Is it possible, probable, somewhat likely, etc. for a bad regulator to damage a new generator?

Rich

 

I do not think it is possible, or likely Rich. You can damage a regulator by making different contacts across the terminals, You always need to flash the field on a generator whenever a wire has been disconnected, then reconnected, but again this is to keep the regulator from getting damaged, not the generator.
A new generator should be working fine. An old generator can have worn brushes, or the windings can fail and cause an open circuit but that has nothing to do with being damaged by the regulator.........pg

 

My recent problems with generator charging leads me to always change the reg if I buy a new gen. Regulators are usually cheap enough and I love piece of mind.

 

Thanks guys. Next question, can a bad regulator do damage to a battery?

Also:
Based on the results from my last thread I got a new generator. After I installed it, I performed the following again to try and double check if I would need to replace the regulator as well. (I know that often, one has to fix one electrical problem in order to diagnose other potential problems.)

"Unhook the battery lead from the BAT terminal on the regulator and measure the voltage at the terminal with the engine running. The volt reading should be about 12.5-13.5 VDC, and will vary with engine rpm. "

When I do this, all I read is about .5 - 1.5 maybe 2 volts. Need new regulator, right? However, what I do next confounds me even further

"If it doesn't vary or doesn't read in that range, touch the volt meter lead to the regulator GEN terminal. It should read about 15-18 VDC, once again varying with engine rpm."

I assume this is to check the voltage comming from the Generator and since mine is a solid state regulator I have to go directly to the "A" lead on the generator. when I do this I only get a reading up to 7 volts depending on rpm.

So what am I assuming or doing wrong that leads me to think I got a bad new generator and still need to replace the regulator?

Rich

 

Why don't you just full field the gen.? disconnect the field wire from the gen. (F term.) connect your volt meter to the battery or "A" term. and start the engine you should see 16+ volts at a low rev. if not the generator is not working. sometimes you may need to polarize the gen. an few times if it has been started before polarizing it. if the generator is charging. check the wiring from the field term. on the regulator to the generator. if thats good, the regulator is done.