Mechanical Voltage Regulator to Electronic???

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3yearcuda

3yearcuda

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Hoping someone can help and did my best to search through some great threads but couldnt find the question i have here.
I am going to the electronic voltage regulator over the mechanical. From the pics you see here, i have two blue (one with white) wires going into the ignition side of the mech. regulator, and one green coming from the FLD side.
I robbed a connector from a 74 dart swinger but it only has one blue and one green.
Is it just a matter of tying both blue wires i currently have and slicing into the one blue existing on the connector?
I assume the green goes to green?
Thanks very much for your help on this.
 

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Good overview for convertion.
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=80190
To use your new regulator, connect green to green, splice blue into blues and run to alternators (must replace with later model with 2 field connecters) second field. The regulator must have a good ground to the case. Simpler solution: get a Autozone VR706 and install with stock wiring.
John
 
What 69Post said. And if you like pictures:
 

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69Post said:
(must replace with later model with 2 field connecters)............... Simpler solution: get a Autozone VR706 and install with stock wiring.
John
Click to expand...

This brings up a point. I BELIEVE (check me) that the newer Dakota style alternators are grounded field, so would use the 69/ earlier wiring scheme. So it depends on what kind of alternator you want to use.

I would guess that most non-Mopar alternators use a grounded field, unlike the 70--later stuff.

I once modified a Delco to use the 70/ later Mopar regulator. Why? Because it was there. Actually I got tired of exploding Mopar alternators. The Delcos have a much hardier construction, and seem to take RPM better.
 
Thanks all. Much appreciated. I tried to find the VR706 but had to order it, so went with the newer style in 70Duster440's picture. I'm still unsure of the solid blue wire, but assumes it routes back to the ballast resistor like in the picture.
So....... regulator green to FLD alternator green, regulator blue to ballast resistor blue & ingnition blue/white & alternator FLD blue.

It seems to be charging and will have a better idea once i take it out for a rip.

Please let me know if you see any issues with having three wires going into one on the electronic voltage regulator.

Thanks again.
 
This should be a sticky in the Electrical forums for everybody to see.Would make things easier,as I,m sure there,s a bunch doing the swap and looking for this info.Thanks:thumblef:
 
Hmmm, stumped. I went for a rip and find that it still isnt charging very well. The gauge is on the discharge side of the line, lights are dim and I needed to throw the charger on it once i got back home.
Could it be the alternator? Its a new one and dont think its rebuilt, but will yank it out and take it to be tested just to make sure its all ok.
 
70Duster440 said:
What 69Post said. And if you like pictures:
Click to expand...

If I am following what the two diagrams are showing it looks like the Mechanical regulator is charging when the green wire has 12 volts and the electronic regulator is charging when the green wire is grounded.

Which would mean that you cannot interchange them.

correct ?
 
OK, let's clear up some "stuff."

You DO HAVE a late model alternator with two field connections?

You DID wire it as the figure was posted on the right hand photo above?

You should have hooked "switched ignition" to one post, and the green wire to the regulator to the other post.

(Switched ignition, or "ignition run" or "ignition 1" is the dark blue wire which feeds the coil resistor and the old ign terminal on the original regulator.

If so, remove the green to the regulator, take your voltmeter, and with the key in "run" make sure you have "battery" at BOTH push-on terminals, that is, the switched wire coming to the one hooked up, and the exposed terminal on the alternator you just pulled off.

IF so, GROUND the exposed alternator terminal--you should get a small spark.

Now start the car. The alternator should charge full tilt depending on RPM --the higher the RPM, the more it will charge.

This is "full field" current

IF this works, now hook up the green regulator wire, and pull off the regulator connector. With the key on, you should measure "battery" at both connections.

Now it would be wise to "double check" your "full field condition, if you can find a nail or other probe to fit the regulator connector "sockets" connect the green wire to ground. This, once again, should cause "full charge."

If all this checks out, you probably have a bad regulator.
 
There is normally only one dark blue wire to the input side of the regulator. I'm not sure why yours has 2 or what that resistor beside the regulator is for. Anyway... Cut that connector off and tie both those blue wires to the blue in the solid state regulator. While your at it you'll need to add another blue wire about 6 feet long and route it to the new alternator. You can reuse the connector you just cut off at the regulator at the alternator end, Done.
 
Thanks all. I will trouble shoot this weekend, and report back. This image, you can see the green going directly to the alternator. The solid blue, to the ballast resistor and the blue with white (which you cant see in the picture), to the ignition. I'm certain its to the ignition as the engine dies when i disconnect. This is the original set up.
I thought i had it licked by adding the additional wire from the blue wires on the regulator to the FLD output on the alternator, but still isnt charging.
 

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Did some trouble shooting last weekend and found that it was in fact charging.......Once i learned how to run a volt meter. My 42 year old volts gauge is a little sticky and could have been part of the problem. My 2 FLD alternator was fine and with the hook up the same as the "electronic" diagram from 70Duster440 above, all seems to be working well.
Thanks for everyones help on this issue of converting from a mechanical voltage regulator to an electronic regulator.
 
pettybludart said:
This should be a sticky in the Electrical forums for everybody to see.Would make things easier,as I,m sure there,s a bunch doing the swap and looking for this info.Thanks:thumblef:
Click to expand...

This thread has some good HELP, so I had to post so I can find it :glasses2:
I still run a single field alternator with my electronic ingnition I swaped in my 66, and used the Voltage regulator that looks like the points style but is made for electronic waves :glasses2:
 
Some of the issues in upgrading the earlier models can be related to wire gauge. Case in point is my 67 fish. The blue with white tracer begins at the ignition switch as 2 very small wires in one terminal. One of those is routed directly to the instrument panel and is no problem. The other is routed through the bulkhead connector then branched to supply the mechanical voltage regulator and the points ignition system.
If the electronic regulator is added along with a energized field alternator and electronic ignition module and possibly a electric choke heater, that small wire isn't sufficient. Proof can be found in he later models' wiring harness. A much larger gauge wire was used by the factory to supply enough power to operate all these additions.
I chose ( option A ) to replace the original dark blue with white robbed from a later model rather than ( option B ) install a relay at the firewall.
If the contacts my original ignition switch fail I'll be wishing I had chosen option B but for today, my car is 110 percent improved.
 
so I have always been told that if you have an MSD box that you don't need a ballast resistor, is this true? cause I want to do the same conversion to the electronic regulator since my charging is doing the same thing with the dim light situation but dont know how I should rewire it. Should I leave the resistor in, or wire around it?
 
The ballast resistors purpose is to protect the stock coil. If you install a different coil that is designed to operate on a constant 12 volts you can delete the resistor or install a jumper over it.
 
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