Creative electrical, need help holding in the smoke.

[Los_Control]

 

Wiring up my charging system and I'm confused as what to do with wire #3 on the voltage regulator.

I have a factory ACDELCO replacement plug for the VR .... All 4 wires are 16 GA

 

I'm afraid if I were to connect 16 GA wire to the main lug of Alternator, would eventually melt.

Obvious this is not a factory wiring diagram .... the factory shows it also 10GA with a short piece of 16 GA fusible link and connected to the battery post.

From what I have read, it serves as voltage sensing .... Here is a version of the original wiring.

 

Again they say to use 10 GA wire with a 14 GA fusible link to the battery. .... It is just the wire size I'm confused on because the plug coming out of VR is 14 GA not 10.

 

Does it matter if I just run 10 GA to the 14 GA and have it the fusible link on the VR side?

Everbody says 10 GA but the factory ACDELCO plug is only 14 GA ...

 

 

 

Edited Monday at 12:20 AM by Los_Control

[Sniper]

2 hours ago, Los_Control said:

Does it matter if I just run 10 GA to the 14 GA and have it the fusible link on the VR side?

 

the fusible link protects everything connected to the splice, not just the regulator and you want the link as close to the battery as possible to protect the wiring as well.

 

10 ga. seems overkill for the regulator, heck that's the same size as the feed to the battery.

[Los_Control]

Thanks for the help @Sniper does this make sense?

I want the Alternator to join on the outgoing side of the amp gauge and will run 10GA from Alt to there.

Then run from the VR to the same post using it as a junction block with 16 GA ... just continue with 16 GA the vr already has.

 

Hard to draw with a mouse, but is the general idea I'm thinking of.

 

 

 

[Sniper]

With the understanding that I don't do GM charging systems, I don't see a problem with that.  Where are you going to put the fusible link?

[Los_Control]

15 hours ago, Sniper said:

With the understanding that I don't do GM charging systems, I don't see a problem with that.  Where are you going to put the fusible link?

Sadly I'm a bit too far invested into this GM charging system .... I thought I was ordering a 1 wire internally regulated alternator .... so my charging system is a mistake to begin with .... but I have it now. And all the needed goodies to complete it. It should be fine once all is sorted out.

Just the darn Voltage sensor wire where all are saying 10 ga and the factory wiring harness has 14 ga.

 

So my thoughts are to just install a inline fuse of 15 amp. Internet tells me to use 15 with 14 wire.

 

Actually tempted to run it through the fuse box .... I just do not understand the wire that much. It is always connected with the main 10 ga wire from the factory or the other diagram I showed .... so I'm just connecting it under the dash with the same wire because I do not know any better.

 

I'm not using a fusible link, because would prefer to have the option to just change a fuse if needed. .... I only assume that is fine?

[Sniper]

The major difference between a fuse and a fusible link is that a fusible link will tolerate an overload for longer than a fuse will. So if you have the occasional spike it won't blow.

 

Since I do not know exactly how the GM charging system works I can't really say how much current that voltage sensing line uses. But I do not think it is directly involved in the field current necessary for the alternator to charge. I kind of suspect it's the on-off switch and something else handles the current the alternator requires to start charging

Edited Tuesday at 12:02 PM by Sniper

[Los_Control]

6 hours ago, Sniper said:

But I do not think it is directly involved in the field current necessary for the alternator to charge. I kind of suspect it's the on-off switch and something else handles the current the alternator requires to start charging

They call #3 a voltage sensing wire? #4 is connected to ignition switch or coil .... it provides the 12V needed to make it charge?

 

 

To early to put the plastic sheathing on. I  think I can make it kinda clean with the fuse holder poking out of the sheathing as it is in the photo.

The only thing left for the charging system is to connect the after market Voltage gauge .... then I can start the truck up and verify it works or try something new.

 

Been spending time making the dash gauge wire harness and mounting the fuse panel. and hope to be able to start it by the end of the day ... using the key.

 

I have a 12V > 6V converter to wire in for the fuel gauge .... I wired the sending unit a year ago and am hoping I marked the ground wire .... all bundled up under the cab with the tail light wires.

 

I tested the speedometer on the bench with a drill .... before installing it, needle never moved so it has internal issues .... need to dig out the spare and test it.

Everything always takes longer then I think it will   😕

 

 

 

[Sniper]

You are a scallywag.  😄

 

You made me dig up the paper on the GM 10DN charging system and read thru it, bottom of the page.  Some archaic terminology was used, but hey that's ok the Navy taught me electronics and it's tech was even more archaic in some cases (AN/SPS-10 radar).  So I understood it, I think, lol.

 

You have what Delco calls a Two-unit regulator with indicator lamp.  This drawing shows how to wire it, EXCEPT #4 needs to go thru an idiot light and parallel resistor (no value given for the resistor) if you want an idiot light, otherwise nothing gets connected there and 2 gets the switched 12v.  Number three should be wired to as close to the battery as possible.  This is the wire that controls battery charge voltage and taking it off the BATT terminal at the alternator is less than ideal.  Although an engineer or a theorist will tell you that both points are "electrically identical" reality says any connection or splice between the two will create resistance and cause an effect.  Since this charging scheme is fairly primitive in reality I don't think it matters enough, in other words it's likely to be within the regulator's margin of error anyway.  Unless it's a really crappy connection.

 

 

 

10DN with ammeter wiring (you can run this sans ammeter and no light)

 

 

10DN with light

 

Edited yesterday at 04:04 AM by Sniper

[Los_Control]

11 hours ago, Sniper said:

You are a scallywag.  😄

LOL .... I read your post at 4:00 AM and no chance of going back to sleep .... I would like to return the comment  

 

The diagram you show does look good to me and I think I will try it. .... It looks old and I can smell the must coming off the 50 year old book.

Meeting at the junction (starter solenoid)  will be fine and it is connected to the battery.

The only problem I see with that is running the alternator through the amp gauge .... I suppose it is a opinion and has been done both ways for many decades.

 

Interesting the relay connector on back of alternator does not get used .... only used if you have a idiot light ... I do not.

 

I have been so worried about protecting the 14 ga wire with a fuse .... the diagram I showed has the #12 fusible link on the 10 ga wire which I did not protect.

Not sure how much I will get done today, I do have to go to town and plan to pick up the fusible link while there .... wife wants to adopt a dog from the pound.

No idea how that is going to go and what time I will have to work on the truck.

[Sniper]

Yes, just so you know I drove up to Amarillo and back yesterday thinking about this the whole way and when I got home I dug up that paper and figured out what was going on. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[Los_Control]

Well I used this one right here .... Thanks for finding it, when I search I always get the same one I posted above.

I can say no fires were started .... I think it is charging .... Time will tell.

I checked the battery before starting ... it was 12.4 volts.

At idle the truck showed 13.2 volts

Not the 14.4 volts I want to see, but the battery really was not discharged so maybe 13V is all I should see.

I will leave it as is for now and next move on to the dash lights, volt gauge, fuel gauge, running lights.

 

 

The headlights, dimmer switch, turn signals should be extra fun  🙄

 

I planned on two 2 wire flashers and today I see my sigstat 900 switch wants one 3 wire flasher .... One circuit at a time.

 

 

 

[Sniper]

Glad you got it working. 13.2 volts is not an uncommon voltage to see.