Hello everyone, I just put in a one wire alt on my 61 GMC 1500. It started right up and I made it about a quarter mile and then the lights dimmed and it died. I know it's technically a one wire alt and that's the main batt power, but what wire goes to the plug on the side ? It's only one wire coming out and if I'm thinking correctly this would be some power to excite the internal reg no? Idk which wire to hook up to it from the gen, or were to run that to, and help would be greatly appreciated
Well it has the main post for power on the back and then a plug on the side with only one wire coming out I was told it was a one wire alt but seeing as there are two I'm a lil confused as to how to wire it now so that the reg kicks on that's why I was thinking a switched ign wire would work there are not two wires out of the plug like a typical three wire though
My one wire has one wire from the battery to the terminal on the back of the alternator. I did retro fit a internal regulated alternator on the road years ago where a external regulated one was originally installed. Battery wire to the rear terminal and a jumper to excite the internal regulator disconnected the external regulator.
Good article here explaining the difference between 1 wire and 3 wire alternators, and why the remote sense wire on a 3-wire should be hooked up somewhere near the main electrical distribution point rather than just looping a wire from the charge terminal to the sensing terminal on the back of the alternator. http://bob_skelly.home.comcast.net/~bob_skelly/alternator_conversion/wiring_alternator1.html
oldsjoe's diagram shows the usual way to convert a 3-wire to a 1-wire. As mentioned by others, a 1-wire sold as a 1-wire should not have any other terminals other than the main output. So I'd hafta guess you got some kind of a *******ized 3-wire. I'd hafta further guess the extra terminal is a sensing terminal. So run a pigtail wire from it to the main output to see what happens. What have you got to lose since it ain't working now? Jack E/NJ
If I read your original post, you are somehow wiring the internally regulated alternator through the original generator regulator?
Well, here is my two cents. My new shiny one wire alternator would not charge at all when I first started my engine. I read somewhere that a brand new one wire must be "energized" at least once to bring it alive by connecting the big one wire (alligator clip) to one of the terminals under the rubber plug. Sorry I don't remember which one....think it was the left on if the terminals are on the bottom as you look at the back of the alternator. But guess what......once I did that and let it run for a little while.. maybe 15 minutes, then I measured 14 plus..volts at the battery. Crazy, but it worked... Read the last paragraph on this page... http://www.cl***ictruckshop.com/one_wire_page3.php
I think you Sir have this pegged, I had the same issue and the same effect once I "re-energized" my one wire.
Another quirk of the one-wire alternator is that you need to wing the throttle before it starts to do it's thing, say to 2,000 rpm or so, every time you run it, just to get things going. If you just cruised it for a quarter mile that might not happen.
Ok thanks everyone, I ended up running a jumper from the batt post on the alt to the one wire coming out of the plug, Jack like you said I think it's some kind of *******ized three wire but it threw me off not seeing the two coming out. So I was going to switch it to a keyed on power to the reg be id rather not it be constant hot but once I rev up its steady at 14 and runs 100% better thanks everyone for the help
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