Sorting out a one wire 3G
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2003
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From: Black Hills of SD
Sorting out a one wire 3G
I have a one wire large frame 3G (yellow/white "A" wire to hot and center wire in it's original plug) on my hotrod. No charge so I took it out, had it bench tested and it charged with the fields grounded. I had another small frame that I knew worked when I removed it a couple years ago, or I thought it did. So I used that regulator. Still no charge but will still charge when full fielded. Did I get a second bad regulator or did I miss something? Case ground is good.
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From: Virginia
I am not sure what type of regulator you are using, if you are grounding the field to make it charge. It would have to be a special aftermarket regulator if it's only one wire. I believe I would get a standard 3g and use the stock regulator, then you will have two wires instead of one, and a much more common setup.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,209
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From: Black Hills of SD
Thanks, I had to dig through 6 pages on the search to find the right wiring diagram. Oddly enough it came from the same site as the incorrect diagram I had (unsuccessfully) tried.
Here is the correct one for anyone interested.
http://www.bcbroncos.com/3ginstall.pdf
Here is the incorrect one I was trying to use, and thought I had an bad regulator because it would charge when I full fielded it.
http://www.bcbroncos.com/3g1wire%20w...ter%20mark.pdf
Not a one wire hook up but still plenty simple. One wire 3G alternators can be found on ebay and other sites, not sure how they do it, maybe a different regulator.
If you don't run the LG/Red wire through the switch, it will drain the battery.
Here is the correct one for anyone interested.
http://www.bcbroncos.com/3ginstall.pdf
Here is the incorrect one I was trying to use, and thought I had an bad regulator because it would charge when I full fielded it.
http://www.bcbroncos.com/3g1wire%20w...ter%20mark.pdf
Not a one wire hook up but still plenty simple. One wire 3G alternators can be found on ebay and other sites, not sure how they do it, maybe a different regulator.
If you don't run the LG/Red wire through the switch, it will drain the battery.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 57,025
Likes: 2,756
From: Virginia
Sounds like you are well educated now on 3g's. They do use a special regulator for the one-wire alternators, and the trick is like you said, getting the regulator to bring the alternator "online" and "offline" so it will not drain the battery. Of course the one wire regulators do not have the green/red, I have heard some of them monitor the dip in voltage when the starter is turning the engine, and use that as a sign to bring the alternator online.
I am not a fan of them, I like to be able to go to the store and get one off the shelf if I am down, and bolt it on and go. I don't want to have to wait for a special mail order alternator to come in before I am up and running again.
I am not a fan of them, I like to be able to go to the store and get one off the shelf if I am down, and bolt it on and go. I don't want to have to wait for a special mail order alternator to come in before I am up and running again.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,209
Likes: 12
From: Black Hills of SD
I agree, that's why I have the $10 junkyard version I wired myself. But that's pretty much this whole car, built in the spirit of the 40s-50s when you found parts and made them work instead of flopping down the plastic for kits.
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