Does any standard aftermarket one wire GM alternator work as well on these Oldsmobiles I'm not too familiar with the setup thank you 69 Cutlass 350 alternator is on the driver side so my plan was just to run the wire straight to the battery
Thank you in advance

 

Why do you want a "one wire" alternator? The harness in the car is already set up for three wires. GM never used one-wire alternators in automobiles (despite the fact that they could have saved a bunch of money on the extra wiring). The one-wire setup was intended for agricultural or construction equipment that operates at a relatively constant RPM. If you want to convert to an internal regulator system, just get a 12SI from RockAuto. Remy P/N 20269 is 94 amps and sells for about $52 plus core. Wire mods look like this.

 

I'll look into that as well it's a custom build type of car I guess you can say and my uncle wants a clean no wire look

 

Do you want the "no wire" look or the "no charging at idle" look? You can hide the wires just as easily either way.

 

Exactly. And here are some details why...

The one-wire senses voltage at the alternator and keeps it constant regardless of load.

1. If you keep the factory charge wire, the system voltage will always be low because of voltage drop in the relatively-small wire connecting the alternator to the battery.

• The lower the battery charge, the lower the system voltage.
• At full battery charge the system voltage varies depending on how many accessories are in use. For example, when you turn on headlights, the system voltage falls.

2. If you put in a heavier charge wire, the stock battery (the type with visible water level) charges much too quickly, depletes water, and loses life (the active material reforms too quickly and drops to the bottom instead of attaching to the plates).

The three-wire senses voltage at the central power point where accessories and battery receive their current.

1. The factory charge wire is undersized, which limits the charge rate of a discharged battery, maintaining its life expectancy.
2. System voltage stays at design level regardless of battery state-of-charge and accessory use.

 

He wants the one wire are these alternator the same as most gm do the basically have the same Mount setup

 

You can get a "one wire" in almost any configuration if that is what you are set on. So yes, you can find one that will bolt in the factory location using the original mounts. Since I did not see it mentioned above (sorry if I missed it), it is worth mentioning that the use of a one wire alternator will disable the "gen" light in the dash. Even the rally pack cars still use an "idiot" light for the charging system. So with the one wire, you will not know if the car stops charging until it shuts off or will not start due to a drained battery. If you are using something like a Dakota Digital dash or other after market gauges then the volt meter will let you know; if not, the original gauges/ lights will not. FYI using an internally regulated alternator like Joe suggested in post #2 will still let you use a minimum of 2 wires. You can tie the red wire in the plug (see pic below) to the charge post on the alternator along with the main charge wire. The white wire will be attached to the warning light (brown wire in original harness). You can also "clock" the rear housing to a position so that the wires are less noticeable. Unless you are using a custom serpentine belt setup, a one wire alternator will not really give a more "custom" look as the case will still look the same. You can get chrome and polished internal regulator alternators like the one suggested in post 2.

 

Yeah he wants me to find a chrome one for him so I'm looking now wasn't able to earlier I was at work
thanks all who chimed in let me try and post a picture of before and after

 

i would suggest a CS series alternator as a compromise. Your uncle wants a clean one wire alternator that leaves much to be desired as far as charging. A CS series has more capacity than the SI alternator, and needs only 2 wires instead of the factory 3.

If a one wire alternator was a good idea for a car, you can bet your last dollar GM would have used it. Think of the money they would have saved in wire and warning lamp bulbs.

 

Contrarian/alternative view here. Obviously the OE circuit configuration is the right way to go, but I’ve had a single wire alternator on mine for years with no detectable difference or disadvantage noticed. It’s been so long I can’t even remember what the original symptoms were but diagnosis was gonna stick me under the dash and I didn’t feel like doing it iirc.

Installed 12si, 94 amp alternator to better handle my heavier electrical load accessories accrued over time, painted the fan with cast aluminum(?) spray paint to tone down the appearance and put my oversized pulley on it. Installed considerably heavier charge wire to horn relay stud, collected regulator wiring and tucked it up behind brake booster, removed regulator from firewall.

I have never seen any charge lag or regulator delay on start up or idle, even with the oversized pulley. It’s been long enough that if there were any Ill effects they surely would have revealed themselves by now or actually long ago. Did I get lucky? I don’t know but I haven’t had even the suggestion of a disadvantage with this set up.





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That's good to hear
it won't be until next week sometime when I can get to it
Let's see what happens I ordered one yesterday hopefully its what he wants .
Once again thanks guys