Electrical charging problem???
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From: Watertown, NY
Electrical charging problem??? I pulled off my alternator last week to install motor mounts. Now my battery gauge reads a bit lower than 13 volts which it used to not do. The strange thing is that when I measure voltage at either the batter terminals or the power post for the fuse distribution block I get about 12.8 Volts with the multimeter. This is with the AC on full blast and my nitrous bottle heater running. 12.8 Volts seems like a good voltage to have with everyhting running so I am thinking that the gauge is giving me scewed readings. When I pulled the alternator the first time I ripped out that little wire on the top but I went to the dealer and got a new connector and wire so that should be all good now. With no power equipment running I get 13.1 volts as well, which tells me everyhting is charging and the gauge is messing with me.
Does the battery dash gauge get its power signal from that little wire on top of the alternator or what? What exactly is this little wire for anyway? I am thinking that the little wire is having something to do with this.
Does the battery dash gauge get its power signal from that little wire on top of the alternator or what? What exactly is this little wire for anyway? I am thinking that the little wire is having something to do with this.
I think it's all in your head. 
That wire is called the "exciter wire", it doesn't send signal to the guage, it is used to............... well I'm not quite sure.
I'm a mechanical engineer, maby some EE's can jump in and enlighten us. I do know that without the exciter wire, you will have no charging at all (ask Luna).
That wire is called the "exciter wire", it doesn't send signal to the guage, it is used to............... well I'm not quite sure.
I'm a mechanical engineer, maby some EE's can jump in and enlighten us. I do know that without the exciter wire, you will have no charging at all (ask Luna).
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I went to a local shop here and was told that exciter wire is what tells the alternator to charge, if the exciter wire has low voltage (which mine does I just checked 10.4Volts) the alternator will not be putting out full power. So now I gotta figure out why that wire is only getting 10.4 Volts.
Last edited by brad8266; May 20, 2006 at 05:01 PM.
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From: Watertown, NY
Can anyone look at a schematic if they have one and tell me wheere the exciter wire runs to. One end goes to the alternator and the other end goes where??
