Electrical: HMMM Dont know why this happened in my 50 commander.

[Edsel G. Tattooer]

On the very uneventful drive home from work in my 50 commander I pulled off the freeway and was rolling up to a light when I seem to have heard a small pop and them the engine died. and the battery was too drained to start it back up. A quick jump start and off I went the remaining 4 blocks to the house. no other issues seemingly. Other than running the lights all else was off in the car.

So where do I start to look for causes? I had the generator tested about a year ago all was just fine with it. Regulator was checked at the same time that was a.o.k. too.
I'm thinking it might be a loose connection somewhere. And other suggestions?

[RadioRoy]

If the car was running and then the battery was too drained to restart it, something is going on with either the battery or the charging system. The "pop" could have been something failing in the generator or the voltage regulator, or something totally unrelated.

I would check out the charging system and the battery. Does the ammeter indicate a charge when revving up the engine just a bit?

[Edsel G. Tattooer]

Yes it does Roy it seems to run "normal" all of the time. And the gauge seems to read normally Im going to check the ground on the regulator to the firewall. I think that might be the culprit.

[rockne10]

An intermittent dead short? A jump from a good battery got you started. With a generator system, once you're running, you don't need a battery, assuming the regulator and generator are communicating as they should.
Perhaps the battery itself popped a cell.

[deco_droid]

Good to hear from you, Edsel. Let us know what you find, since a lot of times it seems like these cars have similar issues crop up. Oh, and you've been busy, sir -- a Commander AND a Champion now? cool...

[Commander Eddie]

I have a '50 Commander and have not run into that one yet. Bad grounds can be a problem. I would take it to a garage where they can test the battery and check the electrical system.
And how about a picture of that Commander. I would love to see it.

[warrlaw1]

I have to do the same in my 55. I read the Shop manual and it gives a couple of easy pointers to check generator and voltage regulator with a jumper wire and your amp gauge. No meter necessary. Good luck.

[Edsel G. Tattooer]

To be more precise the pop sounded like an electrical thing shutting off. Or better yet losing power, it was not the OD kicking out that happened way be for this occurred. I think a short Or better yet and open circuit would explain a lot about this. Just where to look is the issue. I also have an issue with a ground for the turn signals not currently working. I think it could be related issues.

My commander is in the same shape as it was last year. A rolling bucket with rust issues. Although I did get new/used fenders for it I hope to have on the front end this year. They cleaned up real nice.

The Champion is in remarkable shape for a 1 owner car A few issues around the rockers and one small hole in the floorboard passenger side. The real issue is the brakes totally shot bad scored drums pads need replacing. I'm Opting for discs from turner to replace it all. $2400 car $1700 brakes now my car is worth $3000 right?

[rockne10]

I'm Opting for discs from turner to replace it all.

I love Jim Turner, and it's your dollar but, for the Champion, I would just invest in a complete V8 brake swap from any '55 or later. The difference in my '51 Commander was like night and day, and it's pushed by a V8.

[Edsel G. Tattooer]

So after digging in to the car and its eccentricities. I found that the Battery was low on you guessed it water. It wasn't charging enough to keep the lights running when driving down the road. So now that is topped off it runs great. And I haven't had any issues day or night.

I got the caliper brackets and M/C brakets from Jim and I found a place to get the brake parts for damn near cost. So discs all round for the '52. Driving it by the end of the month I think if the money works out that way for me.

[stude1964]

My buddy who rebuilds electrical components always stresses START WITH A FULLY CHARGED BATTERY before doing any electrical tests. Rob in PA.

[Edsel G. Tattooer]

Great advise Rob!

[DEEPNHOCK]

When an old setup quits... Hop out and grab the coil with a bare hand.
If it is too hot to hold, then the coil is failing.
Then... Look at the points.
If they are blue, then the points are bad.

I'll leave the battery/generator/regulator polarization as an option, too.
I just do the cheap/free diagnosis stuff first, and then look deeper.

But... WTF do I know? I don't own anything..
Jeff