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1992 F150 Voltage Drop

Kaajot

Micro Machine Manager
Did you grind down the sides of the cooper lug and omit the 3g connector then?
 

dustybumpers

don't play well w others
I did. Worked out just fine. If you look at the top of the adapter it is same shape as the back of the alternator. Use it as a trial size for the grinding

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Kaajot

Micro Machine Manager
Found an example of the wiring modification on YouTube. I think I got it a little backwards too.

Does this look correct for wiring?
 

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dustybumpers

don't play well w others
White white gets hooked to square plug came with harness has plug on it. Green wire gets hooked to green /red tracer wire was in harness. The yellow wire gets hooked to the back of the alternator with the big red wire.
The 3 wires in the plug goes into the alternator.

Red wire to bottom of fuse. Red wire from top of fuse to solenoid hot side where you took the fusable link off.

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primetime

sawmill slave
I haven`t used that adapter you`re holding in your hand on the two I`ve done. And I just trimmed the plastic ring on the alternator so the cable lug end would sit flat.
 

dustybumpers

don't play well w others
I grind the end, cutting the plastic would void the warranty on a new store bought one.
A used one may not be a problem

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Kaajot

Micro Machine Manager
I was thinking I’d rather cut the plastic down on the alternator, but glad I didn’t since it does have a limited lifetime warranty.

So, corrective actions taken. Have to heat shrink the white wire still, and I know where the green one goes now.

See benchwork photo.
 

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dustybumpers

don't play well w others
Green goes to the one was in your old harness
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primetime

sawmill slave
Well there`s that, but this ninja ain`t buying new store boughts :rolling laugh:, junkyard all the way or our local rebuilder who`s been around 35 years and doesn`t need me buying an alternator or starter from Carquest. And knows what I`m doing and agrees to disagree that it`ll work lol.

The wiring is simpler then it seems. Iy`s just like Charlie said, but I`ll add that the only original wiring you are keeping from the truck is the green/red wire. Hook that to the green wire on your 3 wire connector, loop the yellow off the 3 wire connector to the main charge stud on the alt, lose the black/orange wires that were on the truck and replace them with your 2/0 and megafuse and you`re done.
 

Kaajot

Micro Machine Manager
Thanks guys!

I should have this done within the hour or an hour tops. Back at it!!!

PS: suggestions on mounting to wheel well plastic for mega fuse or something else?
 

dustybumpers

don't play well w others
I mounted mine behind the solenoid beside the jack all 4 trucks

& like primetime said, dont overthink it.....
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primetime

sawmill slave
I drilled holes and used 1/4" bolts. May have been overkill, use whatever you may have handy. Self drillers, tappers, whatever.

Just for the heck of it, pics of the 3G wiring on my buggy that has a self exciting regulator on it. Pretty much the same except no green/red wire.

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The single wire plug would`ve come with the regulator, but one of the local used car dealers need that terminal end bad and didn`t want to go to the junkyard to get it. My rebuilder sold it to them for the price of the regulator, then gave it to me for the buggy.
 

dustybumpers

don't play well w others
Gren/red wire is the key. Sole purpose is to turn on off charge. In a pickup in needs to be there, or it will kill the battery, and eventually fry the diodes.

In your buggy, you probably have a different ignition control setup.

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dustybumpers

don't play well w others
Nice old skool valve covers btw

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primetime

sawmill slave
Oh you like those eh?? M/Ts for the win baby!

And correct on the green wire. With the normal truck setup it turns on via the key/battery light in the cluster, with the self exciting regulator on the buggy it`s RPM controlled, same way as the so called GM 1 wire units.

Buggy has an on/off switch for the ignition, and a push button for the starter.

I popped the hood the hood on Big Blue to take a pic of his 3G conversion, but the way it`s clocked you couldn`t see anything. Buggy was the best I could do on short notice.
 

Kaajot

Micro Machine Manager
Eureka, 30 mins over.

Still gotta reinstall clutch and shroud, but gonna clean up tools and test fire installed alternator.

I retained the plastic mounts from old wiring harness, added some protective plastic around both fuse wire and solo red/green and had convenient holes in wheel well that fit plastic clips I electric taped to the plastic sleeves.

Should be good, but plastic cover for fuse does seem to want to wiggle off. Will probably tape it closed — is held down by a plastic clip in a wheel well cover on the line to solenoid, very close to fuse so it ain’t moving.
 

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dustybumpers

don't play well w others
Oh you like those eh?? M/Ts for the win baby!

And correct on the green wire. With the normal truck setup it turns on via the key/battery light in the cluster, with the self exciting regulator on the buggy it`s RPM controlled, same way as the so called GM 1 wire units.

Buggy has an on/off switch for the ignition, and a push button for the starter.

I popped the hood the hood on Big Blue to take a pic of his 3G conversion, but the way it`s clocked you couldn`t see anything. Buggy was the best I could do on short notice.
I used a light bulb in the wire on my tractor to make it turn on off the charge. As long as the engine is running, the light bulb is on, the alternator is charging. I could have used a resistor, but the light bulb was there, and free.

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Kaajot

Micro Machine Manager
Good news, the alternator is not having any voltage drops etc (there's some minor, but not much compared to the old one).

I'd like to say the alternator upgrade is a great success. Any suggestions on how to secure the white or yellow lines from the plug to their connection points on the alternator? Should I just wrap them up in electrical tape?

Bad news -- in a different thread.
 

Kaajot

Micro Machine Manager
What's the Over/Under possibility new Alternator came with a broken regulator?

Disconnecting my amp, testing voltage at battery and charge point at amp.

Is it safe after that to (for a minute) disconnect white wire on alternator to see if alternator changes charging? Assuming it has an internal limiter so it can't shoot 110v or anything stupid to the battery.

My engine is also idling high, disconnecting iac comm wires did nothing. Backed throttle body adjuster to the plate, no change in idle. Not getting anywhere close to 400-600 (500) low idle in park. Still chasing evap leak, but thinking I will need to inspect my PCM again and in 3 years it may have also been abused enough to blow or burn again.

Just running through this nightmare. Believe the Power Steering Pump (new) is shot and causing the serpentine belt to stretch. Tensioner Idler is no good, keeps stripping to put new belts on (I didn't buy this, angry shop bought it and put it on, wanted a different brand not autozone). The shim on the idler has stopped the belt from slipping off and shredding itself, but now we're just stretching it and causing erratic charging by alternator.

Alternator is charging battery too much if the visual indicator is anything -- after 20-30 minutes driving it's showing close to 18 v (high NORMAL past L, almost out of side ] bracket). Getting multimeter out to seriously get numbers for you for second ops as I'm very much done with the local opinion and looking at probably buying new PSP, tensioner and warrantying the alternator if I cannot get the regulator to start working properly to avoid damaging (or worse, exploding venting fumes....) the battery.

I'm going to blow the throttle body apart and inspect after smoke machine attached to make sure (if we find no evap leaks) that the throttle body is not warped and allowing too much air to pass through.

Small oil drip was noted at 500 mile oil change a few days ago at harmonic balancer. I don't know what to think of that yet, except why and wtf. Also found a missing bolt install on lower side of Power Steering Pump bracket to engine. That's now in place, shouldn't affect anything but it was the PSP bracket. Now it shouldn't move.
 

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