Hi, I have a 1959 Cadillac Deville, i was wondering ... Next to the Autinater (Where it says the millage), The Word GENERATOR lights up in red and says lit even during driving??? :cookoo:

Is this normal ???? What could be the problem?????? :banghead:

ThANX for Your Help and Advice...

Omar...

Something has gone wrong with the alternator/charging system.

Well .... Is it Normal???
Do i need to do anything????

Unless there has been a conversion, a 1959 model year car is going to have a generator and not an alternator. You're going to have to find a mechanic old enough to know what that is and how to fix it. My guess is that a simple cleanup of the armature and some new brushes will get you going again. If it's badly worn the armature will have to be turned and the mica undercut. It's possible that the contact points in the regulator will have to be burnished. A simple way to trouble shoot the system is to ground the field terminal on the generator and see if armature voltage follows the throttle. In any case you need to find a mechanic who is willing to come out of retirement to fix it. None of the current generation has the least idea what to do with it.

Yes, My mistake....read the wrong year. I haven't cut a commutator in 30 years......still have some perfect filed hacksaw pieces somewhere.......

I'll bet a NAPA will still be able to find a reman unit.

Weren't there some of these units that had a generator with the power steering pump stuck on the back end of it to complicate matters?

If the light is on bright, then either the generator has failed or the voltage regulator or a wire to one or the other.

Omar, Before we turn your thread into "the way we were" you'll need to find a good old Mom and Pop garage that remembers how to troubleshoot a generator/voltage regulator system. The parts and knowledge are still around but you'll have to do some homework.

dkoz.......Don't think I ever ran across a generator/pump assembly, but you and I both know the Americans, British, French, and Japanese did some strange electrical stuff (as in "Lucas Electric"........or Renault). oh, yeah: Italians.

Polarize a generator ? Huh ??

Hmmmm....If I remember correctly, the GENERATOR light is controlled by current across a diode circuit: Functioning properly, the diode blocks output to ground. Low voltage allows flow through the diode to ground, turning on the light. (Same principle for a solenoid trip circuit.)

I'm sure it was a GM car that had a generator with the power steering pump on the back end of it in the 1950s.
http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=42587&stc=1&d=1212884061

I'll be damned.......does that sticker say "Delco-Remy" ?

Omar, Where are you ?????

Hi Fellas, am here... Sorry had to finish some work

well .... looks like i got some homework to do .... but u know really the car drives great .. this was the only thing that caught my attention...
and from the history of the car... this is the original engine.. no conversion here :)

Any shop can test the charging system, just like they test an alternator. If the charging system is weak, try replacing the regulator first. If ok, you're done, if not then then generator. Usually both are replaced at the same time if the generator is found to be faulty. On that old of a car it could be as simple as a broken, loose, or corroded connection to either the gen. or regulator.

okay ... i'll try this valuable piece of advice... yeah .... i don't think the generator is charging the battery at all...
it's getting weaker and weaker everyday :(