6v-12volts?

[rossbart]

Actually, I am in Oklahoma USA. Just purchased this carrier. It was in Northern Illinois but I understand it had been in Wisconsin previously. I just picked it up over the weekend and was trying to size up what I had bought sight unseen. It would start 'okay' but not great but just didn't seem to have any power. I noted that it had a 12v battery and original 'looking' generator. Wasn't sure about regulator or coil. But, I noticed that after literally a minute of runtime that the coil was super hot. I checked the voltage at battery (which was around 12v) and at the coil which was, also, about 12 volts. I guessed that it was a 6v coil and wondered if it needed a resistor. Not finding one I just tried wiring one in and with the resistor the voltage at the coil dropped to 6 volts, the coil stopped being hot and the carrier runs totally different.

I think I may have fixed it. Replacing the coil would probably be a good idea still as I have no idea how old it is or how hot it's been. But, for right now it seems to be better.

Thanks everyone for the help.

Ross