Pulling my hair out
my swap harness has the 4 pin plug with only 1 wire. how do i wire this together. i have searched a bunch of posts. and now i am really confused
The truck alternator, as you probably already figured out, communicates with the PCM via 2 wires. Depending on what your PCM is programmed to, you may be able to run the two wires from the alternator to the appropriate pins on the PCM connector.
my swap harness has the 4 pin plug with only 1 wire. how do i wire this together. i have searched a bunch of posts. and now i am really confused
The truck alternator, as you probably already figured out, communicates with the PCM via 2 wires. Depending on what your PCM is programmed to, you may be able to run the two wires from the alternator to the appropriate pins on the PCM connector.
One of the truck alternator wires functions very similarly to the Camaro wire described above. The truck alternators I have come across have a 4-pin plug, and only use two wires - wire B and wire C. Wire B is usually brown, and functions just like the above mentioned Camaro wire, except that instead of running to a trouble light or a resistor and then to hot in run or start, it runs to a pin on the truck PCM which emulates the light/resistor. The truck PCM will also trigger the dash light when necessary. Since these wires do the same function, you should be able to run this wire to an alternator trouble light in your dash or through a 470 ohm resistor. Your wiring harness, if it's from a 2000 Camaro, probably already has this wire included. It should be the one wire that goes to your alternator (again, not the heavy wire that goes to your battery). Make sure the wire has the appropriate resistance, either through a bulb or resistor, and terminates in a hot in run or start circuit.
The second wire... the "field" wire, I don't know much about. The truck schematic has it labeled "generator field duty cycle signal". I don't remember what it does. The Camaro harness does not have a field wire because the field is internally controlled in the alternator. Maybe someone can chime in and help you with that second wire.
Let me know what year/model vehicle that alternator came from, and I'll try to find the appropriate schematic.
One of the truck alternator wires functions very similarly to the Camaro wire described above. The truck alternators I have come across have a 4-pin plug, and only use two wires - wire B and wire C. Wire B is usually brown, and functions just like the above mentioned Camaro wire, except that instead of running to a trouble light or a resistor and then to hot in run or start, it runs to a pin on the truck PCM which emulates the light/resistor. The truck PCM will also trigger the dash light when necessary. Since these wires do the same function, you should be able to run this wire to an alternator trouble light in your dash or through a 470 ohm resistor. Your wiring harness, if it's from a 2000 Camaro, probably already has this wire included. It should be the one wire that goes to your alternator (again, not the heavy wire that goes to your battery). Make sure the wire has the appropriate resistance, either through a bulb or resistor, and terminates in a hot in run or start circuit.
The second wire... the "field" wire, I don't know much about. The truck schematic has it labeled "generator field duty cycle signal". I don't remember what it does. The Camaro harness does not have a field wire because the field is internally controlled in the alternator. Maybe someone can chime in and help you with that second wire.
Let me know what year/model vehicle that alternator came from, and I'll try to find the appropriate schematic.
thanks for you help
If your alternator doesn't have a 4 pin plug with only 2 pins being used, you might have the wrong alternator?! Or maybe some sort of high-performance aftermarket unit?
Anyway, it shouldn't matter much. If you don't have the correct alternator, buy it, and wire plug B through a dash light or resistor. and figure out what to do with that field wire. A google search should be able to help you out with that. I looked it up a while back, and I think it was something easy.


