E should be zero - its the earth terminal.

Check the group of earths on the body near the flasher unit.

Hi Everyone,

I've converted it to negative-ground, and put in new spark plugs and a new voltage regulator for good measure.

I've tested the wires from the voltage regulator to the dynamo/generator.  Both are good.

The voltages at the regulator are:

AI: 13.24V
A: 13.24V

D: 0.002V
F: 0.002V
E: 6.61V  (on the old regulator, the E terminal was under 1 volt)

Hi Ryan, part of the problem is that you have to take some responsibility for this...  My manual is the official 60s BMC version so page references are useless.  (and, anyway, as Doug has pointed out, all the (relevant to you) diagrams are on this site... - you just have to pick the one that is the best fit for your car)

For this to work you have to look at your car and decide which diagram is appropriate ... and what needs to be modified....

There's been lots of talk of about polarising dynamos ... have you completed the process off changing over to a - earth system??  If so, the standard pre 64  is no longer valid for you (its for a + earth system).  So you need to find the  - earth diagram that best matches the reality of your car so you can check that the charging system is all the right way round.

Once you have that sorted you can start trouble shooting as I originally suggested...

Good luck

Ian

Until you get the correct manual for your car, visit our host's tech section.  See the wiring diagrams in the link below.
https://www.minimania.com/Mini___Cooper_Wiring_Diagrams_On_Line
Assuming your car is largely original, look for and use the diagram titled "Mini Standard and Deluxe (up to 1964)"

If anything about the polarizing process seems odd, review the two MOSS Motors videos linked below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPUfQtVEJGg
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV8FFgia7uU

My manual arrived.  Can you tell me what page your diagram is on?

Unfortunately, I bought the '59-'69 Service & Repair Guide, but a '69 to '96 book showed up... so I'll have to wing it a bit.

Thanks,
Ryan

That's correct, yes

Probably not..... my diagram was in front of me...your diagram is in your workshop manual..Don’t have one???  I’m starting to see the problem.

Cheers, Ian

Just a long shot here and maybe this has been covered. Did you install the battery backwards (reverse polarity) at any time, if so that may cause a generator light and a no charging situation.
I am assuming your 1962 Mini if original would have been positive earth/ground.

Good Question!

So is this Positive Earth ?

This comes too late but I would NOT have cleaned the inside contacts with wet/dry paper.  They are/were new and only coated with a product like Cosmoline.  Cleaning with acetone or lacquer thinner would have been a better choice.

For peace of mind, I suggest taking the generator to an electrical shop and have it bench tested.

Hi Ian,  I'm not seeing a diagram.  Maybe it's the long day and I'm forgetting something in front of me?

Hi Ian,

I'll get to it tonight for these readings.  Could you point me towards any YouTube tutorials you know & like?  For someone new all of this, these videos have been real helpful.

Thanks,
Ryan

Yes, 240 grit sandpaper on the inside parts.  Toner and 240 grit paper on the outside terminals.

And thanks for the polarization answer, Doug.

Doug i just noticed the 3rd post down says he has cleaned the contact posts inside and out.

Once polarized the generator will stay polarized even with the battery disconnected.

Have you cleaned the contacts INSIDE the voltage regulator yet?  I have not seen a post that says you have taken that step.  Just so we are clear here, if the coating is on the contacts they are insulated.  When coated/insulated the contacts will not pass current when they are supposed to... so the voltage regulator will not work (i.e. the red light will stay on).  Save your other checks and efforts until after you have cleaned the regulator contacts.

So have you done some simple checks?  What's the voltage reading at the generator output?  And at the regulator input?  And at the regulator output ? (D on my diagram)  and at the dash light input (brown wire /yellow trace - from voltage regulator)?  and at the battery (across the terminals), and at the dash light input (white wire - the terminal connected the battery- through the ignition switch).

Right at the beginning we found that the battery's not charging... but we don't know why.  Something wrong with the battery?  Something wrong with the generator? Something wrong with the regulator?  ..or wires between a,B or C? 

Time for the multimeter..

Cheers, Ian

I just took a little sand paper to it.  Light corrosion, but nothing too bad.  Cleaned it off, started it up, and I'm still getting the red IGN light.

Previous owner installed a heater using speaker wire.  No problem using that, but the insulation wore down where they punched a hole in the body to pass the wire through, and it grounded.  I imagine that caused it to drain fast.

No worries though, the battery was under warranty; I fixed the wiring, and this won't happen to the new battery since I've got a trickle charger on it!

Thanks for the salt build-up info.. you guys are teaching me a LOT!

If your 10 month old battery was sufficiently discharged (or uncharged) for any reason, then the battery becomes "salted" . Not the battery's fault.

This means that it has been killed. Sometimes it can be resurrected if not in this state too long (hours or one day), but any longer than that then it is usually kaput.

Another variant of this is if your battery is dead in your stopped car.  You use jumper cables from a fresh battery/running car and would expect to be able to instantly crank your stopped car.  Nope. If the stopped car battery is partially salted, you may need to run the running car and deliver electricity through the cables to the salted battery of the stopped car. Sometimes, if lucky, that takes a few minutes. Sometime never. Depend on degree of damage.

If you removed the battery cables from their attachment on the stopped car and connected the jumper cables from the running car directly to the stopped car cables, therefore bypassing the dead/salted battery, you obviously would not see this happen. It would crank right up.

None of this helps your charging issue. Do you have a persistent "leak" ?.
I have an infrequently used  VW that has a small leak that will slowly drain the battery over 7-10 days. I cannot find it although I know what circuit it is on. I put in one of those battery quick disconnect devices (the knife blade type) and just disconnect the battery when not in use..