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For those of you who know the truck it has a 1970 Caprice 350 motor in it. The old alternator was working but bearing starting to squeal so I decided to replace it with a new remanufactured alternator. I chose one out of a 75 Monte Carlo with the same motor because the plugs were the same that were in the truck but this is the second one I put in and neither will charge the battery. Is the little round looking piece under the battery a voltage regulator?
If you are talking about the object in the second pic, that is a starting solenoid. Your voltage regulator should be on the radiator support or some where's near the front of the engine bay on the inner fender. Should be slightly rectangle or square with three or four wires attached to one side.
If you are talking about the object in the second pic, that is a starting solenoid. Your voltage regulator should be on the radiator support or some where's near the front of the engine bay on the inner fender. Should be slightly rectangle or square with three or four wires attached to one side.
Thanks
I didn't see anything like that I will take a closer look tomorrow.
If you are talking about the object in the second pic, that is a starting solenoid. Your voltage regulator should be on the radiator support or some where's near the front of the engine bay on the inner fender. Should be slightly rectangle or square with three or four wires attached to one side.
Let's back up a little bit. The voltage regulator SHOULD be where you said, but the alternator shown is a GM internally regulated unit. So the functioning voltage regulator is inside the alternator.
To the owner of the truck: The cut red wire needs to be hooked to a "hot" source. Either the battery or the output post on the alternator for it to function. The white wire coming out of the alternator that has a butt connector going to a green wire should come from your ignition switch with a 194 "alt" light in series or have a diode in it (again, in series), so that the electricity doesn't backfeed back to the coil and and cause the engine to continue running when you shut the key off.
Since I have no idea how this truck was wired up and I don't know the mechanical expertise of the owner, I'll probably leave it at that.
One last little comment that might throw a wrench into the equation is that around 1970 or '71, for about one year, GM used an alternator that LOOKED like an internally regulated alternator, but actually had the external voltage regulator bolted to the fenderwll or radiator bracket. I hope I didn't make the issue more confusing than it already is.
Let's back up a little bit. The voltage regulator SHOULD be where you said, but the alternator shown is a GM internally regulated unit. So the functioning voltage regulator is inside the alternator.
To the owner of the truck: The cut red wire needs to be hooked to a "hot" source. Either the battery or the output post on the alternator for it to function. The white wire coming out of the alternator that has a butt connector going to a green wire should come from your ignition switch with a 194 "alt" light in series or have a diode in it (again, in series), so that the electricity doesn't backfeed back to the coil and and cause the engine to continue running when you shut the key off.
Since I have no idea how this truck was wired up and I don't know the mechanical expertise of the owner, I'll probably leave it at that.
One last little comment that might throw a wrench into the equation is that around 1970 or '71, for about one year, GM used an alternator that LOOKED like an internally regulated alternator, but actually had the external voltage regulator bolted to the fenderwll or radiator bracket. I hope I didn't make the issue more confusing than it already is.
You did not make it more confusing and I appreciate all the information.
The alternator that has been on the truck for a long long time was working fine without red wire hooked to anything.
The after market voltage gauges I installed has also been working fine and still reads 12 v when running.
The word expertise should not be used in the same sentence when my mechanical skills
Let's back up a little bit. The voltage regulator SHOULD be where you said, but the alternator shown is a GM internally regulated unit. So the functioning voltage regulator is inside the alternator.
To the owner of the truck: The cut red wire needs to be hooked to a "hot" source. Either the battery or the output post on the alternator for it to function. The white wire coming out of the alternator that has a butt connector going to a green wire should come from your ignition switch with a 194 "alt" light in series or have a diode in it (again, in series), so that the electricity doesn't backfeed back to the coil and and cause the engine to continue running when you shut the key off.
Since I have no idea how this truck was wired up and I don't know the mechanical expertise of the owner, I'll probably leave it at that.
One last little comment that might throw a wrench into the equation is that around 1970 or '71, for about one year, GM used an alternator that LOOKED like an internally regulated alternator, but actually had the external voltage regulator bolted to the fenderwll or radiator bracket. I hope I didn't make the issue more confusing than it already is.
So I can just loop the red unconnected wire right to the hot out put post on back of alienator?
Let's back up a little bit. The voltage regulator SHOULD be where you said, but the alternator shown is a GM internally regulated unit. So the functioning voltage regulator is inside the alternator.
To the owner of the truck: The cut red wire needs to be hooked to a "hot" source. Either the battery or the output post on the alternator for it to function. The white wire coming out of the alternator that has a butt connector going to a green wire should come from your ignition switch with a 194 "alt" light in series or have a diode in it (again, in series), so that the electricity doesn't backfeed back to the coil and and cause the engine to continue running when you shut the key off.
Since I have no idea how this truck was wired up and I don't know the mechanical expertise of the owner, I'll probably leave it at that.
One last little comment that might throw a wrench into the equation is that around 1970 or '71, for about one year, GM used an alternator that LOOKED like an internally regulated alternator, but actually had the external voltage regulator bolted to the fenderwll or radiator bracket. I hope I didn't make the issue more confusing than it already is.
Thanks for jumping in, I have only worked on stock setups!
Did that work?
That 12 volts you saw was just want the battery was holding.
When the motor is running and the ALT charging it should read between 13.5 & 14.5 volts.
My guess the old was a "1wire" done inside and why the wire was not hooked up.
I got a car with a so called 1 wire that is done inside.
When I first start the motor you have tobring the RPM up pretty high to "jump start" the ALT to start charging.
I also found if the battery was left disconnected, car is a long time project so sits a lot, it would not charge till run along time.
1 wire ALT is not the one all be all way to go in my book.
Dave ----
Did that work?
That 12 volts you saw was just want the battery was holding.
When the motor is running and the ALT charging it should read between 13.5 & 14.5 volts.
My guess the old was a "1wire" done inside and why the wire was not hooked up.
I got a car with a so called 1 wire that is done inside.
When I first start the motor you have tobring the RPM up pretty high to "jump start" the ALT to start charging.
I also found if the battery was left disconnected, car is a long time project so sits a lot, it would not charge till run along time.
1 wire ALT is not the one all be all way to go in my book.
Dave ----
