alternator question, what to do w/ the small red wire? Options

[GlennCMC70]

o.k. - on my 93 LT1 CMC car, i'm using a painless wiring engine harness. this harness does not have the small red wire that plugs into the altinator. so i plan to cut this wire out of the stock harness as far back as i can. my plan was to put this on a 12v switched source. the guys at painless said it needs to have a resistor or light inline w/ it. does that sound right? they said w/out the resistor or light the regulator would burn up. anyone know any different?

[rmackintosh]

....dunno...I put it inline with my ignition switch, but lately, I have been having problems with the charging system not keeping system charged....hmmmm....

Let me know what you find, I may need to add something...although I did have the alternator checked and they said it was fine, but that may not have checked the regulator.....

[GlennCMC70]

randy- how long has your car been wired like this?

[rmackintosh]

randy- how long has your car been wired like this?

.....a total of 8 track weekends....I have tested the alternator via the voltmeter and the scantool, and it IS charging most of the time....it has what seems to be an intermitent problem now...I plan to send the alternator out to be checked soon...

[bsim]

Uh, isn't the 'little' red wire the 'exciter' circuit? Meaning the circuit that turns the alternator on and off?

I'm planning on using that for my kill swith wiring - breaking that and the battery should get the engine turned off when the switch is thrown

I don't know that though, I'm going on Al's advice. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[rmackintosh]

....yes...this is the "exciter" circuit....and, come to think of it Glenn....I think I DID put a resistor in there.....it has been so long...but I remember a convo/exchange I had dictating using one now....

And both my positive lead from the battery AND the exciter lead go through a four pole switch from Longacre..

[GlennCMC70]

for now, no master shut-off.
if you could please make this a priority to find out, that would be great. as this could be the one detail keeping me from starting the car for the first time this comming weekend.

[rmackintosh]

Glenn,

Here is all I could find.....a PM message from the guy from CamaroZ28.com:

Hey Randy,

Things are doing great! I had it out all day yesterday creating havoc and having some fun. Definitely need some weight or better tires in the rear, all it wants to do is run sideways.

I haven't had any problem at all with the alt, still running strong, charging around 14.3 volts steady. lovin it!!!

Hope you get yours on the road soon.

Jeff



Quote:


rmackintosh wrote on 03-20-2003 12:51 AM:
Hotwire,

Since I copied your patented "2 1k ohm/ 1/2 watt in parallel" resistor system, and have YET to fire mine up....

I was wondering if yours is still runnin' like a champ????

Thanks,

Randy

[GlennCMC70]

painless gave me a sheet of paper today that said a 15 ohm (not 15 K ohm) 2 watt resistor is needed on pin L between it and the 12v switched source. it needs to be there if you are not running the idiot lamp. all the research on google gave me a 35-40 ohm resistor.
randy, if you could disconect the connector @ the alt and put an ohm meter on it and to the + battery terminal w/ the "key" on it would give you the ohm's you used.
this would be nice if ANYONE out there had a stock LT1 they could do this to. anyone know of a place to find a stock LT1? (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

[#07]

Glenn, I cant help you on the getting ohms reading sorry mine is takin apart right now I would though. Your question has me real confused. Meaning I was planning this too,just havnt got around to it. I have a 4 pole longacre for months (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

What wire are you talking about? I know "the exciter wire" but which is it? I have a plug w/4wires then the ,what is it 8 guage,battery charging wire that goes to batt. from the stud on back of Alt.

So the confusing part is this resistor crap and unknown excitor wire talk. I thought and have planned that when I got around to doing it. That at the switch. I was just going to break the main power line from batt. to starter. And on the 2 small poles the charge wire.
The one thing I was unsure of BEFORE THIS was do I need to run that 8 guage charge through the 2nd circuit of the switch and wire from there all the way back to the battery. OR just to the switch and put it on the pole of the main cord back to pos. term. of batt.

Its not my intention to hijack this thread either I'd like to see you get this figured out.Mostly because of this statement

if you could please make this a priority to find out, that would be great. as this could be the one detail keeping me from starting the car for the first time this comming weekend

Oh man am I a little anxious about putting mine back together praying for no hang-ups/hick-ups/hair pulling (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

Tony

[GlennCMC70]

on myu 93 LT1 engine harness, and on my 98 LS1 engine harness, the connector (weather pack) that plugs into the alt only has 1 wire in it. its like a 20 guage wire. that wire is the exiter wire if i understand it correctly. it puts voltage to the coils to build the magnetic field.
this wire runs to the dash and operates a warning lamp and has some other cuircutry to it like a resistor. i was just gonna put that wire on a switch so i could control the alt. but i'm told it will burn up the regulator after some time (like months). they say it will work w/ out the resistor, just not long.
the master switch you have may have the resistor built in.
i'm gonna try this w/ my 98 tonight.

i cant be the only one here running an LT1 w/out the stock guage cluster.

[#07]

Thanks for that bit of info Glenn. Hope you find out whats up so you can keep your schedule.
Oh and I'm not using my stock guage cluster either. I need to figure this out I guess. I wonder if its pin L on a 94 ohhh man glad you brought this up. Thanks

Tony

[mitchntx]

I hope you folks are beginning to realize that Glenn is no hack ...

[GlennCMC70]

thanks mitch. i was begining to wonder if this was another of my "half assed hair brained ideas". (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/huh.gif)

[mitchntx]

I wasn't gonna use that obvious of a reference, however, being as YOU are the one who built it (instead of some God-like individual), it must be "half-assed".

(IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/nutkick.gif)

[AllZWay]

thanks mitch. i was begining to wonder if this was another of my "half assed hair brained ideas". (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/huh.gif)

More like an added "bling-bling half-assed hair brain idea". (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[#07]

Hey Glenn for what its worth thanks for this thread and steering me in the right direction with it. You may have saved me a bit of misery (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/thumbup.gif) I may have it figured out tomorrow what wire is the exciter on my car. Made a call here around town a fella is gonna school me further on this and "show me the wire". You described its purpose exact.
I cant get any results on the internet. Except for the finding out I had a problem at all part (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Thanks

[GlennCMC70]

well i put a 15 ohm 2 watt resistor in line w/ that circuit. so far it seems to be working well. if the alt fails, i'll post it.

also, resistors in parallel will have an average resistance of the 2. those in series will be addative. this should help you get the coorect ohm if you cant find a 15 exactly.