r a special test ammeter connected in series with
the battery) will indicate several amperes discharge, this being the
current taken by the ignition system.

Now speed up the engine gradually. At an engine speed corresponding to
a car speed of 7 to 10 miles per hour in high (if there is any
difficulty in estimating this speed, drive the car around the block
while making this and the following tests) the ammeter pointer should
move back to, or slightly past, the "0" line, showing that the cutout
has closed. If the ammeter needle jumps back and forth and the cutout
opens and closes rapidly, the polarity of the battery and that of the
generator are not the same. This condition may be remedied by holding
the cutout points closed for several seconds, or by short-circuiting
the "Battery" terminal on the cutout with the "Generator" terminal on
the cutout.

After a slight movement of the ammeter pointer indicates that the
cutout has closed, speed up the engine gradually. When the engine
speed corresponds to a car speed of 18-25 miles per hour in "high,"
the current indicated on the ammeter should reach its maximum value
and the pointer should then stop moving, or should begin to drop back
toward the "0" line as the speed is increased.

For average driving conditions, the maximum charging current should
not exceed 12 to 14 amperes for a 6 volt, 11 to 13 plate battery, and
6 to 7 amperes for a 12 volt battery. (These currents should be
obtained if "constant-current" generators, such as the "third brush,"
"reversed-series," or vibrating current regulators are used. The
"third brush" type of generator is used on more than 99 per cent of
the modern cars. Some cars use a "constant-voltage" regulated
generator, such as the Bijur generator, having a voltage regulator
carried in a box mounted on the generator. On all cars using a
"constant-voltage" generator, the charging rate when the battery is
fully charged should not exceed five amperes for a six volt
generator). If the generator has a thermostat, such as is used on the
Remy generators, the charging rate will be as high as 20 amperes until
the generator warms up, and then the charging rate will drop to 10-12
amperes, due to the opening of the thermostat points, which inserts a
resistance coil in series with the shunt field.

If the charging current reaches its maximum value at 18-25 miles per
hour, and shows no increase at higher speeds, decrease the engine
speed. When the engi