Sounds to me like you may have a bad ground, do you have a ground strap going from the ch***is to the engine? Also make sure that your battery terminals are tight. It's always the smallest, dumbest thing that seems to get over looked in all the excitement of building a hot rod.
lol..i here that ...i have the frame grounded to the battery .the alt grounded to motor the engine has no rubber between the motor and motor mounts its directley grounded threw the mounts so everything should be grounded...i dunno what else to try ..
you should have the ground going from your battery going to your engine, and another ground cable going from your engine going to your frame.
make sure your signal wire from the ignition switch to the starter is good.I just replaced a customers yesterday.too much resistance under load.try jumping the terminals at the starter.see if turns over.then,you know.everyone else is also giving you good advice.remember,"you can never have too many grounds".
***uming your jumping it with cables at the battery, you might have a poor connection between the cables and the battery post. is it a top post or side post battery (side post are more common for this problem). if your using a top post touch the cables with the volt meter to get a reading, then touch the battery posts, the readings should be the same. also when the car is off and won't start, turn the headlights on, do they look bright and normal. if they do try to crank it while watching them, do they dim or stay the same?. i've also seen cables have a bad connection where the battery cable is pressed into the lead end (battery side). yes the charging system will work with either a light or a diode.
I'd still run a ground strap, sometimes there's paint on the ch***is and the motor mounts that can make for a bad ground. I'm not sure how you have your car wired, but sometimes the starter doesn't get the full 12 volts and that can cause some trouble when starting. You can wire the starter with a relay so that you're sure that it's getting the full 12 volts and you don't burn out your ignition switch.
one more question, it this a car that was running before the alternator (meaning a street driven car) or is this a new build?. everything i suggested, i was thinking was for a already streetable car. if it's a new build then check the grounds also, if your battery is in the trunk you can ground it to the frame, but make sure there is no paint under it. then run a cable from the frame to the motor, frame to body and motor to frame. i would use 2 gauge min on frame to block, battery to frame and then the braided on the others. if your battery is up front then battery ground to motor, motor to frame and body to frame.
Get the plug that goes into the number 1 & 2 knife terminals on the alt & twist them together, then add a 12 ga wire to the twisted wires & run it to a terminal on your ignition switch that gets power when the key is turned on.Then get the Batt terminal on the alternator & run a 10 ga wire from it to the positive side of the battery . Start it up & rev it alittle & it will charge fine, throw away all the diode, lites & all the other ******** stuff!! Like i said before thats the way I ran mine 11 yrs ago & i NEVER had a problem with anything. Everyone i know who used a diode had a problem where the car wouldn't shut of from the key. Again K.I.S.S!! JimV
hey jimv i had the alt converted to 1 wire so when its running it charges 14 volts at the alt and at the battery its 13 volts but after i run it for 15 minutes and shut it off when i try to re start the car it has nothing at the push ****on unless i jump it..
LORODZ, don't know whats doing that, i don't have a ****on. OLDTIMER, i don't know of any "hotrodder" running a light!! JimV
Sounds like you're having a hot start problem... I'm going to ***ume that you're running a GM motor with the starter that has the solenoid right on top. You're gonna have to run it through a relay with the power coming directly from the battery so you get the full 12 volts when starting. You also need to run a ground strap.
Hate to bring this back up but i cant see how this works for you seeing that i thought to do the same wire except the engine doesn't shutn off when i shut it off. I rewired it so 2 goes to bat term on alt and then to battery and 1 will have diode and go to the ign coil
ok, i know, old post BUT. i am having the same problem. i didnt connect the #1 to a light and now think i need to but, a light does me no good under the seat so can i use this wiring harness from sppedway to accomplish the same goal? http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Alternator-Wiring-Harness,2373.html
What happens when you hook it up thus... 10 ga to the batt post from the batt side of the starter, #2 jumped back to the batt post on the alt, and #1 to a switched 12volt source once the key is on? No light or diode and the car does not run on?
Even if the light is under the seat it certainly does you some good....it stops the current from flowing backwards to your ign. switch after shut-off, causing your engine to continue to run after turning the key off. That light acts like a diode, letting the current only flow one direction....from the IGN switch to the alternator, exciting the circuit that starts the alternator charging.. HOWEVER! If you completely ignore both the number 1 and number 2 posts on the alternator and only run a fat [10 GA.] wire from the big post to the battery, the alternator will charge the battery AFTER revving the engine to about 2500 RPMs....forget to rev it and it won't charge...I know, that's how my chevy pickup is wired. I run a voltmeter so I know for sure when the alternator is charging...really.
intersting idea. so the resistence wire and a warning light are different? will this light work? http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Standard-3-4-Inch-Warning-Light-Only,4109.html
Yeah, that light is perfect...hook one wire to the #1 terminal of the alternator and the other one to your ign switch...to the terminal on it that's "hot" with the key in the "on" position...the end. Doesn't matter which wire you hook up to hot...either red or black. It's too simple. run a little jumper wire from the #2 terminal on the alternator to the big post of the alternator and run a #10 or bigger wire from the big post on the alternator to the battery...most guys attach that wire to the big post on the starter which itself goes directly to the battery...nothin to it. When you're done, turn on the key.....the light will light up. Hit the starter and start the engine....the light will go out if the alternator is charging ok....turn off the key to shut down the engine and the light may come on until the engine dies...then goes out...finished.
So I need to splice something in line from the #1 to ign switch... could this cause intermittent charign problems?
i still don't understand not wanting a warning light unless you have a gauge. i use this nice little light from pep boys that's domed, has a stainless bezel and is small.
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