DCx

iTrader: (12)

i had a question about using an F body alternator with a carb setup. will my alternator charge by hooking up the single wire to the back of it? or does it need more connections.

my 69 camaro was rewired with a painless 18 circuit gm muscle car harness. my current sbc is running a swap meet special 1 wire alt.

i purchased a new 105amp F body alternator when i bought all my F brackets. will it work?

**edit

i did some more searching... do i need to buy one of these?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/98-02...spagenameZWD1V

how exactly do i hook it up to a bulb? anyone got any pictures.

**edit

what is the clocking of the F body mounting locations? can i just get a 1 wire alt with the same mounting locations and use that? i know the rear bracket wont be used but will that cause any problems?

LS1MCSS

iTrader: (18)

You can use that connector and run a wire from 12v switched, through a 470ohm resister to the plug and it will charge.

DCx

iTrader: (12)

sweet. just like this then?

switched 12v ~~470ohm~~ebay plug to alt

and i still have my battery positive to the stud on the back of the alt?

Zedzag

iTrader: (7)

That's what I did and no problems yet.

DCx

iTrader: (12)

thank you. my head was spinning after reading all those posts. i didnt follow as to where the resistor was hooked up.

so the ebay pig tail connects to the B terminal on the alt?

looking at it from above when installed on the engine the 4 prongs are

ABCD

DCx

iTrader: (12)

oh i have no idea what i am doing. i picked up some 470 ohm 1/2 watt resistors from radio shack. how the heck do i wire it in? the resistors are so tiny! here is how i have it wired.

soldered resistor



and this is the plug to my alternator. is it the right one?



since my alternator pig tail is so small i crimped a spade connector to the end to i can disconnect it from the 12v wire lead.

Whistler

iTrader: (46)

Right on the money!

LS1MCSS

iTrader: (18)

Be sure to put some heat shrink over the resistor and the rest of the bare spots where it connects.

DCx

iTrader: (12)

that was just a test piece for the pictures. the actual one i have soldered in isnt as nice... ill change it out since i practiced my soldering skills and let you all know how it works. out.

last time i had it running the amp gauge never moved off of 12v. even with just the key on, 12v. shouldent it be like 14v at idle?

Steve VanS

iTrader: (1)

Yep, wire it that way as in post 6 above, but a higher-wattage resistor would be good. The charge light wattage in an IP light would be a good guide.

DCx

iTrader: (12)

what size would you reccoomend? painless wiring has a harness for this style alternator that comes with a 82ohm 4watt resistor.

looking at the 470ohm 1/2 watt it looks mighty small. isnt the target voltage 5v? i tested my current wire and it still pulls 11.7~12v when tested.

when i had my old small block set up installed with a 100amp single wire the amp gauge would always dip to 11 then rev to 13 then dip again. do you think my optima red top was draining it?

G-Body

iTrader: (4)

The 470 ohm 1/2 watt resistor is correct. You will end up with somewhere between 11 and 12 volts. What volt gauge are you using to measure the voltage?

DCx

iTrader: (12)

im using an old digital probe my dad had laying around in his tool box. i tested the wire just now and its sitting at 11.7v i tested another wire inside the car and its pulling 12.4v

here is a pic of the probe.

G-Body

iTrader: (4)

The easiest thing to do would be to have the alt tested at an autozone/advance/whatever that way you can be sure whether the problem is with the alt or the wiring. You have it wired correctly so I don`t really think that is the problem, I know its a new alternator, but the easiest way to diagnose a problem is to eliminate variables.

DCx

iTrader: (12)

its an ebay special... ill give it a shot.

DCx

iTrader: (12)

ok, i soldered in a new resistor. it didnt work. so i decided to pull one of the bulbs out of my autometer gauges ans wire that in series.

IT WORKED! the light bulb was on when i keyed the car, then went out when i started it. soon after 14amps on my gauge!