some help please

[plym_46]

With the car idling at a high idle, use a jumper wire to temprorarily ground the field psot of the gennerator, This will bypass the Voltage regulator and the ammeter should peg to full charge.? If it does the genny is fine.? A fully charged battery will not call for a lot of amperage so the ammeter may show neutral or very slight charge.? they you know the VR is doing its job.? Also with the car idling, turn on the headlights, you should see a higher level of current flow on the ammeter and it should taper off as the initial current needed by the lamps is replaced.

The other thing you want to do is assure your cables are properly sized for 6 V, many times over the year thin 12V cables are substituted for the 1 or 0 gauge wires needed by the 6 V system.  6V is based on current flow, the thincker the cables the less resistance the more current flow.

[48 Beauty]

the battery was, indeed, in wrong. the amp meter no longer goes positive when i turn the key without starting it. i hope the generator is now charging the battery and everything will be fine. thanks guys! mike :D

[Pandanom]

Positive ground on all 6-volt Plymouths.? And make sure you have 6 volt cables, not 12 volt.? If the cables aren't as thick as your thumb, they are 12 volt and will cause all kinds of problems.

Amazing what can be learned here! I've never known there was a difference.
Jim

[Jim Benjaminson]

Positive ground on all 6-volt Plymouths.  And make sure you have 6 volt cables, not 12 volt.  If the cables aren't as thick as your thumb, they are 12 volt and will cause all kinds of problems.

[TodFitch]

Pandanom told you how you can see what your car is currently set up as. From the factory it came as positive ground.

[Pandanom]

Follow either battery cable and see which one goes to the frame or ground.

Take your generator to a shop for testing and/or repair. A good shop can test the regulator too.

[48 Beauty]

1. how can I test for generator output with a bad or faulty regulator? 2. Some people say my battery is a positive ground others say it is a negative ground. Which is it. I have a 1948 plymouth super deluxe. thank you, mike ???