General Description - Cadillac 60 Series 1963 Shop Manual

12-2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The familiar 12-volt, negative-ground type of
electrical system is used on all 1963 Cadillac
cars. The major electrical components are the
battery, starting motor, ignition system, charging
system and lighting system. Included in this section
are the gages, horns, clock, switches and wind-
shield wiper and washer system. Also covered
are the major electrical accessories: the radio
and antenna, the Cruise Control, and Guide-Matic
Headlamp Control.
A 12-volt, 11 plate battery with a capacity of 70
ampere hours is used on all series cars. The
battery is secured with a plastic-coated battery
hold-down that resists the accumulation of battery
corrosion.
The starting motor used on all series cars has
four pole shoes and a compound field. The drive
end housing is extended to enclose the entire shift
lever mechanism. An overrunning clutch drive is
used to engage the cranking motor pinion with the
flywheel.
When the control switch is closed, the solenoid
is energized, shifting the cranking motor pinion
into mesh with the flywheel. The main contacts
of the solenoid are then closed so that battery
current is delivered to the cranking motor.
The distributor is mounted at the front of the
engine. It is fully automatic in operation, and
driven by a steel drive gear that meshes with a
gear that is integral with the camshaft. The dis-
tributor cam rotates in a clockwise direction when
viewed from above. The firing order is 1-8-7-2-
6-5-4-3.
The distributor houses the contact points that
make and break the circuit, and also directs high
voltage current in proper sequence to the spark
plugs. The distributor contact point set is replaced
as a complete assembly. The breaker lever spring
tension and point alignment on the replacement set
are factory adjusted, leaving only the dwell angle
to be adjusted after installation.
The large molded distributor rotor serves as a
cover for the centrifugal advance mechanism.
This mechanism is located above the breaker plate
assembly to increase rotational stability and dis-
tributes high voltage current to fire spark plugs.
The distributor is permanently lubricated and
requires no periodic oiling. However, when the
rotor is removed, the centrifugal advance mecha-
nism should be inspected for lubricant. If
-necessary, a small amount of cam and bearing
lubricant should be applied to the advance weights.
Timing marks, numerals 0, 5, and 10, are lo-
cated on the engine front cover. The pistons in
number one and six cylinders are at top dead
center when the 0 mark is in line with scribe
line on the harmonic balancer. The 5 mark and
the 10 mark indicate the number of crankshaft
degrees ahead of the 0 mark.
The oil-impregnated ignition coil is mounted on
top of the intake manifold in front of the carburetor.
The interrupted low tension voltage from the battery
produces a high voltage in the secondary circuit
of the coil. A resistance type wire is connected
from the ignition switch to the ignition coil in the
primary circuit. This resistor reduces the voltage
at the coil from 12 volts down to a range of 8-1/2
to 10-1/2 volts under normal operating conditions.
To insure adequate ignition voltage during the engine
cranking period, the resistor wire is shunted by
a feed from the starter solenoid, and full battery
voltage is supplied to the ignition coil during this
period.
Type 44 spark plugs are installed as original
equipment on all 1963 series Cadillac cars except
cars with AM/FM radio which are equipped with
type R44 spark plugs. A ribbed insulator is used
to reduce the possibility of voltage break-down.
To eliminate the need for separate radio suppres-
sors on the spark plugs, resistance core spark
plug cables are used for suppression.
The generator is located at the right front of
the engine. A 42 ampere generator is used on all
60 and 62 series cars, except those equipped with
an Air Conditioner. A 52 ampere generator is used
on all 75 series cars and commercial chassis and
all other series equipped with Air Conditioner.
The generator consists primarily of a drive end
frame, a slip ring end frame, a stator assembly
and a rotor assembly. The rotor assembly is sup-
ported in the drive end frame by a ball bearing
and in the slip ring end frame by a roller bearing.
The stator assembly, mounted between the two end
frames, consists of loops of wire wound into the
slots of the laminated stator frame. The rotor
assembly contains a field coil wound onto an iron
spool. The coil and spool are mounted between two
iron segments with interlacing poles. These parts
are held together by a press fit on the shaft. Two
slip rings, upon which the brushes ride, are mounted
on the rotor shaft. The brushes carry current
through the slip rings to the field coil.
Six electronic check valves called diodes are
located in the end frame assembly nearest the slip
rings. Three of these diodes are negative and are
mounted directly to the end frame. Three positive
diodes are mounted into a strip called a "heat