignition system needs 3 amps or so to make good spark, and I imagine if the engine runs well and can pull a load, it is probably getting it.

In addition, if the voltage check prescribed by Bob shows a hair over seven volts or a little better, you should be showing several amps charge when the engine is running.

A question: what kind of experience do you have with electronics?

Conversly, you can take a battery charger and clamp the appropriate polarity to battery ground, and then touch the other clamp to the other side of the ammeter.. the one with the wire coming from the genny.. then it should show a positive deflection as the charger charges the battery.

Soundguy

I hope the "VOLT" was a typo, An ammeter measures
AMPS.

You may have a bad Gauge. Even if your Gen is
not charging (+ve Amps), the Battery would then be supplying Current(discharge)to the Ignition.

Those meters are very sensitive, passing a Small Magnet across the back will usually deflect the meter needle.

The Zero condition will only happen when your battery is fully charged & the Gen OP is only suppling the ignition. That would be rare.

The other possibility is that someone rewired your tractor such that the meter is Bypassed. Remove one wire from the meter, does your tractor still start & Run?

Hope This Helps,

The above would be an instructive diagnostic to run at this point, cotton.

I promise that is true, I have done it lots of times.

I am gonna go with that, and the fact that I was an electrician for many years.

Had some aggravating current in my limbs a few times over that time.

Maybe I am "polarized"...

Dan

It works, but barely. Mine will go to 10+ when at idle, then show zero when at cruising RPM's.

I did get lucky with hooking up the correct wires to show Positive when charging. I still have my NAA as a 6V positive ground. So, the correct wiring is the wire that runs to the relay goes to the neg Ammeter post, and the Positive ammeter wire runs to the terminal block.

I know this does nothing for your question, but figured I'd toss in my 2cents since I just replaced the ammeter.... for what it was worth.

Muskie

Muskie

(MANY digital voltmeters are confused by all the "electrical noise" from the charging and ignition systems on these old machines, and MAY give erratic readings, hence the advice to use an analog voltmeter.)

Is cutting that wire, not the same, as far as the genny is concerned, as removing the battery from the tractor?

Does it not need to be polorized?

I know you know the answer to that.

With the engine stopped, the cutout or cutout section of the voltage regulator is "open", and there's NO battery power to the generator, anyway.

HOWEVER, if the system was NOT previously functioning, polarizing it MAY get it charging again.

Sitting unused for a LONG time, or disassembly of the generator often necessitate polarizing of the generator, as well as if a battery has been connected backwards, and the engine has been started.

Absolutely. Otherwise we"d have to polarize EVERY time we changed a battery.

If we DID have to polarize everytime we changed a battery, I"ll bet everyone would know how to do it in their sleep and their wouldn"t be so many questions about it.

And it answers exactly what I asked you very well.

I couldn"t deal with that genny x 3 @ $65 ea.

I guess I am just a rectified AC kinda guy.