alternator wiring

gparis7 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

RE: alternator wiring

59poncho · Poncho Master!

yeah, great info, thanks guys

65sssd · Poncho Master!

What is this and how does it fit into the circuit? The little box has a red wire to the big box. The big box has a red wire to the battery. I think the big box is a horn relay. Somehow without jumpers at the regulator, the external regulated alternator can be used?

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

The one on the firewall appears to be a circuit breaker, likely for power windows or in your case you likely have a power top?

67Poncho · Uber Guru

/download.spark?ID=459127&forumID=118110

Circuit Breaker, it is......

65sssd · Poncho Master!

AHH!! So simple. That would explain the rubber bushing on the power top switch. It goes directly to this. Is there a after market for this item? Still doesn't explain why I have a car with no jumpers on the external regulator, but I have a newer internal alternator on the car. What's your take. I bought this car done and I can't wait to the spring to see what they did. It's jammed in my shop.

davelacourse · Poncho Master!

65sssd wrote:

What is this and how does it fit into the circuit? The little box has a red wire to the big box. The big box has a red wire to the battery. I think the big box is a horn relay. Somehow without jumpers at the regulator, the external regulated alternator can be used?

As the others noted, the left one is for the power top (GM wired these direct from the battery even back in the 1950's). The right one is the horn relay, here's a 65 Chevelle NORS item, note that it is identical appearance:

GM horn relays were also wired directly to the battery.

Dave

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

And a circuit breaker is available aftermarket as well. If you want it to look identical for originality, I don't think it will be exact but very close. I'm sure NAPA would have them. There's a number of companies that sell universal breakers that look similar.

65sssd · Poncho Master!

Thanks for the info on the circuit breaker and horn relay. Still doesn't answer the other question. Is there another way under the dash to eliminate the external regulator because there's no jumpers on the regulator harness, yet it runs a newer alternator with the reg diconnected?

davelacourse · Poncho Master!

I found these using Google search for "chevrolet internally regulated alternator wiring" - the first one explains the internally regulated alt. connections, the second one compares it (set up as a "one wire" application, plus idiot light wire if used) to the older ext. reg. alt. - seems like they apply to your sitiation:

Maybe whoever did your conversion previously just left the old external regulator where it was and just didn't route the power output from the new internally regulated alternator to it, and cut/dicarded/tied up the original wires from the old vot. reg. to the alteernator?

Dave

P.S. if you can't read the print because the upload shrinks the file sizes, email me and I will send the larger versions to you.

65sssd · Poncho Master!

That would work but my idiot light works in that car and unless the ran a extra wire you would still have to jump one set of wires at the regulator harness to make it the light work I think?

59stratochiefwagon · Veteran Member

I have an Internally regulated alternator on my 57 wagon and had to put a diode on the exciter feed wire(terminal 1) as the alt back fed the ign sw and kept the car running. If you use a one wire you do not need to run the other 2 wires and they can be as much as 100A. Henry
Here other sites for wiring info

http://www.camaros.net/techref/ftecref14.html

try this, Madelectrical

http://www.madelectrical.com/electrical-tech.shtml

davelacourse · Poncho Master!

Huh. It has been a while since I revisited this, but since it is too darn hot in the garage to work out there for any period of time now (Summer is definitely here in SW FL, 90+ deg. F. every day, and my little garage A/C unit cannot keep up), I have focused on lingering issues ... i.e. how to hook up one-wire alternator to my originally generator+regulator wiring system.

So I have searched and studied, and I have come to the conclusion that here is what needs to be done (and what I have started to do):

1. Tape off the 20 ga. dark blue "Field" wire that was attached to the generator (don't need it anymore)
2. Remove the regulator (don't need it anymore)
3. Tape off the 20 ga. dark blue "Field" wire that was attached to the regulator (don't need it anymore)
4. Connect the 12 ga. "Bat" and "Arm"* wires that were attached to the regulator (to get Alternator output to the car)
5. Attach the 12 ga. brown wire that was attached to the generator to the alternator (to get Alternator output to the car)

* Generator Armature, i.e. Generator output

I am going to preserve the original terminal ends for the B & A regulator wires (if I clip them off, nobody could use a gen/reg if they wanted to in the future, the wires are too short) and connect them with a #10 (3/16") bolt and nylock nut, wrapped with electrical tape.

Dave

-- Edited by davelacourse on Thursday 28th of May 2015 10:26:30 AM

davelacourse · Poncho Master!

btw Canadian Pontiacs of my vintage (1956 and thereabouts) do not have to worry about connecting the idiot light like you see in Chevy information about alternator conversions that abounds on the internet, because our ammeter wiring exists independently of the under-hood generator/regulator wiring.

Dave