quick regulator question

what are the little threads with what looks like a spring connecting the sections on the backside of the regulator..a regulator i got looks great on inside but the thread things are torn up..wondering if it will mess it up..before i spend time researching how to test a regulator

 

From your description, the only thing it could be is the sensing resistor. The purpose of this resistor is that it senses the internal resistance of the battery so when it matches the resistance of a fully charged battery, it tells the generator to reduce it's output so as not to overcharge the battery. The regulator will not work without it. A re-builder can replace it but not really worth the $$ unless a replacement cannot be found and you are trying to stay original, although it's doubtful that is the very original regulator..

 

ok,,thanks....fragile little thing huh

 

Yes they are. A fiber (spun glass or asbestos) tube with special resistant type wire wound around the outside. My memory has to go back many years to when I rebuilt them and it seems like the resistor value was 10 ohms.

 

It's not a spring. Generally there are two -- each one is a resistor. In the front , one of the relays senses the voltage and --when too high it puts one of the resistors (high ohm) into the field circuit-- when too low it put puts the low resistance (actually both in parallel) into the field circuit, thus allowing more current to the field and higher voltage out. Normally it switches back and forth between them quite rapidly.