<VV> Gen light glow

[Thesuperscribe at cs.com]

Folks:

The Gen light on our '64 Monza convert glowed at night, too -- brighter as I 
switched on more stuff (high beams and heater fan from low to high). The 
initial advice from old-timers was that the old generator was not producing enough 
power and that I should switch to an alternator. A couple of them helped me do 
this, but it didn't help and the light still glowed. 

Then, one very dark night on the way home, all power suddenly went out -- no 
lights, no engine, nothing. I used my cell phone to call for a tow, then a 
friend in the club came over to examine the car. He found that the main power 
link between the engine/alternator and the body had blown. 

This is not unusual in Earlies, he said, and the fix was to either buy a new 
plug and wire it in (somewhat time-consuming, as multiple splices would be 
involved) or just do "bypass surgery" -- splice in a new main power wire around 
the old plug (which is there mostly to aid the original assembly of the car and 
occasional engine removal). I chose the bypass and he did it in a about a 
half hour, and the problem was solved -- no more glowing Gen light. 

I don't know where that multi-wire link is in a Rampside, but on the Early 
passcars it's in the left-front corner of the engine compartment, near the 
firewall. Age and comparatively high-amp use wears on the main power connector and 
corrodes it; cleaning and greasing it might help, and if the Gen light's 
glowing diminishes or stops, you know you've found the cause to your problem. 
Replacing the entire plug or bypassing the main power connection should cure it.

--Tom Berg

***

In a message dated 6/1/2005 9:06:55 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
hmlinc at sbcglobal.net writes: 
> 
> Lonzo - My Rampside seems to have a slight gen light glow at night.  Don't 
> see it daytime and don't think it is there (hard to say).  Of course, the 
> lights are on at night (halogen headlights - but I think it did that before 
> they went in).  It will get a little brighter when the heater motor is on or 
> 
> the brake lights.  But, still pretty dim.  I've seen this glow in other EMs. 
> 
> I do not think that it is anything to worry about.
> 
> Attachments (if any) are scanned with anti-virus software.
> 
> Later, JR
> 
> '61 Rampside Standard 4/110
> '65 Monza Convertible 4/140 (times 2)
> '66 beater Coupe - icemobile 4/140