Volatage regulator

[Eric McCarthy]

Well here goes nothing. I swung by my dealer today and picked up a voltage regulator for my B6100. $92 and change for that device which fits in the palm of my hand. Doubled checked with the dealer to see if I needed anything else to replace and they seem to think between a new battery and the volt reg I should be good to go.

Going to head out tomorrow and get a battery and hook up the volt reg. Won't know how to act by turning a key and get it running without having to jump start it.

Now more then ever I need to sell it and find something bigger with a loader but I reckon I'll have to fight and struggle and make do with what I have until I can afford a bigg'un

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Welp new voltage regulator went on this afternoon. Not to bad on an install. I had to take the steering wheel off and pull the dash board to make life a little easy. Off with the old one, on with the new one. And tomorrow I'm getting a new battery and hopefully that's it.

 

[hodge]

Well here goes nothing. I swung by my dealer today and picked up a voltage regulator for my B6100. $92 and change for that device which fits in the palm of my hand. Doubled checked with the dealer to see if I needed anything else to replace and they seem to think between a new battery and the volt reg I should be good to go.

Going to head out tomorrow and get a battery and hook up the volt reg. Won't know how to act by turning a key and get it running without having to jump start it.

Now more then ever I need to sell it and find something bigger with a loader but I reckon I'll have to fight and struggle and make do with what I have until I can afford a bigg'un

It's amazing how little parts cost big money. I bought an overflow valve for my Cummins- a hollow bolt with a spring and ball in it, to control the fuel pressure in the injection pump. $107.00.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

That little sucker wasn't much bigger then a wallet. Seemed like it was nothing more then pot metal and 4 wires. Hardly any weight to it at all, makes you wonder how a voltage regulator works on the inside.

 

[Stumpy]

They're pretty simple in theory. The old electromechanical regulators were basically a solenoid that controls a switch, a simple relay. The generator's output is controlled by the strength of the magnetic field. By varying the strength of the field to match the load the desired voltage can be maintained. The solenoid was wired to the generator's output and the switch controlled the current to the electromagnets inside the generator. When the voltage got too high the solenoid opened the switch, the magnetic field strength fell, the voltage dropped and the switch closed again. The rapid opening and closing of the switch limits the flow of current, magnetic field strength, and forces the generator to generate electricity in a narrow voltage range. This has the advantage of also regulating the amount of current the generator produces. If there is no electrical load only a small magnetic field is required to maintain system voltage. When a load is connected voltage drops and the field strength is increased to match. Modern systems from cars and tractors to power plants employ the same principle except they do it with solid state transistors instead of electromechanical switches.

There are other ways to do it but that's the one most commonly seen on vehicles.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

It was pretty fascinating to watch today on tv. I was watching this show called How Its Made on the Science Channel and I saw how they put together a transformer for power lines. Its basically aluminium, brown paper, copper and mineral oil inside those things and that's about it.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

I think I found the video.

http://science.discovery.com/tv-sho...ade-mini-episodes-electrical-transformers.htm

 

[Eric McCarthy]

DONE! That was easy. Someone must have pushed a button at Staples for me... New battery just went in a few minutes ago and she fired up and purrs like a kitten. Boy I wish I had done this a long time ago!!!

 

[jomw1966]

It's funny how those little things that you put off doing, make your life so much easier, and you wonder WHY you didn't do them sooner. ( Speaking from experience here)

 

[hodge]

DONE! That was easy. Someone must have pushed a button at Staples for me... New battery just went in a few minutes ago and she fired up and purrs like a kitten. Boy I wish I had done this a long time ago!!!

Music to your ears, isn't it? Some just don't understand.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

I had kinda been putting it off figuring it was going to be an expensive headache to deal with. I hate electrical work to begin with and I thought the dynamo would need to be replaced. So I reckon 200 bucks isn't all that mad. I was expecting much worse...

 

[freewheel3]

I had kinda been putting it off figuring it was going to be an expensive headache to deal with. I hate electrical work to begin with and I thought the dynamo would need to be replaced. So I reckon 200 bucks isn't all that mad. I was expecting much worse...

Not to burst your bubble or anything but have you confirmed that it is charging now? The new battery will get you several starts and run the fuel pump for a long time before it gets low on voltage if the dynamo isn't charging. (I learned this the hard way about 3 miles from home)

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Hummm... Good call! I'm really not sure. I stoped by the dealer on Friday and picked up the voltage regulator and went into the shop and talked to the service writer. He pulled out some books and we looked at everything. He said the dynamo should be fine since its just a magnet and copper.

 

[freewheel3]

Hummm... Good call! I'm really not sure. I stoped by the dealer on Friday and picked up the voltage regulator and went into the shop and talked to the service writer. He pulled out some books and we looked at everything. He said the dynamo should be fine since its just a magnet and copper.

If you have a voltage meter, check the batt voltage, start the tractor and check the voltage again. It should level out at a higher number than what it was before you started it. Then you know for sure that its charging.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Sounds like it back to the store to buy one of those and figure out how to work it.

 

[freewheel3]

Sounds like it back to the store to buy one of those and figure out how to work it.

Yeah go for it. The basic functions are easy to learn. They range in price from $20 for a basic one (which is all you need) to like $300 for a fancy one that does everything except the laundry. They come in handy for tracing electrical / charging issues. Just make sure it does both AC and DC.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

They say its not nice to hate but... I HATE electrical with a passion. Mainly because I keep getting zapped and it hurts like hell!

I appreciate the heads up on the dynamo. What kind of numbers do I need to look for?

 

[freewheel3]

They say its not nice to hate but... I HATE electrical with a passion. Mainly because I keep getting zapped and it hurts like hell!

I appreciate the heads up on the dynamo. What kind of numbers do I need to look for?

For the battery and depending what state of charge it is in, it should usually be in the 12.6 - 13.2V range when at rest. If you connect your voltage meter to a battery and then try cranking an engine, you will see the voltage take a large drop instantly until you quit cranking and then you will see it "bounce back" close to the voltage that you started at. How quick it bounces back and to what level will give you a good idea how good / strong a battery is.
Im not sure but I believe the dynamo puts out approx. 17vdc to the regulator. Maybe one of our experts could chime in on that?
And I'm with you, I'd rather overhaul an engine than try to wire in a set of trailer lights.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Brand new battery just picked it earlier from the store 8 hours ago.

 

[freewheel3]

Brand new battery just picked it earlier from the store 8 hours ago.

New batteries voltage will vary depending on how long they sat on a shelf. Also, I've bought new batteries that were junk in 24Hrs or lasted many years. In 1984 I bought a 1981 Mazda pickup that had a battery that all the writing on it was in Japanese so I assume it was the original factory battery. That battery lasted until 1996 before it crapped out, and that was probably due to the fact that I quit driving the truck for a year and let the battery go dead. That battery was 15 or 16 years old when it died, gotta love Japanese technology.