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Re: more charging issues. plus a dicky starter

Brian.

Sorry. Theres a typo in the original post. Its a 1930 saloon. Short wheelbase steel body. Without getting too technical a stumpy version of yours.

I must admit. The starter was in the boxes of bits that came with dads 1930 chummy and was fitted without even an inspection. And has worked trouble free since (20years).

My engine is direcly earthed with a strap to one of the gearbox lid studs. So I rather hope Ive a good earth. Perhaps I should take the ali casting off over the flywheel and give all surfaces a clean?.

Inside the coppery strips (commutator?) Does seem worn, and they seem to nearly touch. Yet the brushes have lots of life in them as did the springs. There was a little wear to be felt in the back bush.

Location: not north wales any more

Re: more charging issues. plus a dicky starter

Re. Charging problems.
The symptoms you describe would indicate that the cut-out control winding is not doing it's job. This could be due to the winding being open circuit or there is a broken or faulty connection. First, check that the E (earth) terminal is properly earthed.
Using a digital meter (Yes these are ideal for measuring low resistance, but little else!) Measure the resistance from the E terminal to earth/ body /chassis /engine. Ideally this should read 0 ohms, but in practice this is seldom achieved and a couple of ohms is acceptable. More than 5 ohms needs to be investigated. If this is OK, remove all wires from the cut-out and measure the resistance between the D and E terminals. For a 6 volt cut out this is usually between 35 and 40 ohms.(double for a 12 volt version)
If this reading is infinity or high (say 100 ohms or more) the cut out can be assumed to be faulty. Further investigation of the cut-out might enable it to be repaired.
If the above doesn't identify the problem, there are a few other checks that can be made.
Good luck,
Vince

Location: MOONRAKER COUNTRY

Re: more charging issues. plus a dicky starter

You really need an analogue meter for measuring charging rates, such as an avo 7 or 8. A radio ham pal of mine has just bought one for me £12, which includes 2 brand new leads.

Roly

Location: Upton upon Severn

Re: more charging issues. plus a dicky starter

Sorry to be contrary but the car ammeter is sufficient to check currents. The scale can be vaguely checked from the head and tail lamp consumption; total watts divided by 6.
Other amp meters, including the ammeter function of multimeters, tend to be expensive, very easily wrecked by accidental excess current, and may introduce a confusing resistance.
The question here is not so much current but whether or not the dynamo is regularly initiating voltage generation, and whether or not the cutout is receiving/responding.

Location: Auckland, NZ