Hey folks,
I have acquired a pretty straight TE20 that needs rewiring among a couple other things. The wiring is pretty cobbled together. I have rewired a TEA20 before (12V one-wire alt) so it's familiar enough erritory. However, this one has some things going on that are unusual to me.
The system as it is wired is 12V positive ground. The battery (12V top post) shows 11.6V not running. Starter spins with no trouble (I suspect likely still 6V starter, so 11.6V should spin it well). The ignition coil has been replaced with a 12V coil marked no external resistor needed. Primary coil resistance is 3.5 Ohms which is in the normal range as far as I know. There is no ballast resistor in the circuit I can find, just many, many butt connectors...
There is still an original style voltage regulator wired into the circuit, and an original looking generator. I think the system is charging as I've run it for over 10 hours without any issue. While running, the voltage holds right around 11.6V, so perhaps it isn't charging? It was my understanding that a generator had to be rewound to charge 12V and the VR replaced, but perhaps this has occurred? (Or perhaps the previous owner, who knew little about the machine and apparently bought it off someone who "fixed it up", was misinformed?)
My question is, since the battery voltage seems low, is there something funny going on here with the generator and voltage regulator? As I plan to use this a dolled-up working tractor and not a full on restoration, would I be better off just to swap in a one-wire alternator? Appreciate any thoughts or feedback. Cheers.
I have acquired a pretty straight TE20 that needs rewiring among a couple other things. The wiring is pretty cobbled together. I have rewired a TEA20 before (12V one-wire alt) so it's familiar enough erritory. However, this one has some things going on that are unusual to me.
The system as it is wired is 12V positive ground. The battery (12V top post) shows 11.6V not running. Starter spins with no trouble (I suspect likely still 6V starter, so 11.6V should spin it well). The ignition coil has been replaced with a 12V coil marked no external resistor needed. Primary coil resistance is 3.5 Ohms which is in the normal range as far as I know. There is no ballast resistor in the circuit I can find, just many, many butt connectors...
There is still an original style voltage regulator wired into the circuit, and an original looking generator. I think the system is charging as I've run it for over 10 hours without any issue. While running, the voltage holds right around 11.6V, so perhaps it isn't charging? It was my understanding that a generator had to be rewound to charge 12V and the VR replaced, but perhaps this has occurred? (Or perhaps the previous owner, who knew little about the machine and apparently bought it off someone who "fixed it up", was misinformed?)
My question is, since the battery voltage seems low, is there something funny going on here with the generator and voltage regulator? As I plan to use this a dolled-up working tractor and not a full on restoration, would I be better off just to swap in a one-wire alternator? Appreciate any thoughts or feedback. Cheers.