Polarizing a generator

[plowhog]

I am trying to fire up an old gas powered tractor. I know it ran about 6 months ago because I started it. Then I removed the battery to charge it and now it behaves oddly. The dash gauges flash, and it won't turn the starter.

Reading the manual, it says to use a screwdriver to jump two of the terminals on the generator if you have disconnected and reconnected the battery. And it cautions to never touch the third terminal on the generator or bad things will happen. Of course those terminals are in an area nearly impossible to reach, and one of the leads going to one of the terminals was snipped off by someone in the past. I can't get close enough to even see the markings on the terminals to figure out which are the two I should jump vs. the one I should avoid.

The manual says this process is needed to properly polarize the generator. I've never heard of that. Does this sound right?

 

[Gem99ultra]

yep - that's exactly right, as most old-timers will verify. Thank goodness for alternators.

 

[TractorGuy]

These may sound like stupid questions. You didn't accidentally connect the battery backwards did you? Is it a positive ground system?

 

[Garandman]

If a mechanic’s mirror won’t do it, the flexible-tube video cameras are pretty cheap and there are add-ones for smart phones.

 

[plowhog]

This tractor has been poorly maintained. Baling wire, chewing gum, and hydraulic leaks a plenty.

The RED battery lead is connected to the minus terminal on the battery and it goes to ground. BLACK connects to the positive terminal and it goes to the starter solenoid. Agghh. I checked the manual and it is a negative ground system. So I believe it is wired correctly although the wrong colors are in place.

 

[RickB]

Too bad you managed to tell us everything except the brand and model of the tractor. There are two different charging systems Each with specific methods of polarizing the generator.

 

[plowhog]

International 3414.

 

[rScotty]

International 3414.

Do you have any wiring diagrams for that 3414? I'm pretty familiar with generators - but not with how any specific models are wired.
Do yours have a voltage regulator? Can you test that?
rScotty

 

[RickB]

With the battery connected with negative ground, take a jumper wire and briefly connect bat. To gen. at the regulator or take a longer wire and flash the positive battery post and ARM terminal on the generator.

 

[plowhog]

Thank you all. I do have a factory manual and I believe it has a usable wiring diagram. But I'm away from the property right now. I'll try to get and post it here when I can.

Off topic, I had momma bear and her cub on our front porch last night, then one of them knocked over my outside high voltage pull box, the one of them opened the sliding barn doors. Think there were only two based on remote viewing of cameras, but might learn more with local viewing of footage. Aggh. Teaching the cub how to be a nuisance bear isn't going to end well.

 

[TMGT]

Based on what you wrote the battery is connected backwards. A negative ground system should have the (-) connected to ground and the (+) connected to the starter solinoid.

 

[ruffdog]

Here is a generator flashing video.
Tractor's generator not charging? Try this... - YouTube

 

[RickB]

Here is a generator flashing video.
Tractor's generator not charging? Try this... - YouTube

Great for a Ford, not so much for the IH.

 

[plowhog]

The negative terminal is connected to ground. But it uses a RED cable. The black terminal goes to the starter solenoid. It is a BLACK cable. A lot of maintenance before me was shoddy. I think the wrong colors were used because the "right" colors were not handy at the time ....

 

[TMGT]

I read it a couple times and still read it wrong apparently, sorry about that, been working on about 3 hrs of sleep a day.
I usually disregard battery cable colors on equipment, especially older equipment for the same reasons.

Have to tested the battery voltage? Also I would go over all the connections and clean them up, are the gauges flashing when you hit the starter or all the time?

 

[Bigkrank]

You can search Google to be sure but I think your tractor is supposed to be positive ground so your cables are right, your battery is in wrong.

 

[TMGT]

You can search Google to be sure but I think your tractor is supposed to be positive ground so your cables are right, your battery is in wrong.

When I looked it up I found it listed both ways so I wasn't sure.

Can the OP scan what the manual says or the wiring diagram?

 

[plowhog]

I'm away from the property but will scan it when I can. My manual is one purchased "aftermarket" only recently. So if there were different variants I might not have the correct one.

This tractor did come with either a diesel engine or gas engine ....

 

[CobyRupert]

Are the cables of a length that you could of put the battery in wrong?

Depending on where the battery posts are, sometimes they aren't, or if they are and you put in your battery 180 degrees opposite, now they're crossing over the top of the battery, etc..

 

[Gem99ultra]

Perhaps not a solution to your specific problem... but

Some years ago I bought a 1960 Fordson-Dexta from an old gentleman that had used it from new to earn his daily living plowing fields, etc. for the next 20 years. Maintenance was NOT in his vocabulary. His complaint that even after charging the 6v battery for a few days at a time, it wouldn't hold up to crank the old Perkins 3-cylinder diesel over but for about 1 minute.

After I bought the tractor from him I checked into the electrical system and discovered that it was actually a 12v system. I replaced the battery with a correct 12v battery, and never again had any trouble starting Ole Blue.

... just food for thought.