Disassembled, Cleaned, and Tested the Generator.
Since the car has been sitting for the last 20 years I am removing, cleaning, and inspecting all parts. This weekend I disassembled, cleaned and bench tested the generator. The front bearing appeared to be in good shape so after a few attempts to remove the front pulley I decided to leave it in place and remove the components from the rear casing.
I cleaned and reinsulated the wires going to the brushes and also cleaned the commutator. Once all parts were cleaned, insulated and repainted I reassembled the generator and performed a bench test. This test is detailed in the Plymouth Service Manual but is usually performed in the car. When doing this on the bench remember that the casing of the generator is connected to the plus side of the 6 volt battery. Connect the negative side of the battery to the armature post which is the larger of the two wire posts and closer to the back of the generator. The generator will start to run like a normal DC motor. Once the generator has come up to speed connect a jumper from the field post ( which is the smaller of the two wire posts ) to the casing or plus side of your 6 volt battery. With this connection made the generator will slow down. If this occurs as stated your generator is functioning properly and may be reinstalled in the car. If not you may have problems with the brushers, coil windings, commutator, or armature. See Service Manual for troubleshooting.
