Reply To: Dynamo not charging battery. 1955 11BL

This is all a bit deja vu for me; ‘49 Slough with solid state regulator from the above company working beautifully for 18 months and then suddenly no charge.  Shows discharge -as above- with no problem. Regulator sent back for checking and found fine. Dynamo already done and output voltage good. Regulator back in car and voltage good but ammeter will not budge off zero unless discharging. I’m assuming bridging the contacts on back of ammeter with my meter should check it’s functioning but I’m b******d if I can work out how to access it with two hands AND rev the engine at same time!  The wiring under my panel is a complete mess so I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a disconnect somewhere which is what I’ve been searching for…. With my complete non-understanding of electrickery it’s heartening to see that Ian eventually did find the cause of his problems and I shall persevere.

Final thought, as ammeter stays bang on zero with engine running, I know it’s wired in series but does that mean it is discharging whilst powering the ignition or not? As I say, I do not understand these things and I’m wondering how far I could drive to get to an intelligent person with minimal use of brakes, indicators etc…..?

thanks in anticipation!
J