Ok i have a 1971 ford f100 ranger, its stock no tach, nothing that should need the extra power. It used to have ac before i got it some one took the compressor out. I think when i changed the alternator i put the harness back on wrong, it had 3 terminals and i didn't know what i was doing so i think i put the ground wire on the stator terminal. This is my first truck and i am still learning. At the moment its running a little rough and I'm not sure why? I hope that i can put a ground wire on the alternator and it will solve my problem. I haven’t been able to drive my truck in 3 months and I really want to!

thanks for all your help,
James

 

I would say the stator does not get hooked to anything.
It puts out half the volts (6-7) of the big output lug of 13.5 - 14.5.
On some of the 80's trucks the stator was hooked to the electric choke assistance as the cap was only made for 6 -7 volts not 12 volts like after market carbs.
Dave - - - -

 

But do you have an ammeter, oil pressure and water temperature gauges in addition to the fuel gauge?
The ammeter may say AMPS, or BAT, or something like that. Not sure what labeling Ford used in '71 but someone can confirm.
The alternative is just warning lamps. And we need to know this so we can correctly wire your alternator and regulator. Being a Ranger, I would think that it would have the gauges, but you never know.

Ok, easy to do. Lots of people get the Ford charging system wrong, but usually get to avoid the short-circuit thing luckily.
The three terminals (four actually) are clearly marked with BAT (main charge post), STA (stator post, unused for now), FLD (Field post) and GRD (ground post)
You can actually ground the voltage regulator's mounting screw to anything on the aluminum case of the alternator, but the GRD stud is a nice convenient spot.

Are your wires all separated now, or are they still in the original molded rubber "strain relief" thingy? That would be a large black block of plastic or rubber that protects the wires, and orients them so it's harder to get them on wrong.
Field wire is Orange.
Charge wire is Black, or Black w/yellow stripe.
Ground wire is usually just a small black one, maybe with a red stripe, and if your rubber protector is intact, usually is just a metal ring that is used to mount the wires. The ground wire is inside the rubber block.
The stator wire is White w/black, but as mentioned in your case likely not used. The Broncos all got the stator wire in '73 to help open the carburetor choke. Not sure when the full-size trucks got it. But if it's messed up and you don't have an electric choke, you don't need it for now anyway.
If you do have an electric choke, let us know what kind of carburetor it is.

Cool. These old things are a learning experience almost every day!

The alternator ground will have nothing to do with the engine running rough unfortunately. Unless the battery is getting low from not being charged, it should have no effect on how rough it runs.

Well that sucks! Longer for me, but I think I can see light at the end of the tunnel.
Good luck!

Give us some more details when you can just in case. Even better would be a picture of the instrument panel, and a couple of under the hood. Near the battery and alternator and starter relay/solenoid, one on the top of the carburetor, and just a general overall one.

Thanks

Paul