A similar incident with a slight twist occurred with my '68 Plus 4.
Adding the strap from battery to block is only one link in the
circuit. I tell my tale here for others to gain wisdom... Those that
already know can politely ignore it and be smug about it.
The first couple of hundred miles after getting my car were really
interesting since the ammeter would show a steady discharge for a
while and suddenly pulse to a 30 amp charge for about 5 minutes or
so. Upon noticing that the charging stopped after a bump, I got out
and got under to find the bolt at the back of the generator (to the
block) was sitting there askew and without a nut. When the generator
was hanging hard enough on the bolt, the ground return was complete
and the system charged. Otherwise it was open circuit and no
charging. A new bolt and nut with a lock washer solved the issue and
no problem since.
Larry Mamlet wrote:
>
> Thank you all, and thanks to the hundreds who were about to send suggestions.
>
> A cable from battery positive to the block resulted in instant cure. For
> various reasons, I settled for a 12-guage wire from the firewall, which
> works perfectly. Careful examination reveals no other connection between
> motor and ground.
>
> Why did it work until 2 days ago? The only simultaneous event was the
> breaking of a tail-pipe; perhaps there was some grounding through the
> exhaust system.
>
> One last favor: Please don't tell anyone about this, as I am infamous for
> telling anyone with a starting problem to put in a good ground strap. When
> they say that wouldn't help a dead battery or seized motor, I always tell
> them "Well, it wouldn't hurt!"
>
> . . . and again thanks.
>
> Larry
--
"Entropy Happens!"
Michael D. Miles, PE Consulting Design Engineer
(503) 292-1234, FAX: (503) 292-1105
email: mdmiles@home.com
http://www.mdmpe.com/
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