1977 amf harley davidson generator

ScreechinHalt

Bought this 1977 cart and completely went over it with new paint and all but it don't want to charge the battery. when you turn the key it turns the starter and starts the engine but I suspect it's not changing from starter to gen mode. Any ideas on how to check or correct this prob?

BGW

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73eldo

There electric flow is battery - circuit breaker - key - micro switch -y- + ignition coil & solenoid.

The micro switch is at the edge of the drivers side floor board. There is a round disc with a rod attached to the gas pedal that presses on it. You can see the disc if you lift the body up and look at the floor board. Its possible that switch has gone bad but I wonder if you have other wiring issues.

dexterscart

I used this diagram to test mine. There is a video on youtube i also watched where the guy spun it up like the diagram showed then moved the lead from the battery to a different pole on the s/gen. If it stops spinning quickly then the charging side works. Worked good on mine and a very easy way to start diagnosing your problem. Just search starter generator testing on you tube. Should be easy to find.

Attached Images

HDgen_diagram.jpg (47.2 KB, 0 views)

Lochlin

It sounds like the cart is running just not charging the battery?


I put a volt meter on the battery, jack the back of the cart up, run the cart at about 1/2 speed, then check the volt meter while the cart is running. You should have right around 14v on your meter. If you have much less than that your generator isnt producing enough juice yo charge.

If this is the case check your generator brushes. Voltage regulator could be an issue too. I believe those older ones have an adjustment screw on them to get you more or less volts. Even so, those go bad over time too.

WVHarley

How old is the battery? are you sure it will take and hold a charge? it could be the battery its self and not the charging system.

68 Charger

Will that micro switch keep the starter generator in start mode? I have a 79 that is doing the same thing the original poster is having a problem with.

I have jacked up the rear wheels and run it about half throttle and I never get over 11.4 volts when it's running. I have removed the engage wire going to the solenoid and just jump it to start, and then it will stay around 12 but when it's wired up the solenoid stays energized the entire time it's running which doesn't seem right to me.

73eldo

The solenoid stays on. I really don't understand how it works but they usually do.

Lochlin

Although that micro switch is the gatekeeper for all of the cart's action it has nothing to do with charging / not charging so you can forget about it for the time being.

I have found charging issues to be one of 4 things:

Improper wiring
Brushes need replaced
Bad voltage regulator
Something with the starter / gen itself

The first three of these are pretty easy to correct. The starter / gens on these machines are pretty hardy so don't worry about that yet.

Improper wiring:

Get yourself a service manual here:

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/colum...ls-HD-Service/

and make sure that your wiring (especially those associated with the voltage regulator) are correct. It's very easy to hook a voltage regulator wire up the wrong terminal on the starter / gen thus killing your charge. Note that the cart will still run with improper voltage regulator wiring, it just won't charge.

Brushes:

Those are located in the starter / gen under those rubber caps that just pop off. You should have at least a 1/2 inch or so of good carbon on those. Any less then you are taking your chances so replace them.

Voltage regulator:

These go bad, plain and simple. If you have the old-school metal one there is an adjustment screw inside of it that may increase your charging. Screw that sucker closed to increase the charge. Even so, you may need a new one altogether.

I use and prefer the "solid state" voltage regulators from 80s carts. I think that they work better (couple bucks cheaper too) but that's just my opinion. Note that one of the voltage regulator wires goes to the starter / gen side of the solenoid. The other two go to the A1 - A2 terminals on the starter itself. Those A1 - A2 wires can be reversed to see if that increases voltage.

I just had this problem with one of my carts this past weekend. Was getting 12 1/2 v but that wasn't enough. Checked the wiring and actually found that the voltage regulator was wired wrong (the A1 - A2 issue mentioned above). Fixed that and still only 12 1/2. Popped on a new voltage regulator and, voila, 14 1/2 volts.

You'll get it. Good luck!

68 Charger

I had already replaced the voltage regulator, It had a piece inside that was burned off so I replaced it, still no charge. I got the service manual, Thanks... I will definitely check those two wires.

Thanks for the suggestions!