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Old Mar 22, 2011 | 01:28 PM
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Alternator wiring help?

I have a 1974 ranchero 500 with a 351 cleveland in it. my brother bought the car a few years ago and had the motor rebuilt. He then got tired of repairing it so he let it sit for abour 4-5 years. so the other day i went to start her up and there was no alternator in the car.. just the wiring hanging. i now have a new alternator for the car but i am not sure how to hook up the wires to the alternator. I have pictures of the alternator and the wiring. I'm hoping somebody may be able to help me out to figure out which wires go where..?

IMAG0818.jpg picture by dankjuice - Photobucket

 
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Old Mar 22, 2011 | 02:12 PM
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Orange goes to the "F" terminal of the alternator.

White/black goes to the "S" terminal of the alternator.

The large wire with the ring connector goes to the terminal on the alt with the nut. This terminal will say "bat".

The terminal on the "tee" wiring fitting bolts to the ground stud of the alternator.
 
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Old Mar 24, 2011 | 05:36 PM
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I connected the wires the way that you suggested and i jump started my battery and got the car running. i drove it around the block a few times and when i got home i tried to see if the car would start again and i had no luck. it didnt even have enough juice to turn on any lights in the car. think the battery may be dead? or maybe missing a ground or connection somewhere?
(voltage regulator and starter solenoid have both been replaced)
 
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Old Mar 24, 2011 | 07:04 PM
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You need to get a voltmeter and check the voltage.....Gotta have something over 12v to start ( and a lot of amps).

Let it charge up overnight!
 
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Old Mar 24, 2011 | 09:17 PM
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With the truck running, check the voltage at the battery. It should be around 13.5 to 14.5 volts. If it is, then it's charging.
 
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Old Mar 24, 2011 | 10:07 PM
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Thanks, going to let it charge over night and find the voltage meter tomorrow and see if its working. I'm hoping its going to be that simple but with this car it never seems to be
 
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Old Mar 26, 2011 | 05:57 PM
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i let the battery charge overnight and i tried starting it. The battery only had enough juice to crank it maybe 3-4 times. it wanted to start but i ran out of battery power. the battery is only about 2 weeks old. could it have been ran down that far by the bad alternator that was it in? or would the alternator charge the battery if it was completely dead?
 
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Old Mar 26, 2011 | 07:05 PM
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What was the voltage on the battery when you got done charging it?
 
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Old Mar 26, 2011 | 10:38 PM
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Yes, there is no way to find out your problem without you doing some testing. You didn't do the voltage test on the battery while the engine was running either?
 
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Old Mar 27, 2011 | 11:32 AM
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there wasnt enough battery power to get it started. it was cold outside and the engine takes forever to get started when its cold. In the process of re charging the battery again. gona let it sit all day and hopefully it will charge enough this time to start it.
 
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Old Mar 28, 2011 | 07:02 PM
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i brought the battery back to napa today to have them test it and the little computer said to replace it. so i got a new battery under the warranty considering it was only 2 weeks old. I put the new battery in and it started right up. its putting out about 13-14.5V and seems to be charging. took it around the block a few times with the brights on and turned on all my signals and tried to run it down a little bit to see if i was going to have the same problem. But so far so good. Next is getting the rockers and lifters adjusted and get the timing re done. Anybody else got any ideas on what i should take a look at since its been sitting for the last 5 years?
 
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Old Mar 28, 2011 | 09:41 PM
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Next is getting the rockers and lifters adjusted
If the valvetrain is original, it's not adjustable. Most Fords are not.
 
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Old Mar 29, 2011 | 10:05 AM
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The valvetrain is still original.. i was not aware that it was not adjustable. The last mechanic that looked at it said that would probably be why its misfiring. What would be my next option then?
 
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Old Mar 29, 2011 | 01:47 PM
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I would put it on the road and drive it. Some problems will go away on a car that has been sitting if it's driven some. And also some new problems will appear. That's what happens when a vehicle sits for a long period. It's biggest problem is probably stale gas in the tank.
 
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Old Mar 29, 2011 | 06:28 PM
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got lucky on that part.. gas was drained before it was left to sit in my driveway forever. its not driving very well because of the misfire is so bad. I think im just going to bring it into my friends shop and see if i can find out what else is wrong with it. im hoping its just the lifters and rockers and the timing.
 
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