What is this and why did it stop working? (Electrical Problem)

Wow what a thread. I do not see an ignition wire to the VR. An early B circuit Chrys. alt has to be the worse choice for a retrofit. They put very little out at idle and the pulley is difficult to change. As well wider belt options are very limited.

That alt has many variations and most are mixture of those variants. Rotors are identical in appearance but pull different amperage as well as the rotor "bobbin" height is all over the board. These difference tho' subtle will make changes as to how the alt works especially at low rpm.

Otherwise not a bad unit....in 1963.
Bill W you are right about this VR and Volvos. It is easier to increase the voltage on the existing VR and if a Volvo with an isolation diode (or SEV) the Chrys. VR is set to low. You would have to reset it, + .7V (15.2V).
 
Willie Krash said:
Wow what a thread. I do not see an ignition wire to the VR. An early B circuit Chrys. alt has to be the worse choice for a retrofit. They put very little out at idle and the pulley is difficult to change. As well wider belt options are very limited.

That alt has many variations and most are mixture of those variants. Rotors are identical in appearance but pull different amperage as well as the rotor "bobbin" height is all over the board. These difference tho' subtle will make changes as to how the alt works especially at low rpm.

Otherwise not a bad unit....in 1963.
Bill W you are right about this VR and Volvos. It is easier to increase the voltage on the existing VR and if a Volvo with an isolation diode (or SEV) the Chrys. VR is set to low. You would have to reset it, + .7V (15.2V).
Click to expand...
Mornin' Willie,
Strangely enough, I don't remember ever havin' to reset a Chrysler regulator used on a Volvo as it seemed to maintain the system O.K.at 14.2 to 14.5 volts & they never seemed to fail. Isolation Diode would also cause alt light to glow slightly at night under a heavy electrical load because of uneven voltage to each side of the bulb. I corrected this with a 10 OHM resistor on the higher side. Are you an old Volvo Tech also? Bill W.
 
I'm a big fan of putting everything back to original.It just keeps it simple,and if you're electricly challenged at least if it is original anybody familiar with A's can help you with it without having to decipher what the builder did to make it work.12 volts is fine if you have a use for it,but if you don't there is just no reason to complicate things.It just doesn't get any simpler than what the car came with.That wiring makes a plate of spaghetti look organized.It is a fire waiting to wake up and go to work.I do remember those alternators as being problematic when I worked on cars back in the 70's.I believe that was one of the early ones that couldn't tolerate any mistakes.Touch the wrong wire to the wrong spot and it was toast.An original generator and a $50.wiring harness will simplify your life.
 
I am using a Ford electronic regulator to control a Chrysler Alternator and it works very well. Fld term on regulator is connected to Fld term on Alt, Ign term on Reg is connected to Ign Switch and the Bat term on Reg is connected to the Bat term on the starter switch, which tells the regulator the battery voltage and then the regulator responds to the need of the battery. The Chrysler regulator does not have the Bat term and depends on sensing battery voltage thru the ign switch, which can be problematic, especially if the ign switch has resistance across the contacts, which will cause the ammeter to swing and jump.
 
If it were just the alt/reg I would say repair it, but looking at your pictures, rip it all out and start over simple cheap easy to do. If you want to still use that alt, then get another regulator and wire it like in the above posts. You can get "old style" wire by the foot to wire the regulator from Sacramento Vintage Rord along with the Wiring harnesses.
 
Hello everyone, I'm just following up on this thread. I have all of the wiring finished and working properly. It's not original or pretty, but everything is safe, fused and working well. Thanks for all of your help.
 

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Don't mean to be a party pooper but it still looks like hell
safe?? if you say so
disconnect your battery or install a disconnect switch when not in use especially if its parked nearby your house.
 
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