71 Bus Dead Generator???

[Sylvester]

Driving home from Guard today the GAN light came on. Pull off road and check belt, spinning happily so I go on home. Notice I am not getting any charging to the battery, I have a dash VDO gauge. So come home and tighten belt, it was loose, no help. Get volt meter and it is fried, do not know how. Get other meter, check battery and 12.2 V. SO I check the volts off the generator, I check one pole then another, I get ZERO volts??? Could I really have a DEAD and completely dead generator? What else can I check before I have to rip this out? Could it be a dead voltage regulator, and no current is leaving the generator? I checked the brushes and the wire I soldered on the inside a few months ago, all is good. No fuses blown.

[dingo]

follow the short procedure in the first diagram, and also the 2nd diagram. very simple

http://www.nls.net/mp/volks/htm/gen.htm

[Sylvester]

I will do that troubleshooting guide today. But I ask, why did I net get any dc reading from the generator? Is that a tell-tale sign that the generator is gone, even if the brushes look fine?

Is it at all pOssible that the voltage regulator is dead and no current is leaving the generator because there is no circuit now? Does that make sense?

I ask because I find it hard to believe I am not getting any current from the generator, not one volt.

[dingo]

you need to jumper the gen as described in above link..it has to be energized to have any output....if you do the test and still nothing, THEN you are free to start dissassembly of gen.

[Sylvester]

I figured it out, and it helped that it was daylight today. I looked into the engine compartment and the ground between the regulator and the generator had a short in it, it fried itself. It was crunchy crisp, I never did smell anything. I spotted a couple of spots that were minus some plastic coating and it had shorted. So using the fix the obvious method, I replaced this wire and started Sam up. No red ALT light, and charging on the meter. SO I answered my question, if the regulator is fried, or the ground wire from the regulator to the generator, then NO current will show on a voltmeter coming from the generator.

I bet you did not know that.

Thanks Dingo for that link, I printed that generator test out for future reference. You are da man.

[dingo]

glad to hear it was an easy fix !!

[Sylvester]

Yesterday out of the blue my GEN light comes on. Belt there, limped on home. After seeing .79 volts come from the generator, I took off the front off the generator and noticed my soldered on line had come loose. Easy fix tonight, but not a fun one.