HonestDave

I'm now ready to finish connecting my electrical charging system. The wiring harness is from a 65 f-85 Deluxe, the old one from the 442 was in a million pieces and had to be removed. I still have remnants including some plugs.
What I need to know is...how do I modify the wiring at the alternator and old regulator now that I'm using the car's newer style system with the built in regulator?
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

oldstata

Here you go Dave you can use jumpers to test before hard wiring but this should be it

9EBE21BA-1035-4390-9548-4CB9F09304E6.jpg

HonestDave

Thanks Justin. Interesting picture. I'll try to figure it out tomorrow when I'm more awake !

oldstata

It's pretty easy the dotted lines is going to be your jumpers and you will need to change the two wire connecter to the newer style

Usually can pick up a pig tail at your local parts store

HonestDave

Interesting. My CO e-mails are coming through, but not highlighted, so they don't link.
Looks like you have to move the "BAT" wire from the alternator to the junction block, and run a new "BAT" wire from the horn relay to the alternator. Seems to me the horn relay is mounted with the junction block on these cars. Have to pull my alt, as I can't get at the terminals. It's mounted terminal side down.

MDchanic

All that really has to happen is that the #1 wire has to go to your ALT light, and the #2 wire and the big charging wire have to go to the horn relay terminal post.

If you want the old regulator on the firewall for appearance, you can leave it, otherwise you can get rid of it.

Since you've got an old harness for parts, if you want, you can pick and choose and reassemble parts of your new harness to do whatever you want.

Also, you can remove the new alternator, take out the four long hex-head screws that hold it together, and rotate one half with respect to the other to "clock" it so that the two smaller terminals face wherever you want them to.

- Eric

stan 65 cutlass

hey dave, did you get the brackets to move it first to the pass. side????

Nop

+1

HonestDave

Thanks Eric,
Going to get right on this when I get in later this morning.

oldstata

Dave, if you "clock". Have some tooth picks handy as they help keep the bushings where they need to be while during reassemble.

HonestDave

Hi Stan,
Didn't bother with brackets yet. Decided to stick with things that were more crucial for the short term.

HonestDave

Will keep that in mind. Might save re-clocking for another time, if there's enough clearance for the plug and wires between the alt and the intake.

MDchanic

You don't need to pull the halves apart when you clock it - okay maybe a 32nd of an inch or so, just to free it, but no more - you just twist it around without pulling it apart, that way no bearings or brushes get dislodged.

- Eric

HonestDave

Looks like a nice tidy solution.

HonestDave

Got the job done this morning, after a fashion. Managed to re-clock the alt without it springing apart. Made slight changes to the wiring as per Justin's diagram and Eric's advice. Only thing I didn't do was run old "BAT" to binding post and new "BAT" to horn relay. I tested with a meter, and everything seemed to be interconnected, so I couldn't see the point (there probably is one, though !!). I hooked the old "BAT" wire back up and tested with my meter. Car is charging lovely at about 14 volts when idling. Dash light comes on when ignition turned on, and goes out when car is running. Will make more changes as needed, but for the moment I'm a happy camper.

oldstata

I did the same thing. I believe that wiring threw the relay is just a wiring percaustion.

MDchanic

The reason why the sensor wire is separate from the charging wire is because, even though there may be no resistance from point to point when there is no current flowing (as you discovered to be the case in your car), when there IS current flowing, there may be a voltage drop between different points in the charging system, so by using a separate, unloaded sensor wire, the regulator can maintain a set voltage at a desired point in the system. The sensor wire is usually connected to the horn relay post because that is the official power takeoff for all of the car's systems, so if the voltage is correct there, everything is starting at the specified baseline.

Also, I noticed that you have quite a bit of spaghetti leading into that alternator.



If you'd like, you can just connect regular ¼" spade females directly to the alternator terminals and not bother with the plastic factory plug, etc.
And you should solder all of those connections. Crimped connections breed resistance, and resistance breeds things not working right.

- Eric

edit: another look shows that you have two ¼" spade males plugged into the original plug, which then connect to the new plug.
All you need to do is release the metal ¼" spade females from the old plug by inserting a very small screwdriver into the "nick" above each terminal, do the same for the terminals in the new plug, then insert the old terminals into the new plug, and you can do away with that messy stuff.

oldstata

If you have a small pick you can also push down the pin that holds the spade connector in the plastic connector and swap the connectors. I did this to mine

MDchanic

That's what I meant. Maybe I wasn't clear. In the drawing attached to my post, there is a little tang coming down from the terminal in the side view - that holds the terminal in the plastic connector. You push in from front to back to press this tang up toward the terminal and release it from the connector.

- Eric

edit: oh wait, I see - I finished my edit at 5:40, but you posted your response at 5:35.

HonestDave

I'll be doing that swap next couple days. I like that, pull out the metal connectors and put them in the new plug. I used to know that !! Now I know it again. This is great. Also going to solder the jumpers I made up at the regulator plug. Just kind of ran out of time this morning. I was so excited it worked, and lunch was calling. What's that I hear now....why it's coffee !
Thanks again.

HonestDave

Got the wiring for the alternator finished this morning. The metal tips pulled out of the old plugs and went into the new quite nicely. Did the same with my oil sending unit wire. Working like a charm.

MDchanic

Looks real nice. Glad you got it done!

- Eric

oldstata

X2 are you about to tear up the streets yet ?

HonestDave

Got to move the car forward and finish up the trunk wiring. It's the only section I haven't replaced yet. Going to try and leave it in and just solder the sockets onto it so I can get my rear lights all working. Actually, I don't think any of my turn signals are working, and my reverse light wiring is all dangling underneath. Forgot to drill holes in the new trunk floor for the back-up lights.
I remembered to take the key out of the ignition for the first time in a year. It's at the point now that a bad guy could crank it up and drive off in it. Kind of snuck up on me.
The bolts that hold the front fenders on are sheared off at the bottom, so the lower sections can pull out. Weld them on or try drilling them out, or....how about leave them for now !!
Still have to put the catch in for the trunk latch assembly. A few odds and ends, but she's gonna be on the road real soon.