NO Charge

[IHPWR]

quick question, cub was charging last season, no charge now. Been sitting with battery unhooked all winter. Has new battery, new cut out vr, new ammeter, and rebuilt gen. Shows discharge when turning switch to lights, but no charge on low or high charge. Would the gen need to be repolarized since it was sitting unhooked for some time? This is a 50 cub with cut out and distributor/coil.

[Jim Becker]

Polarizing the generator is like chicken soup, it can't hurt. It needs to be done whenever it has been to a rebuild shop (and probably any time somebody has been doing any troubleshooting of the charging system). Otherwise it usually isn't needed.

Were any of your new/rebuilt items installed after last fall or were they all in place when it was charging? Either way, the first thing to do is make sure all connections are good, including the grounds (ground of the light switch is a prime suspect). There is a trouble shooting chart that gets posted every so often that will help isolate the problem.

Link added:
download/file.php?id=28801&mode=view

[IHPWR]

No, all new parts installed last year during restoration. Was charging in fall, now this spring it is not. Will look at wiring diagram and grounds.

[IHPWR]

so after doing some testing, showing cut out is bad. This was brand new last year, has 10 hours on it, maybe. The cut out portion operates normally, but the other side which is supposed to open and close rapidly does nothing. I have ordered another, but rather frustrating. These are very expensive, does anyone know if these can be repaired at an alternator shop?

[staninlowerAL]

IMO it's getting harder and harder to find a good electrical repair shop that can do this. I prefer a mini denso clone one wire, self exciting alternator and go with 12v conversion (it's about the size of your fist). Purists will chastise me but that's OK. You can fit it in such a way that unless someone decides to look up under the hood it will not be seen by the correct police. Just my 2 cents worth.

[Glen]

Hi,
I'm not sure from what you wrote above which electrical system the Cub has.
The cutout, or Relay, IH called it, was mounted on top of the generator, and has 3 wires that connect to it.
The voltage regulator was mounted on a bracket beside the gen, and is partly out from under the hood. It has 4 wires.
The Relay was used first on Cubs. IH changed to the voltage regulator during 1950 at Cub serial number 115403.
The Battery Ignition unit came out at that serial number also. Some Cubs with a magneto were changed to a Battery Ignition unit later.

[IHPWR]

Glen, my original post kind of explained my electrical system. It was put back to original 6v positive ground as previous owner had incorrect parts and wired wrong. I am going to try new cut out and see how long it lasts. At close to 200 bucks for another regulator, it may be cheaper to switch to 12 volt in long term if these parts dont last. Would like to keep original, but also want it to be dependable.

[Clemsonfor]

Glen, my original post kind of explained my electrical system. It was put back to original 6v positive ground as previous owner had incorrect parts and wired wrong. I am going to try new cut out and see how long it lasts. At close to 200 bucks for another regulator, it may be cheaper to switch to 12 volt in long term if these parts dont last. Would like to keep original, but also want it to be dependable.

I know you get what you pay for but you can find a regulator cheaper than that! You don't have much to loose, your last one lasted a year so it's not like it was high quality. I'd try a cheapo...or personally id probably go 12v anyway especially since my battery is now a few years old and I will have to get a new one soon anyway.

[staninlowerAL]

In my area, You can get an alternator like I described above, a 12v coil and battery for less than $200.

[tst]

you may be able to clean and adjust the cutout, if its not working you have nothing to lose by trying

[JohnMihevic]

I have a '48 Cub with cutout relay. Are you sure the original is bad? The cutout is just a simple relay coil with contacts that connect the armature of the generator to the battery when the Cub is running and then drops out when the Cub is Off, so that the generator does not try to "motor". A voltage regulator is more complicated than a cut out relay and fails often.

When I rebuilt my generator, I tried polarizing it and couldn't get it to work. What I did, with the Cub running, was momentarily touch a jumper wire from the negative terminal of the battery (power post on starting motor) to the "A" (armature) terminal of the generator. After that, the generator starting charging and has been working ever since then. There was enough residual magnetism in the field poles for the generator to work. Also, this simultaneously energized the cut out relay coil. Be careful with that jumper wire that you touch to the power post on the starting motor -- if the other end of the jumper touches any metal (chassis ground) on the Cub, this will be a direct short circuit on the battery, and you will see a few sparks.

John M.

[IHPWR]

Update, cleaned non working cut out, recleaned all grounds, still not charging. Installed new cut cut out, now charging. Will have to see if local gentleman can repair non working unit.

[station3020]

I'm still learning but can you run a 3 brush generator with a voltage regulator?

[Glen]

I'm still learning but can you run a 3 brush generator with a voltage regulator?

Hi,
Yes, the 3 brush generators that IH used on Cubs work with a voltage regulator.
The voltage regulator came out on Cubs at Cub serial number 115403, which was made in mid 1950.
IH used the 3 brush gen until during 1962, then they changed to a 2 brush gen, the Cub parts manual shows.
So there were many years they used the 3 brush gen with a voltage regulator. I have seen several Cubs with them, my Cub is that way.
IH also used the 3 brush gen with the cutout or Relay IH called it, that was up to serial number 115403.
The gens used with the Relay have a different Delco model number than the gens used with the voltage regulator.

[station3020]

Thanks Glen! I appreciate the history there. I was struggling trying to figure out the "proper" setup for a complete resto.