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In this Discussion
- Geoff C., N.Z. July 2012
- hudsontech July 2012
- Park_W July 2012
- Richie July 2012
- RonS July 2012
- SuperDave July 2012
- TOM-WA- July 2012
- Uncle Josh July 2012
STUPID BATTERY QUESTION
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Yes, the car will start and run, but the voltage regulator will hiccup for a while until the generator becomes re-polarised. Also the spark will be a little weaker, and it could be hard to start when hot. Put it back in correctly, and re-polarise the generator by temporarily shorting the B and A terminal on the regulator.If you're stuck in a hole, stop digging.
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Yikes, how come my post went in thrice???If you're stuck in a hole, stop digging.
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Old age jitters making you shaky Geoff??? LOL
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Be aware that there are male and female batteries. You can tell a female because both terminals are negative.
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Park, I did, I assumed that they had run it at some point. If it was not started at all just switching it around would probably be OK. I bought a car in that same situation and noticed right away the ampmeter worked backwards. The PO said it had been that way for a year. I killed the battery, reinstalled it and polarized the gen. and it has worked fine for the last year and a half. Thanks for pointing that out. Richie.
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Where it gets kind if dicey is on the old-timers that only have the "cutout" relay for the generator. Unlike the later VR's, it doesn't care which way the current is going, so as soon as there's about 7 volts to close the relay, it's now basically a 12 or 13v dead short with the battery. The wire from the cutout relay can get very hot.
RonS, Geoff is correct in his comments above. There's really nothing that's polarity sensitive except the ignition coil, and the only that happens there is you lose about 15% of the spark voltage. Steve Engel, our radio guru, says some of the radios back in the thirties are polarity sensitive. But you can tell right away if the polarity's wrong ... everyone talks backward. -
OK I REINSTALLED THE BATTERY WITH POSITIVE GROUND, BUT I RE POLARIZED THE GENERATOR BY JUMPING THE REGULATOR FROM B TO A.
I DID THIS WITH THE CAR NOT RUNNIING AND I AM STILL HAVING PROBLEMS WITH
VERY SLOW CRANKING FROM THE STARTER WHEN THE CAR IS HOT...
DO I NEED TO RE POLARIZE WHEN THE CAR IS RUNNING AND IS IT POSSIBLE THAT I DAMAGED THE STARTER WHEN I HAD THE GROUND REVERSED?
THANKS,
TOM -
No, you could not possibly do any damage to the starter, and no you don't need to do any more to re-polarise. check that your cables are heavy enough, and do a voltage-drop test whilst the starter is cranking. It could be your battery needs charging, or is suspect.If you're stuck in a hole, stop digging.
