I need Help! One Wire Alternator

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ssggreasemonkey

ssggreasemonkey

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:angry6: I Have a 1974 Dodge Dart with a 360, I recently rewired the car with a painless wire harness that wasn't so painless. I also installed a one wire alternator. Ever since I put the one wire alternator on, it is always killing my battery. I come out side to go to work this morning and my alternater is Hot as hell. but the car hasn't been ran all night. I don't get it. I need help. has anyone else came into this problem?
 
I put the one wire on through the kit that Painless sent me. That killed the battery, and then I took that off and just ran one wire straight to the starter relay like it was origanally hooked up and that is killing the battery when off as well.
 
Pull the neg battery post off and the key turned off, and see if there is a voltage draw Ohms metter "or how ever you spell it". If there is un plug the Alt, if you still have voltage draw there is a short some where. Is your coil warm to?
 
That could be drawing voltage if the switch don't kill the power to it.
Do you have electronic ignition system or points ?
I would go outside at night when it is dark and see if there is a small spark
when you touch the positive battery post to the battery if you can't find your tester, and be careful that your battery fumes are clear before doing this, It could ignite.
 
I am running MSD 6AL ignition. An aptima 800CCA red top, and I installed a Panless Performance 14 Circuit mopar harness.
 
I did install a one wire alternator before I changed out my harness and it was killing the battery as well. I am not sure if I am doing something wrong.
 
It seems as though the built in regulator has gone bad on this alternator allowing current to be pulled through the field coil.

If you disconnect the alternator and your battery is good in the morning, I'd say that the regulator in that 1 wire alt is bad. You could also put a ammeter between the battery and the alternator wire and see if there's a draw.
 
With the one wire Alt it would be easy to remove that wire and see if the battery still gets killed, If it don't the alternator could be the problem, But I am not a good tec. I am thinking there should not be any voltage to the alt when the key is off.:dontknow: it could be the way the ignition key is hooked up

Welcome to this great site :happy10:
 

I would think NOT. Ramcharger or another tec will jump in and help out.
I thought a one wire alt has a built in regulator, are you running two voltage regulators, one in the alt and one on the fire wall ?
 
No, I eliminated the voltage regulator on the firewall. It has just the internal voltage regulator. Could it be that the alternator isn't grounded well enough?
 
Do a continuity test to the Alt and engine then test the engine ground to the frame, Do you have a grounding strap from your engine to the fire wall ?
 
One wire alternator was used with a mechanical regulator. The 2 wire regulator was used with the electronic voltage regulator. The one wire and 2 wire alternators are essentially the same unit, except on the one wire alternator, one end of the field goes to ground. On the 2 wire alternator that end of the field is isolated from ground and connected to the electronic regulator.
 
I have continuity from alt to engine, and engine to battery, and I have the grounding strap from the engine to the fire wall. I also have the march pullies and brackets, I am wondering if maybe there is not good enough ground. should I run a grounding strap to the alternator from the engine?
 
C39 said:
One wire alternator was used with a mechanical regulator. The 2 wire regulator was used with the electronic voltage regulator. The one wire and 2 wire alternators are essentially the same unit, except on the one wire alternator, one end of the field goes to ground. On the 2 wire alternator that end of the field is isolated from ground and connected to the electronic regulator.
Click to expand...

I think you're confusing a single wire regulator style alternator with a single wire alternator.
 
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