HEI installed not charging, need help!

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darc1722

darc1722

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Just installed a new HEI procomp distributor on my 1969 318. Also installed new engine wiring harness, removed ballast resisitor (jumpered connections together) and replaced voltage regulator with new electronic regulator, that looks stock. Started right up on first try and everything looked good, but it's not charging the system. Hooked HEI (2 wires red to + black to - on coil) and used connections per the 1969 wiring diagram (except for jumpered out ballast resistor) there's also a blue wire from wiring harness to the + side of the coil as well. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.
 
I take it you have the field wire from the alternator to the field side of the voltage regulator hooked up to right? And a good ground wire from the motor to the firewall? I wonder if the new voltage regulator is bad.
 
Checked FLD connectivity from regulator to the FLD on the alternator and its good. Is there a way to see if regulator is bad, it's not shorted but not sure what I should see across the IGN and FLD tabs.
 
Not supposed to be a blue wire on the coil. If you have a isolated field alternater ( square back ) it has 2 field terminals. Blue to one green to the other, which is which makes no difference. I dont know what aternater you have or what regulater you have. If your regulator has only 2 wires, blue and green, you would need to ground the other field terminal on the square back aternater. Still your harness will have a blue wire left with nowhere to go.
Hope this makes sense
 
RedFish said:
Not supposed to be a blue wire on the coil.
Click to expand...

That could be the stock harness connection which would have come from the old ballast to the coil. With an HEI, that would be OK

Disconnect the new regulator, and jumper across the two connections with a clip lead, and see if it charges. Bring the RPM up slowly and watch the ammeter, better to monitor battery voltage with a multimeter.

If it charges, and you are CERTAIN you had the regulator grounded, it's defective. Make sure you have the paint scraped off the regulator bolt holes, etc.
 
Please see photo and check the blue wire that is on the same connector with the brown wire that feeds one side of ballast resistor. The blue wire has a round connector with a "D" shaped opening. It look like it should go to the (+) side of the coil. Is it even used, maybe my new wiring harness is used in multiple applications?
 

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Blue with white tracer is hot in run. It goes to whatever should come on when the switch is in run, instrument panel, ignition, voltage regulater, atlenater field in some models, accesories such as choke heaters in some models.
 
That diagram is AFU. You cannot tell WHAT that 4 terminal connector is supposed to be hooked to

Assuming the top of the ballast is correct, the brown is the resistor bypass circuit, which comes from the key, through the bulkhead, and to the resistor. The blue coming off the top of the resistor should go to coil +

The bottom of the resistor should be a common connection

Should be blue (power feed) coming from key, through bulkhead in "run"

Feeding OFF from there should be the regulator "I" terminal

Alternator field on 70/ later vehicles

As shown the carb idle solenoid on some vehicles

choke heater on some later vehicles

I cannot tell from that partial diagram what you have

That diagram cannot be for a 69, because none of 'em used carb solenoids.

It would help if you'd post info about whatever the heck this "GM HEI" is, IE is this one of the Chineseo import "ready to run" jobs, or something someone built, or just what?
 
Whether a round or square-back alternator, you should measure close to 12 V between the 2 field terminals when the alternator is full on. Indeed, you can disconnect the terminals and apply 12 V w/ jumpers and see if it puts out then. With a few tests, you can figure out who isn't doing their job.

The round-back should have 1 terminal grounded. They do this thru the case, which sometimes works but a dedicated wire is better. The Vreg just applies 0 (min) to 12 V (max) to the other terminal as needed.

The square-back should have 1 terminal at +12 V (w/ ign on). The Vreg applies 12 V (min) to 0 V (max) to the other terminal as needed, i.e. it shorts it to ground (proportionally).

If the Vreg case isn't grounded, it can't measure the BATT voltage correctly (both types) and it can't short to ground (square-back).
 
Voltage regulator new from Regitar solid state chrysler c524, wiring harness new from year One HU181B 1969 B Body 318, new HEI procomp electronic 2-wire distributor.
 
darc1722 said:
HEI procomp electronic 2-wire distributor.
Click to expand...

This doesn't tell me jack squat. How about a part number, or better yet a link to the specific part on the webpage?

So far as the regulator, do as I said above. Disconnect the regulator, jumper the two wires to the regulator together, and see if it charges. MAKE SURE the regulator is hooked up right

The screw terminal goes to the alternator field (green)

the spade terminal goes to switched IGN (blue)

20113915113458732.jpg
 
I think your wiring is right. I think the regulator is bad or not grounded well. If the car is running fine makes me think there is nothing wrong with the distributor wiring.
Do what 67dart273 is saying even if he sounds like he's going to bite your head off lol!
 
Hersbird said:
Do what 67dart273 is saying even if he sounds like he's going to bite your head off lol!
Click to expand...

All I want is to find out "what he has." LOL Procomp or whoever makes LOTS of different distributors.

And here we sit "on the other end" trying to imagine, "what could be wrong?"
 
From what I gather, you have a 1969 harness, which you had to cut and splice a new connector on to fit the 1970-up voltage regulator and are still using the 1969 alternator, which does not work with the 1970-up VR. Also the 1969 harness does not have the second field wire to the 1970-up alternator?
 
69MOPE said:
From what I gather, you have a 1969 harness, which you had to cut and splice a new connector on to fit the 1970-up voltage regulator and are still using the 1969 alternator, which does not work with the 1970-up VR. Also the 1969 harness does not have the second field wire to the 1970-up alternator?
Click to expand...

He does not seem to have a 70/ later regulator. The part no. he posted is 69/ earlier

IF he has a 70/ later alternator, (two field connections) all he has to do is ground one of the field connections.
 
I think he still has the 69 alternator. I'm sure the distributor he is talking about is the one from the other thread on cheap HEI style. Not a true HEI with the coil in the cap, but the one with the HEI guts.
It is funny we are speculating when Darc1722 you could just tell us. Now it's like one of those online mysterys where sometimes the OP never even comes back. I hate that!
 
Been away from this for a few days but I think you guys are on to my problem. The VR is a solid state version of the 1969 model so it's new but looks original. The alternator was in the car when I got it but after some research it seems to be an after 69 model as it has two FLD terminals and also a small connection post on it as well. I jumpered the terminals on the VR and still no charge so it has to be the alternator. I was thinking about buying a new one with the correct setup of only 1 FLD terminal but if I just have to jumper the unused FLD to ground that would be cheaper. Does it matter where I ground the unused FLD to? Also in the pics it shows a ground strap from the base of the VR to the engine block so I should be ok there. Thanks for all the help........ One more thing, it is the same distributor that is talked about in the HEI thread.
 

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Yes you need to ground the unused terminal. You can run the ground wire to any good ground. An easy way is to do it, is take out the screw on the terminal, remove the insulating washer, put a metal washer on it and put the screw back in. This will ground it.
 
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