2 Wire alternator....

[BigPete]

Just looking for some much appreciated assistance again....my 62 bird was losing charge, so while going through all the checks for registration, I got an auto electrician to check it out. He said the alternator, which was a single wire job replacing the old generator, was drawing the current and flattening the battery. He replaced it with a two wire alternator. Seems to charge fine, and battery stays charged. Charge light goes out after car starts. Unfortunately, while driving home from the workshop last night, it started missing and cutting out and losing power. So I got about 100 metres from home, but that was it. As the coil still seems to be the original (there is only about 76,000 miles on this thing, if the speedo is correct), and looked a bit shabby, I decided to try changing it with one in the shed (gt40), but still no luck. So the young bloke and I pushed it home. Bloody freezing outside tonight when I got home, so I am waiting till Saturday to play with it.

What I need to know, has anyone encountered this problem, and could it be related to the alternator? The warmer the car got, the worse it ran)

Can anybody tell me what model points, condensor and coil, etc, I should get that is available in Australia from stores like Repco to suit the car?

What have other Aussies done about the lack of engine number on these donks for rego?

And finally, is there a good Thunderbird supply place in Oz?

Thanks again guys, I look forward to your wisdom and experience to helping me out (again),

- Pete

[simplyconnected]

G'day Pete... I'm in Detroit where it's 35*C and too hot to paint the house until the temps drop a bit.

I need a lot more infomation to answer your questions. The original concern regarding the 'bad' alt sounds like a shorted diode. Your mechanic was right to change it.

ANY alternator can have a shorted diode at any time. That is why it's so important to put a fuse on the large alternator wire, so the battery can't unload to ground. When this happens, it's a dead short and the alt wire (and engine ground wire) can easily burn up. Not having an alt fuse is exactly like not having a Fire Department in your neighborhood; you never really need one until you have a fire.

Now that the damage is done, check all your wires including your ground (NEG) wires. Give them a shake. Check for burned connectors, hard and cracking insulation, dull-orange-coloured copper, or any signs that the wiring should be replaced.

When your car gave out, did it overheat? Did you run out of water or oil? What did it smell like?

Do you have a volt meter?
Can you check:
The presence of 12-volts at the top of your coil? If not, your ballast resistor may be bad or the ground wire to your engine may be bad.

When you get the engine running, your battery charging voltage should be at least 13.5-volts.

Normally, points don't immediately fail with heat. Condensers and coils could, but not likely.

Ford didn't use engine numbers back then. The closest you can check for is casting numbers, just to make sure the castings are older than your car's build date. This is a blessing for restorers because Ford used the same parts across many lines of trucks and cars.

Maybe some of our distinguished members from Oz can answer your specific questions regarding parts houses over there. Your engine setup is simple. All of your tuneup parts should be available over there. For example, your points were used across many Ford car & trunk lines from 1957-74.

[BigPete]

She's a runner!!!!!

Lee,

Thanks for the tips mate.....wish it was 35 degrees here, that's a nice summers day for us, but no matter what the temperature is, I try and avoid painting anyway!!!!

OK, so I replaced the coil, condenser and points, and she runs beautifully, apart from that leaky exhaust manifold, where some clown has tried to weld the manifold to the head, but I will get some extractors for that soon.

I am presuming that the new alternator somehow cooked the old coil, which I think was the original, so it was probably close to giving the game anyway, or the condenser. Anyway, I replaced all those ignition components, and she purrs again.

For any other Aussies on here, the points were Bosch GF82V, and the condenser Bosch GF79-C, and the coil just a 12volt GT40, external resistor. All from Repco. As Lee said, just ask for Ford truck 390ci.

In my searches for the right parts, I came across RockAuto.com, which I guess most of you guys in the states are familiar with, but that I had never heard of. A good variety of parts at good prices, so I will be going there for other stuff in the future as well.

So thanks for the help, will keep you posted!!!!

- Pete

[simplyconnected]

Pete, I'm very happy to hear your engine is back again. You did well by hunting down parts for your engine.

Rockauto.com is one of our members here. So are many other vendors. Some have genuine, old, hard to find Squarebird parts. Rockauto only carries new parts, but they have great prices and sometimes they offer 5% discounts. You should check out our vendor list.

A bad alternator cannot ruin your condensor or coil, but excessive heat can. Keep a close eye on your TEMP gauge.

I still suggest you install a fuse in series with your alternator wire. Other members have asked about details, so I will start a new thread and supply real part numbers and wire sizes.

I cannot stress enough; please make sure your ground wires are securely connected to the battery, engine, and car body. - Dave Dare

[BigPete]

Nope...still happening.....

Well I was wrong.....not quite purring anymore. The other day I took her for a long drive, and on the way out (all country roads at 100pkh) after a while, she started missing again intermittently. Didn't stop though. It would then run well for a while, then miss again. Got to town and she idled around beautifully. On the way home, she started doing the same thing, and eventually came to a stop, and wouldn't start. All up about a one hour round trip. After about 3/4 of an hour she started first kick, and didn't miss a beat on the way home.

Obviously the fault is something to do with temperature. Tomorrow I am going to get around and check every connection, earth and lead I can find. Plugs and leads will be next. The temperature gauge seems to work OK, showing about 1/3 when running, and then increasing when the car is switched off. No signs of oil in the water or water in the oil, so I believe the heads are still good. I really am thinking ignition system. Maybe vacuum advance? But I was wondering if anyone could tell me if the ballast resistor could have this effect if it was stuffed?

Anyway, any advice and suggestions gratefully received,

Thanks again all,

- Pete

[simplyconnected]

Usually, bad ballast resistors will kill the engine because they normally open. They NEVER repair themselves.

Bad coils can act like you describe. I know you changed it once but do it again with a 'known' good coil. Be careful, coils come with an internal resistor or they need an external resistor. It's usually written on the bottom of the coil.

Another cause could be from a valve sticking open. Then when oil flow resumes, they start working again. Pull your rocker arm covers off and look carefully at bottoms of the rocker arm shafts. When no pressure is on a rocker arm, you should be able to slide it to the side. Look for deep grooves and scoring with a small mirror. The only ones you cannot check are the ends. Then, I would start the engine and watch for oil flow.

If rocker arms are run, 'dry' you may not know for a long time. Erosion from friction (valve lash) is taken up by the hydraulic lifters. Fortunately, all these parts are very available. - Dave