e all outside connections from generator, open the
shunt field circuit, and apply a battery across the main brushes.
Shift the brushes until the armature does not tend to rotate in either
direction. This is, of course, a test which must be made with the
generator on the test bench).
e. Loose connections in the shunt field circuit.

The foregoing conditions are the ones which will generally be found.
More serious troubles will generally prevent the generator from
building up at all.

2. Cutout does hot open when engine stops. This condition is shown by
a discharge current of about 5 amperes when the engine has stopped.
(In Delco systems which have no cutout, an even greater discharge will
be noted as long as the ignition switch remains closed.) This trouble
is generally due to cutout points stuck together, a broken cutout
spring, or a bent or binding cutout armature.

3. Cutout does not open until ammeter indicates a discharge of three
or more amperes (in addition to the ignition discharge). This may be
remedied by increasing the spring tension of the cutout, or removing
any trouble which causes the cutout armature to bind. On many cutouts
the armature does not actually touch the core of the cutout winding
when the points are closed, there being a small piece of copper or
other non-magnetic metal on the armature which touches the end of the
cutout and maintains a small air gap between the core and armature,
even when the points are closed. The opening action of the cutout may
be changed by filing this piece of non-magnetic material so as to
decrease the air gap, or pinching it with heavy pliers so as to make
it stand farther out from the cutout armature and thus increase the
air gap between the armature and core when the points are closed.

Decreasing this air gap will cause the cutout to open late, and
increasing it will cause the cutout to open early.

4. Cutout will not close at any engine speed. If cutout does not close
the first time the engine speed is increased, stop the engine. This
condition may be due to a defective cutout, an open-circuit in the
charging line, a ground or short-circuit between the cutout and the
generator, or a defective generator. To determine whether the cutout
is defective, remove the wires from it and hold together the ends of
the wires coming from the generator, and the one going to the ammeter.
Start the engine. If no other trouble exists, the ammeter will
indicate a charging curre