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Rebuilt Generator Issue. Trying to polarize, won't spin
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evanfrucht
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PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2021 12:47 pm    Post subject: Rebuilt Generator Issue. Trying to polarize, won't spin Reply with quote

I rebuilt a generator some time ago. I tested the armature with a mutimeter and determined it was good to the best of my ability. Cleaned all parts very well, did proper research. Did a really clean job putting it together actually. Rewrapped the windings with some fiberglass electical tape. Solid solder connections everywhere. New brushes/bearings too.

Basically now it's all installed on my new engine and I went to polarize it ( connected DF to negative battery terminal and D+ to postive battery terminal) and I get a little bit of sparking at the terminal when I touch the hot wire to D+

But the damn thing is not spinning?

Any idea what/where the problem might be?
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evanfrucht
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PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2021 12:56 pm    Post subject: Re: Rebuilt Generator Issue. Trying to polarize, won't spin Reply with quote

Well now I just tried to polarize another generator which I KNOW is good. This one came off my old engine that was running / charging fine. Same results with this one... no spinning and sparking when I touch the hot wire.

I also tried grounding DF to the generator body instead of the battery ground and same thing, except it makes no sparks then.

What am I doing wrong?
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PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2021 1:48 pm    Post subject: Re: Rebuilt Generator Issue. Trying to polarize, won't spin Reply with quote

Ok I'm still having an issue, or maybe an issue, but I figured out I had it wired wrong... lol

Now that I have it wired correctly it makes a small little rotational movement, almost like a flicker of life or a jolt you might call it. Very small little twitch of the pulley, almost like it wants to spin BUT it still wont fully spin around around like a motor or something.
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PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2021 2:03 pm    Post subject: Re: Rebuilt Generator Issue. Trying to polarize, won't spin Reply with quote

Have you tried spinning by hand when wired properly?
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PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2021 2:34 pm    Post subject: Re: Rebuilt Generator Issue. Trying to polarize, won't spin Reply with quote

Ya I've tried "helping" it but it's still not spinning. I still get the little sparks at the terminal when trying to connect it. The pulley visibly twitches like it wants to start spinning.

Also, is it supposed to spin the opposite direction when polarizing?
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PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2021 3:09 pm    Post subject: Re: Rebuilt Generator Issue. Trying to polarize, won't spin Reply with quote

evanfrucht wrote:
I also tried grounding DF to the generator body instead of the battery ground and same thing, except it makes no sparks then.

What am I doing wrong?


Maybe try connecting neg battery post to BOTH D- and DF, like it shows in the Bentley manual? Maybe the ground
connection between gen body and battery (-) is not as good as one would like.
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PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2021 4:09 pm    Post subject: Re: Rebuilt Generator Issue. Trying to polarize, won't spin Reply with quote

When I worked at Fisher Buggies in the 90s I don’t ever recall having to polarize a generator. We just bolted them on hooked them up and they worked.
I don’t think we were idiots but maybe we could’ve been
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PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2021 8:04 pm    Post subject: Re: Rebuilt Generator Issue. Trying to polarize, won't spin Reply with quote

Well... I must be somewhat of a dingus Laughing

Wired it wrong twice... second time I could of sworn I got it right, lol.

After I got my wits together and hooked it up correctly she spun like a top Cool

Incase anyone did it wrong like me and is wondering the answer to my original question... the DF terminal needs to be grounded to BOTH the battery negative and the generator housing. If you just do either one, it wont work.
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PostPosted: Sun May 09, 2021 9:00 am    Post subject: Re: Rebuilt Generator Issue. Trying to polarize, won't spin Reply with quote

evanfrucht wrote:
the DF terminal needs to be grounded to BOTH the battery negative and the generator housing. If you just do either one, it wont work.


Do for just a few seconds.
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