Swap over to Alternator

I have a Powermaster ,90 amp with a indicator light terminal.

Brown wire from alt. to ground, black wire with white stripe goes to yellow wire with black with black in the wire harness .

The large yellow wire from the alt. goes to the battery terminal post on the voltage regulator where it is joined with the large yellow wire that goes into the harness and travels up along the fender and across the firewall to the starter solenoid.

This alt has an internal voltage regulator. the voltage reg. shown is not used, other than a place to join the two heavy yellow wires.

When the key is turned on the indicator light (gen) will go on, and when the car is started the light will go off.

... hmmpf ...

GOOD POST!

I had forgotten to power up the vehicle and I haven't seen it mentioned in any "ONE-WIRE' discussions/instructions.
 
Ok, key ON 12v, and engine running 12V. Let's just say that what if that is correct....

Then wire the white wire to the indicator light. What if the light has 12 coming to it from say the ign switch. so what...I mean the 12V coming from the other side is the same 12 volts. No difference in potential, so no sparks or smoking wires.

So what if when the car is off and the key is in my pocket the white wire coming out of the alt is a ground. Then if that be the case the light would illuminate if the car threw the belt, right? And the light does not come on (when car turned off and parked) because there is no 12V to that ign switch side of the indicator light because the 12 is interupted.

I wonder if that is how the gen worked? I mean if I had a light with a switch on the car, my switch can be on the positive side, or the ground side, and the light would work, right?

Maybe the alt is working as it is supposed to? I wonder what triggered the light, and how, when I had my generator?
 

Attachments

  • 57 10si instructionsheet.jpg
    57 10si instructionsheet.jpg
    76.8 KB · Views: 6
Last edited:
You can not compare the two, just like comparing oil and water. Completely different methods of generating a voltage to run/charge the system. Both in sensing and controlling.

The light (or a resistive wire) is an exciter source for the alternator. It has +12V put on it through the ignition switch in the "run" position. It illuminates the lamp until the alternator starts producing voltage. That exciter wire now has +12V (or more, typically 14 -14.5V) applied because the alternator now is producing power. That puts equal voltage on both sides of the lamp and it no longer lights up (the lamp lighted because of current flow caused by unequal voltages). When you turn off the engine the ignition switch removes the 12V from the lamp and it is now an open circuit and does not light up. There is no connection of the battery to ground through the lamp.
 
You can not compare the two, just like comparing oil and water. Completely different methods of generating a voltage to run/charge the system. Both in sensing and controlling.

The light (or a resistive wire) is an exciter source for the alternator. It has +12V put on it through the ignition switch in the "run" position. It illuminates the lamp until the alternator starts producing voltage. That exciter wire now has +12V (or more, typically 14 -14.5V) applied because the alternator now is producing power. That puts equal voltage on both sides of the lamp and it no longer lights up (the lamp lighted because of current flow caused by unequal voltages). When you turn off the engine the ignition switch removes the 12V from the lamp and it is now an open circuit and does not light up. There is no connection of the battery to ground through the lamp.

!!! THANK YOU !!!​

For whatever reason, I could not spit it out correctly.
 
Gene,

I addition while reading from the CHI-CON INSTRUCTION SHEET, they want you to also add this circuit connection shown below.

Did they include a wiring harness DA PLUG to simplify all of this?

I also do not see the gauge of the charge wire needed or the need for a fuse in the main charging circuit.

Is the name of the seller CONCOURSE or CONCOUR?
 

Attachments

  • ALT CONV -10SI and 12SI ALT 3-WIRE HARNESS DIA _1.jpg
    ALT CONV -10SI and 12SI ALT 3-WIRE HARNESS DIA _1.jpg
    30.1 KB · Views: 10
  • ALT HARNESS KIT- DELCO 10SI- 12SI MAD ELECTRIC PN ALT-1.jpg
    ALT HARNESS KIT- DELCO 10SI- 12SI MAD ELECTRIC PN ALT-1.jpg
    19.2 KB · Views: 6
A plug with wires about 5" long each. The red one goes to BAT post on back of alt (output post) had a end on it. Other than that nothing.
 
Kultulz, my Dad is in intensive care right now, so I may not even get to verify the ground on the white wire when the alt stops for a few days.

Heck I may try it in the garage/driveway. I can always put on a heavy glove and pull the coil wire as a test. I wonder if the 12V on that one side already comes from one of the accessory side of the switch terminals. If that is the case that will break any 12V MAYBEEEEEEEEE
 
Kultulz, my Dad is in intensive care right now, so I may not even get to verify the ground on the white wire when the alt stops for a few days.

Sorry to hear that. I hope he does well.

No worry as I will still be here annoying people ... ;)
 
I had a minute to get under the thing with my ohm meter. That white wire when the ignition is off, or on, when the engine is not running is dead, AND it has continuity to ground under these conditions. Start the car and it has 12V on it. Tells me that internally of the alternator there is either a diode control, or more likely a sail switch in there.

Therefore, I need to track down what is going to the indicator light, and determine if that socket has one wire or two. Basically I have a switch for my feed. Instead of on the 12v side for the switch, I will be putting the switch on the negative side of the indicator light circuit.

FYI: Alt charges 14.38V at the battery with the car running without that white wire connected to any thing. Alt charges just like it is supposed to - not too little, and not too much.

I am hoping the indicator light has a 2-wires coming out of the back of it, as that will make this much easier. I am wondering if one of the wires on the voltage regulator comes directly back to the indicator light. Hmmmm????
 
Yes, the indicator light should have two leads. One goes the "run +12V" and the other goes the white wire. With the switch in the run position engine not running the light will be on. With the switch in the run position and the engine running the light will be off indicating that the alternator is making ( + or - ) 14.5V.
 
Yes, the indicator light should have two leads. One goes the "run +12V" and the other goes the white wire. With the switch in the run position engine not running the light will be on. With the switch in the run position and the engine running the light will be off indicating that the alternator is making ( + or - ) 14.5V.

So you have made this change before to your 57?
 
Yes, several former generator equipped cars. My Ranchero ended up with a 3G, the 62 T-Bird had a 2G, my 36 has a 2G in it. The 61 Comet will get a 2 or 3G when it gets AC.
 

Attachments

  • Ranch build 87.jpg
    Ranch build 87.jpg
    74.5 KB · Views: 9
BTW, the white wire coming out of the 10-Si alternator need not bee hooked up to anything in order for the alternator to produce charge. Also that white wire feeds the indicator light on the dash.

The white wire on the alt: I put a 3 amp in-line on it as soon as it comes out of the alternator. I had it in my box of wiring goodies, so I figured why not. Then ran that wire over to my voltage regulator. The little 18 ga, Y-B wire (at the top of my voltage regulator which is mounted vertically) is the wire you want. This little wire goes directly to the indicator light socket in the dash. I lifted that wire and attached it to that wire I ran over from my alternator. Shrink tube. Key on - light on. Engine running - light goes out. Turn engine off - light goes back off.
 
Back
Top