What you have described is a resistor, not a voltage regulator. It reduces voltage, but it does not regulate the output voltage. The voltage at the output will vary with the current drawn by the load. Think of it as a ballast resistor for an ignition coil - like the one that we saw mounted on the firewall of a lot of cars way back when.
An electronic unit is a very good choice if you are working with a 12-volt to 6-volt conversion, but in the case of a 6-volt system you only want to drop a couple of volts and most of the readily available voltage regulators need a higher input voltage that the normal 7.4 - 7.5 volts you see in a 6-volt system at normal charge levels.
If you are dealing with a 12-volt system, this would be a good choice:
But, if you are still 6-volts, I poked around a bit and I found a couple of units that will probably do what you need at a cost that won’t break the bank.
This one is the original relay style. While it is an Old School approach, it will work just like the defective one you have. This one appears to have an adjustment screw to fine tune the output voltage if you need it.
REGULATOR, Instrument Voltage, electronic replacement, no adjustments necessary, more reliable than the original relay style regulator, output is a constant 5 volts as required.
1948-1952 F1-F3 AS VOLTAGE INVERTER
For both units, the IGN terminal is the straight tab and the “curled” tab goes to the gauges. Get it backwards and it won’t work. And, the tab is an electrical connection - screw it down to a good ground point.
Let us know what you find out…
Last edited by LarrBeard; 04-13-2023 at 08:10 AM.
Reason: Added 12 - to - 6 volt converter
Thank you for the informative reply. I will definitely consider the first one for 12 volts. Or look around for another similar electronic unit. Thanks again.
So over the weekend I pulled the willys out of the garage and let it idle about ten minutes. Aside from being a little rich (was just going to adjust that). Idled perfectly. Tapped the throttle a little bit and it started knocking. Is with rhythm of the motor and changes with rpm. Almost sounds like a sticking valve but almost to loud for that. It did this when I first got the jeep months ago, for about a minute then stopped and hasent done it scence. It has bean running great. Just the day before had it out doing 45. Fastest its been in a long time and never skipped a beat. I don't understand how it would just start doing this now after just tapping the gas.
Also where can I hook up a vacuum guage to the motor? I got new distributor parts and plug wires and was going to do a complete tuneup. I have electric wipers so no vacuum ports for wipers. I wanted to tune it with the vacuum, and now want to see if it has bad vacuum to confirm that it is a valve making noise.
Our L134 tends to be a little more noisy than I like. I hear a knock when others do not. Now our 2A had a farmer rebuild done 30 years ago, which consisted of one piston and a set of rings, and an inspection of the rod bearings. These engines do not like high RPM, and live the longest if driven under 45 mph. If you squeeze out 50 mph or higher, the long stroke of the connecting rods tend to beat the rod bearings into an egg shape. This is likely where your noise is coming from at idle and warm. The oil is thinner, and the knock more persistent. The added resistance of a higher idle paired with a few more pounds of oil pressure help to remove the knock. To help mine survive till its turn for a refurbish, I have run a bit of Lucus with the non detergent oil to help cushion the bearings. If not abused, the engine will last you many years without worry. Just keep an eye on the oil pressure to ensure that the bearings are retaining oil between the crank and the bearings.
As gm is alluding to, the 134's have very little oil pressure at idle. The cam is supported by only one bearing in the front. This causes a substantial loss of oil pressure as the block and cam clearance is large where the cam is not running in bearings on the remaining cam journals. As the block and cam wears it gets worse. On a rebuild it is not uncommon to have no oil pressure at idle because the block is too worn. This is easily remedied by installing cam bearings in the remaining journals on the block. This brings the idle oil pressure up substantially.
gm has given you the "hot tip". When the oil is hot and thin bring the idle up till you see some oil pressure.
First off thank you all for the insight.
Gmwillys you mentioned Lucas oil. What do you mean just their oil or an additive?
I don't have an oil pressure gauge. Only had a warning light from the factory. Where can I hook up one and is there a kit you recommend?
I do believe your rod bearing theory, but do you think it could also be a valve or lifter?
Been pushing around the idea if it is a bearing should I pull the oil pan and check them. Then replace bearings with the motor still in the jeep? Or even just do a complete rebuild? The thing I don't understand is why it would make the noise for a few minutes then go away and not come back for 4 months. I have had the valve cover off before and the head looks nice and clean.
The Lucus that I use is the oil additive. Bmorgil does bring up an excellent point on the cam bearing design. Also as you questioned, it would be wise to go through the valve lash first to ensure everything is in spec. If you would like to run an oil pressure gage you can T off where the oil pressure light sensor taps into the block. Usually, the sensor is tapped into the left side of the engine block, below the tappet cover.
My experience with a rod knock comes from a M37 Dodge Power Wagon that was a retired fire brush truck. At idle, it had a terrible knock from years of being run over the max speed. The truck had just over ten thousand miles on the odometer, but it had a lower end knock until you brought it up off of idle. Oil pressure was good cold or warm, but the noise was always there. The engine was the flat head 236 Chrysler that had a long rod stroke much the same as the Willys 134. The military PM manuals warned about the dangers of running the engine at sustained high RPM.
No one wants to drive those military vehicles sensibly to a fire. We have a 5 ton truck rigged for brush and a couple of Chevy 1 1/4 ton trucks. They all sound like they are going to explode going down the highway. They don’t travel very far that way because most of the running hours are spent in the brush or idling at the scene but the fuse gets a little shorter every time they are dispatched to a fire.