Ford 4500 Starter question

[csthompson12]

Hello, Recently got a 77' (I think) Ford 4500 backhoe good running condition. I went to add some lights to the cab, and come to find out that the cab itself was the positive (not the ground like I would suspect).

So I traced the battery cables and the negative cable goes to the starter solenoid, and the positive goes to the started case, which a assume is what is giving me the positive ground throughout the tractor.

Did someone reverse the wires or is this correct? I looked in the manual for the tractor and it does say the ground is negative.

 

[whodat526]

i have never seen a 4500 with postive ground just some old 8n's that was still 6 volt. they need to be negative ground i would switch the two battery cabbles around

 

[csthompson12]

Yeah that what I'm thinkin. Does anyone have a 4500 to verify where the negate lead from the battery goes? Thanks

 

[Soundguy]

I bet you got a generator on that then.. and not an alternator?

as far as I know.. by 65 everything ford was negative ground.

soundguy

 

[csthompson12]

It is a generator, which I would like to convert to alternator. Do they make a kit to do that?

 

[whodat526]

if its a diesel it goes the the lug on the very back of the starter casing or one of the bolts that holds the starter on

 

[csthompson12]

the ground your talking about, right? It is diesel.

 

[whodat526]

yes the ground wire the positive should go on the starter soleniod

 

[Soundguy]

yes the ground wire the positive should go on the starter soleniod

that came out a bit confusing. just to clarify..

on a ford diesel, they all left the factory negative ground.

thus negative to chassie

positive to starter

if it has a genny, and you are swapping polarity, repolarize.

if it is an alternator.. you can't swap polarities without alt rebuild.

to answer a previous question.

yes you can have a gen rebuilt as an alt for alot of money. there are places that do it on the web.

you can swap a alt in for a gen as well.. but if your tach is run off the gen.. you either loose tach, get a spendy alt with tach drive.. or get an alt tach drive and usually new cluster..

soundguy

 

[whodat526]

yes i ment to say it like this the negative is the ground wire thus should ground to the starter casing are the starter mounting bolts and the positive wire should be connected to the starter soleniod and the 4500 ford has a 12 volt geny and came from the fatory with a negative ground wire

thanks for bring that to my attention it even confused me after i read it again