One wire alternator and proper ground

[sparkyj]

I have installed a "one wire alternator" unit to the back of my alternator, having replaced a generator. I have installed the little unit to the proper posts, red to bat, Green to Field, yellow to STA , Black to a ground post. I'm going off of a diagram on this as my Alt does not have labels, however i assume the fat post is the BAT terminal..

I have attached a 10 guage wire to the Bat terminal on the Alternator and to the positive side of the Starter relay.

Q:
is it possible to have slight voltage coming across the relay? I mean i'm trying to test for ground and I'm not sure what i am supposed to be looking for. I would assume testing from the red relay side of the relay which is connected to the BAT terminal, then touching the engine block should not create any "pips"on the circuit. I get just a "pip" not a solid beeeeep.

also I noticed when disengaging the Bat terminal from the Alternator I don't get any beeps between the posts on the starter relay or from Pos Starter relaty to ground.

Does the Alternator have a questionable amount of milliamp passing through at all times?

I just don't want to connect these battery cables until i KNOW everything is ok...

 

[LaGrasta]

i suggest you visit www.madelectrical.com

 

[NC-Fordguy]

I have installed a "one wire alternator" unit to the back of my alternator, having replaced a generator. I have installed the little unit to the proper posts, red to bat, Green to Field, yellow to STA , Black to a ground post. I'm going off of a diagram on this as my Alt does not have labels, however i assume the fat post is the BAT terminal..

I have attached a 10 guage wire to the Bat terminal on the Alternator and to the positive side of the Starter relay.

Q:
is it possible to have slight voltage coming across the relay? I mean i'm trying to test for ground and I'm not sure what i am supposed to be looking for. I would assume testing from the red relay side of the relay which is connected to the BAT terminal, then touching the engine block should not create any "pips"on the circuit. I get just a "pip" not a solid beeeeep.

also I noticed when disengaging the Bat terminal from the Alternator I don't get any beeps between the posts on the starter relay or from Pos Starter relaty to ground.

Does the Alternator have a questionable amount of milliamp passing through at all times?

I just don't want to connect these battery cables until i KNOW everything is ok...

When you say one wire, I'm assuming that it is a one wire internally regulated unit??

 

[fordconvert]

I think you have your terminology messed up which may be your whole problem? You may be following the directions for a part you do not have. Read the link above that explains what the differences are in alternators. Sounds like you do not have a true 1 wire. A true one wire only will have one terminal on it that does go to the battery lead side of the solenoid. The body of the alternator is the ground and typically on our cars the - from the battery goes to the engine anyway so you would be all set and working. You mention other terminals so the question then becomes do you have a Ford style that uses an external regulator or do you have a GM style with an internal regulator. The big terminal is still the battery either way but the little ones do not interchange between the two. What is the little unit you refer to? Is that a regulator? What is the relay? With the GM style one of the small terminals links to the battery terminal and the other comes on with the key. WIth the Fords that key on wire goes to the regulator and the other 2 wires go to the alternator. The regulators usually ground through their bodies. IF you dont have a true 1 wire you need that key switched connection or the alternator will stay 'on' and suck down your battery. There is also a way you could hook things up that when you turn the key off that wire will backfeed the rest of the car and it wont shut off. I believe all that is very well covered in the mad electrical link above. I have not read it in a while but I remember it being pretty good info.

Beeps on your meter either are a warning because you are overloading it somehow or a diode/ continuity check. If you are trying to test quality of connections you should be reading ohms on a dead circuit (not running and battery unhooked) or looking for voltage drop which would be where you would have the circuit operating and set your meter to (dc in our case) volts you then put one lead say on the engine where the battery cable connects and the other end at the battery. In a perfect world you should not read any voltage like this. In the real world there will be a slight (like 0.0x volts) reading. If you read say 6 volts there you have a problem. Same if you go between the alternator body and the engine or battery terminal.

 

[Lazy JW]

I have installed a "one wire alternator" unit to the back of my alternator......

Is this an aftermarket gadget to convert a normal alternator to a one-wire type? If so, where did you obtain it?
Joe

 

[sparkyj]

Thanks guys. I have the One wire voltage regulator like this one I got at a local Mustang shop.

http://www.falconparts.com/search_resul ... earch.y=10

I will read through your replie to get a grip on these issues and ideas you all raise. Thanks. Chasing daylight now....

 

[4on-the-floor]

You will be better of to get the one wire with built in regulator. Unless you bought a new original allternator to put the conversion kit on. New allternator plus conversion kit may cost more than a single wire one will.

 

[sparkyj]

I know.
i had a new one sitting around from a previous project!
Got the engine fired up. The alternator is squealing so bad above 1200 rpm. Hmmmm.

 

[Lazy JW]

If the alternator spins freely by hand (indicating good bearings) and the belt fits correctly and is properly adjusted, then possibly the field is getting full voltage which means it is trying to produce a bazillion watts, making it very difficult to turn, thus the belt slippage.
Joe

 

[sparkyj]

Dang!. I guess I'll throw a volt meeter on the Field terminal. thanks Joe. This is a Gates belt. Seems a tad wider than the original too...
But looks like it fits the pully and Alt fine, just a tad wide for the dampner pulley