Alternator?

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kickywow

kickywow

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It may be a little new for this site, but I'm sure its all the same. I have a 1978 daily driver Plymouth Volare Station Wagon and it has stopped charging the battery and is running off the alternator. When i disconnect the positive from the terminal it stops running, I was told that it should continue to run. on the alternator gauge it reads towards the D. and I have tried 4 different used alternators, help me please! I need to Drive!

New Alternator maybe?


Nick
 
I would try the alternator regulator (passengers side firewall) before I bought a new alternator. if you put 4 used alternators on the chance of all of them being bad is slim, but they could be. have had the regulators go with no warining signs, once I was many miles away from home. own a few volares myself actually
 
kickywow said:
When i disconnect the positive from the terminal it stops running
Click to expand...

First, welcome and good luck

Second DO NOT EVER DO THIS

The newer the car is, and the more "solid state" stuff you have (ignition, regulator, radio, cruise, on and on) the greater chance that the GREAT BIG VOLTAGE SPIKE which happens when you do this will "kill" something in the car.

Do a little simple troubleshooting.

On the later cars, the alternator has two field connections. One terminal should be blue, and is hot (ignition run) anytime the key is in "run." Identify this lead at the alternator and remove the OTHER wire.

Now turn the key to "run" and connect a clip lead from the exposed terminal you disconnected (normally green) hook that terminal (not the wire) at the alternator to GROUND. With the key on, you should see a small spark, indicating the field is drawing current.

Start the car and see if it charges, preferably with a voltmeter at the battery. Bring the RPM up carefully, as you are "full fielding" the alternator, so it is at full output, depending on RPM

If it charges, now connect the green wire back up, and go up to the regulator connector and pull it loose.

JUMPER the two connections in the regulator connector. ONCE AGAIN it should charge "full output" depending on RPM.

IF THE ABOVE happens, you have a bad regulator.

If not, you have a wiring problem.

Post back, we'll help you some more

EDIT MAKE DARN SURE the regulator is grounded. Scrape it clean, clean the bolts/ mounting area, and if possible, find some star washers under the bolt heads.
 
I suggest you follow 67Darts advice... he's help my noob self plenty

if your not comfortable testing your alternator in the car you could drag the alternator into an oreily's and have them check um. sometimes testing the alternator in the car can be dangerous like if your alt is overcharging. but you cant always trust those people in oreilys to test your alternator correctly or have correctly working testing equipment (as i've learnt), haha. take it to two different oreilys if you can :)

yeah you've gone gold :) 67Dart =D>
 
I also own a 71 dart swinger and stole the brand new alternator box out of it and that didn't solve it but, i will try what you said in the morning! it sounds confusing.

Thanks for the help boys!
 
67Dart273 said:
First, welcome and good luck

Second DO NOT EVER DO THIS

The newer the car is, and the more "solid state" stuff you have (ignition, regulator, radio, cruise, on and on) the greater chance that the GREAT BIG VOLTAGE SPIKE which happens when you do this will "kill" something in the car.

Do a little simple troubleshooting.

On the later cars, the alternator has two field connections. One terminal should be blue, and is hot (ignition run) anytime the key is in "run." Identify this lead at the alternator and remove the OTHER wire.

Now turn the key to "run" and connect a clip lead from the exposed terminal you disconnected (normally green) hook that terminal (not the wire) at the alternator to GROUND. With the key on, you should see a small spark, indicating the field is drawing current.

Start the car and see if it charges, preferably with a voltmeter at the battery. Bring the RPM up carefully, as you are "full fielding" the alternator, so it is at full output, depending on RPM

If it charges, now connect the green wire back up, and go up to the regulator connector and pull it loose.

JUMPER the two connections in the regulator connector. ONCE AGAIN it should charge "full output" depending on RPM.

IF THE ABOVE happens, you have a bad regulator.

If not, you have a wiring problem.

Post back, we'll help you some more

EDIT MAKE DARN SURE the regulator is grounded. Scrape it clean, clean the bolts/ mounting area, and if possible, find some star washers under the bolt heads.
Click to expand...
X2...sure way to blow a diode out of the alternator. Doesn't help the ignition module none either......
 
Alright so finally got time to work on it. kept the last alternator in there and tried a new regulator, still the same problem I turn the lights on and it reads towards the D on the alt gauge. I dunno if this means anything but a day before this problem started my horn and courtesy light fuse blew so i changed it and the horn just makes a clicking sound now, is there a horn relay and could this affect my bigger problem at all?
 
kickywow said:
............ kept the last alternator in there and tried a new regulator,..................... a day before this problem started my horn and courtesy light fuse blew so i changed it and the horn just makes a clicking sound now, is there a horn relay and could this affect my bigger problem at all?
Click to expand...

I doubt the horn problem is related. PLEASE go back and read my post instead of just throwing parts at it.

Here's a simplified diagram:

Dual_Field_Alternator_Wiring.jpg




which came from here:


http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=18


In the diagram above, here's how this works: The ignition switch feeds power in "run" to the regulator "I" terminal AND to the top field terminal on the diagram. It does not matter which field connection is which. the regulator CONTROLS THE GROUND through the green wire in order to regulate voltage



HERE:

are some wiring diagrams:

(newest posted are for a 76)

http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1976/76VolareA.JPG

http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1976/76VolareB.JPG
 
I followed your post and it helped, however the problem was... for alternator volt regulator different years seem to have an effect, I read this on mymopar.com and went out and bought a new one for a 78 and it fixed the problem, the horn well i put a new relay in and another horn I had lying around and that fixed it. Thanks to everyone who helped me out, the help on here never fails! Geniuses all of you!

Nick
 
well I still want to learn something...
all post 69 mopars have those type of regulators or just post 70 A-bodies?

The other week when I was having my alternator/bulkhead issues, I had my "bad?" "overhcharging?" alternator in and I was going to the car wash and my horn just when off and would not stop until I disconnected it or the batttery. I changed the alternator fixed my bulkhead and reconnected the horn and it worked fine.

I kinda wonder if kickywow may have a bulkhead issue too.... it could come and go as sometimes it may make a good connection, sometimes not.
 
1969dodgedartgt said:
well I still want to learn something...
all post 69 mopars have those type of regulators or just post 70 A-bodies?

The other week when I was having my alternator/bulkhead issues, I had my "bad?" "overhcharging?" alternator in and I was going to the car wash and my horn just when off and would not stop until I disconnected it or the batttery. I changed the alternator fixed my bulkhead and reconnected the horn and it worked fine.

I kinda wonder if kickywow may have a bulkhead issue too.... it could come and go as sometimes it may make a good connection, sometimes not.
Click to expand...

First year for the "isolated field" alternator and regulator posted above is 70 and later.

I'm not too sure I understand how the horn problem could be connected to the problem you describe. There's only one wire from the horn relay through the bulkhead, that's the wire that goes to the horn button, and you ground it when you push the horn ring.

Only thing I can think off is that something got hot in the bulkhead area and shorted the horn wire either to ground, or to something that "acted" as a ground on the relay.
 
all im saying is my 71 volt regulator did not work in my 78, and i bought it last year and have not driven the 1971 car...
 
kickywow said:
all im saying is my 71 volt regulator did not work in my 78, and i bought it last year and have not driven the 1971 car...
Click to expand...

I can assure you it is NOT the difference in 71-78 regulators

Either the 71 is bad

or the connector is intermittent/ dirty

or maybe you didn't get it grounded good.

I was around before these girls were born.
 
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