Ive recently been bringing a 62 bird back to life, and one of the many issues is finding reliable wiring info. The original gen had 2 wires, red and white. They tested as white =gen light, ie add power light goes out. The red however appeared to be grounded? ie add power sparks fly! I know something is probably wrong there, but if its unneeded frankly IDK I have a ton of other jobs to tackle without chasing problems I can ignore lol. So I used an internal-reg alt and ran the white wire to post 1 and tied post 2 into the charge wire, and did nothing with the dubious red/ground. Simple enough, charges great 14.5 on the money! But now the gen light stays on with the key off. It goes out when the engine starts and the alt begins charging, but with the key off and even with the key out it stays on. I have a good idea of what I need to do to fix it, but every diagram ive found show brown and blue gen wires. and nothing useful for the dash. Ive converted from external to internal reg-alts many times, but this is my first Gen to Alt conversion and Im wondering if I am missing something.
I did that conversion on my 62 Cutlass, used a 63 mount for an alternator. Ran it for many years/miles. I first removed the old voltage regulator and all the wires between it and the gen. The heavy wire that used to go to the reg BATTERY terminal now goes directly to the alt output stud. With a larger alt, the wire might need to be made heavier. A wire from the GEN light (will light when grounded and ign on) used to go to the reg or gen main output, it now connects to the alt terminal 1. The bulb current helps light off the alt, if that does not happen till high rpm, you might wire a second bulb in parallel with the first to increase the current. The alt needs a small (voltage sensing) wire from 2 to direct battery. It can be connected directly to the main alt output stud, but will provide more accurate regulation if connected to the point where the + battery cable splits to all car circuits. Bruce Roe
Yup, pretty much did all that, even the '63 brackets. But now the gen-light is on with the switch off. It goes out like it should after start up, but is on any other time. From my understanding of the circuit, it should be open with the key off, so it shouldn't light up with KOEO no matter what. But I haven't gotten my hands on a proper diagram and Im kinda going off chevy/other buick/other year/ect info so....
That bulb should be powered by the ignition 12V switched on. Just taking the bulb wire and grounding it, should light it ONLY if ign is on. If 12V is applied to the bulb all the time, best to investigate what it is connected to. Maybe the ign or power wiring has a problem. Bruce Roe
Well.... I figured it out. I was over thinking it! I just needed to get pissed and start hitting things!!!! One of those things being the old voltage regulator.... Smacked it a few times with a screwdriver handle and the light goes out and on at the correct times. So when in doubt, HIT SOMETHING!!! lol
I'm confused. I thought you stated you used an internal regulated alternator. Is the original reg still connected?
Yes. Sorta. I thought I had ''eliminated" it by simply wiring around it, I usually prefer leaving such things for the 'untouched original' vibe. Without any useful diagrams, I didn't realize the gen-light went through the regulator, none I found showed that. So now that I know where to look I am going to gut it and basically turn it into a junction box.... Perhaps a place to hide my relays when I upgrade my headlight wiring....
Its worth mentioning I suppose that this car was stuck in a literal barn in the mid '80s and hasn't run for over 30 years until a couple weeks ago. So my list of things to do is MASSIVE to say the least, and Im just doing what I can after work and weekends. My boss is cool with me staying late and coming in on weekends using the lift, but I cant down the car for more than a few hours at a time because the schedule rolls on and customers cars come before side projects. So there are times I have to worry less about the best way and focus on the best I can do in 2 or 3 hours lol.
Depending on the car I have in the past wired up the alternator to the brake light switch. When you step on the brakes sends the power to the alternator to start the alternator charging. Tom T.
