Changing The Polarity Of Your Car
If your car battery is connected as Positive Earth,
this is what you will need to do to change it to be Negative Earth.
First you need to disconnect any radio that you may
have as this is going to be the wrong polarity as is any electrical clock.
Remove the coil connections (you might need a new one but not often) If you
have an Amp meter this will need changing over later so remember this. Now
disconnect your battery and your dynamo but not the regulator. You need to
ensure that both the D and the F terminals are not connected to any cables.
1. With
the ignition off, change the battery connections over; (- will now be the Earth
Cable instead of +) you will need to change the terminals on the cables, as
they are different sizes too.
2. With a spare length of cable run a wire from
the + (positive) terminal (now non earth) to the dynamo, but don’t connect it
yet.
3. Ensure
you have removed all polarity sensitive equipment from the vehicles electrics.
4. Take
the end of the wire from the battery and "FLASH" the end onto the F
terminal of the dynamo, do this a couple of times and you will see a bright
spark, this is normal. You have now changed the polarity of the dynamo.
5. Disconnect
the earth of the battery reconnect the D and F terminals to their respective
connectors and check they are still on the regulator. Check the wiring of the
coil as B will now be + (positive) to the battery and C will be – (negative) to
the breaker points.
6. Reconnect
battery and try ignition switch, be ready to turn off if a problem.
7. Swap
the + (positive) and – (negative) of the clock (check with a volt meter) and
check the polarity of the Amp meter
8. Your
+(positive) earth radio is now of no use and you can sell it on Trademe, Ebay;
buy a modern ICE for your pleasure.
9. Check
the wiring of your cigarette lighter socket as this will now be reversed and
any items you had used before might need their polarity checking or changing.
Be prepared to replace fuses as there are bound to be some items you've
forgotten to reverse.
Why not consider a Dynamo/Generator to Alternator
swap while you are at it. http://www.galeforcezephyrs.com/linked/generator%20to%20alternator.htm
Disclaimer: The advice and guidelines given in these articles are given in
good faith. The owners and managers of the Galeforce Zephyr site will take
no responsibility for any injuries or loss sustained while carrying out
the described tasks and procedures or any consequences arising. Please
read the Safety First Article