battery not charging now

i have a 6 month old battery in my 66 s12.  it was charging i guess because it always started up after i installed the new battery.  Today i wanted to start it and it was dead-oh well it has been a few weeks maybe one of the kids left the lights on. so i jumped it and ran it for an hour, shut it off and still dead-reads 7v at the battery terminals. I put the meter on the top post of my generator and it said 12v-so is the gen bad or the new battery caput or maybe voltage regulator or maybe even starter solenoid?

josh, with your tractor running see what volt reading you have at the battery, should be somewhere around 12.5 to 14ish range. if so generator , voltage regulator should be good. you may leave the meter on the battery and try to start it and see if the voltage drops. the generator charging output isnt more than around 5 amps. you can have the battery checked with a load test at an autozone (shameless company plug my son is a store manager) side note did the new belt fix your clutch / shifting problems you had earlier ? please post your findings as i dont want to give bad or wrong advise to you or anyone else that may read this. hope this helps / tim

ok more news:

So i was thinking the voltage regulator might be the problem, or some other type of short. so i hooked the alligator clip of my test light to the UNHOOKED negative battery lead and touched the negative post of the battery with the pointy end of the light, and no light so no short or draw.

next i read the battery again with switch off and it read 12V!!! SO I WAS NOW REALLY CONFUSED. then i turned the switch to "on", and it (the meter reading) dropped instantly to 7V. then i dried to start the engine, and it dropped to nothing, stone damn dead.

once the starter solenoid clicked so i taped it with a really long 3/8 extension, but that did not help either.

the old battery did the exact same thing, read 12V then dropped to nothing. So i bought a "Briggs and Straton" battery from Lowes, and it has been ok for a few months, now bad.

Could it be that Lowes is still selling complete junk panhandling off some one else's name? I would not be surprised.

i did not get the new belt yet-i was a click way from ordering and panicked. i decided that being patient and dropping RPM'S was cheaper.

If you want a good battery go to autozone and get a duralast . Have it in all my tractors . I got one in my toro that was brought in 2007. Can let sit all winter long go in spring and it start right up.

well i took a meter reading at the battery posts with engine running, it said only 6 or 7 volts, so it is not being charged. i took some readings at the V/R also while running and did not get a reading at any of the three posts, so i assume it is caput b/c i am getting 12+ out of the top post of the S/G. i will have a follow up in 3-5 days.

i matched one i needed with one for a farm tractor at napa auto parts, this was years ago though. may be a place to start if your looking to buy a new one. / tim

so i got my new voltage regulator yesterday! got it installed, fixed some possible bad grounds, made a new wire and some new ends, only to discover the top post of the generator has crummy threads and wont hold a nut. i tried running a die over it but it's in an awkward spot. So i guess i will take it out, have Autozone test it to make sure it's charging and try to fix the threads. i wish there was such a thing as a self taping nut. i guess i will paint it while it's out since i couldn't get it 36o degrees when i painted the tractor.

ran a die over it (12/24 for future reference) and auto zone cannot check the generator. said the machine requires them to put in a PN or type, and of course they don't have one for a 66 sears suburban. i asked if they could just wing it and make one up, and No was the answer.

tomorrow i am of to the starter/alternator rebuild place to have it checked before i put it back in.

generator is bad too. $100 bucks to rebuild, not bad considering how much the parts to rebuild it cost. see you in a few weeks. now i'll have new regulator, rebuilt generator, new battery!

new V/R, rebuilt S/G, new 425cca duralast battery, new tru blue belts, rebuilt carb.

when i put my meter on the battery with engine running, it reads 12.5-13V, sometimes 14V.

Sometimes the meter goes nuts and it reads "OL" or 8V, back up to 14V, but mostly 12.5V-is this OK?

all the wires seem tight and the S/G belt is tight.

how do i post photos?

what bulb goes in the taillight?