Charging system

[dwarren]

I took my 60 bird out for its madden voyage and low and behold the battery went dead as I was visiting friends. Couldn't get it started and had to flat bed it home. I have been told that I should polarize the generator along with a new battery, however I am unsure how to do this. Are there photos and an explanation that would help?

[jopizz]

Once your generator is polarized you should not have to do it again, even if you disconnect the battery. Did your GEN light come on while you were driving. If not then it's not a polarization issue. Does the GEN light come on when you turn the key on. If not then it's probably burned out. Your generator will NOT charge with a dead bulb. Do you have the shop manual? If not then you need to get one as it will have detailed instructions and photos on how to troubleshoot your charging system. The first thing to do is put a voltmeter across the battery and rev the engine to about 1500-2000 rpm. You should see about 13.5-14.5 volts. Do you know the history of the car including when the generator was last replaced/rebuilt and how old the voltage regulator is.

John

[dwarren]

Thank you. No the gen light did not come on while driving, yes it is on when the key is turned. Don't have a shop manual yet, don't know the history. Will reach out to the previous owner. Thank you for the information

[jopizz]

As mentioned I would put a voltmeter across the battery to see exactly what your generator is outputting. It could just be a battery that won't take a charge. Generators are not like alternators. They will only output at a certain rpm or when the battery drops below a certain voltage. Also make sure the generator belt is tight.

John

[YellowRose]

David, you should be able to buy a shop manual for that Tbird from any of the Tbird parts stores. I suggest you buy the CD version. That way, when working on a problem with the Bird, you can print out just the pages you need to troubleshoot the problem and take them to the car with you. Then you dont get grease all over the pages of your book. If you do get grease on what you printed out, when finished with them, you can throw them in the trash. You can buy the Shop Manual for your year of Tbird from the Bird Nest in Oregon, for $24.95 on CD. The book costs you $12 more.... Your option...

[jopizz]

David,

We also have a number of manuals in PDF form that we make available to our paid members including the 1960 shop manual. Membership is $20 yearly so that's another way you can get one.

John

[simplyconnected]

Thank you. No the gen light did not come on while driving, yes it is on when the key is turned...

So, you turn your key to 'on' and your GEN light shines? Does it still shine when your engine runs at about 1,500 RPM? At low idle, the light commonly is very dim but then it extinguishes with more engine speed. If this is true, you do NOT need to polarize. If you did need to polarize, your GEN light would shine at full brilliance under all conditions.

A shining GEN light means, power from your key switch goes through the light bulb filament, continues to your voltage regulator, then it continues to your generator, through one brush, through the armature, and finally through the second brush to ground. This is why John was concerned about the GEN light. He is right about confirming the bulb is good.

First, clean your battery connections real well. Check your battery's ground wire and your generator's ground wire at BOTH ends. Give it a shake. Check your three generator wires and their connections at the generator and at the voltage regulator. For instance, if your Field wire was open, you would have the symptoms you described.

All the other checks depend on solid connections. Don't jump to conclusions without trying accepted troubleshooting practices without distraction because many times, faults are caused by simple causes. We can talk about generator brushes, voltage regulator problems, bad battery, etc. Let's cross that bridge when we come to it. - Dave

[dwarren]

Thanks to everyone who responded. I have solved the issue, along with some from the previous owner. There was a vacuum port left open, a spark plug with no gap, and a pug wire that was arcing in the distributor cap. Fine tuned the carb along with the new points cap etc now she purrs like a kitten ...well like a small tiger.

[simplyconnected]

I took my 60 bird out for its madden voyage and low and behold the battery went dead as I was visiting friends. Couldn't get it started and had to flat bed it home...

...There was a vacuum port left open, a spark plug with no gap, and a pug wire that was arcing in the distributor cap...

I've been doing this for a very long time but your answer has NOTHING to do with the symptoms you presented. Spark plug gaps and vacuum lines have no ties to your GEN light or a dead battery. Something smells awfully fishy.