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Old 01-04-2009, 11:56 AM   #1
drewfever1020
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is a?

one wire alternator good or bad to have?
lmk cuz im thinkg about getting one!
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Old 01-04-2009, 12:04 PM   #2
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Re: is a?

You are much better off with a traditional 3 wire internally regulated alternator. There is a very good explanation Here

BTW, it is a very good idea to make your post title an actual question, related to your actul question is best.
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As for reading directions...
The directions are nothing but another man's opinion.
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Bad planning on your part does not necessarily constitute an instant emergency on my part....

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Old 01-04-2009, 01:27 PM   #3
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Re: is a?

I swapped in a '87 Silverado 94 amp....didn't have to buy a kit either. Works like a charm. You can find the article in the FAQ section.

All you have to buy is the alternator and wire a couple of leads together at the regulator plug.

With 94 amps you can run everything you need to without worrying about the amps drawing down too low.

I know nothing about the kit, but I do know that my one wire beats the pants of any stock alternator setup regardless of the number of wires. 94amps is simply much better than 62!

PS....the alternator I used is available anywhere. I bought mine at O'Reilly's
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Old 01-04-2009, 01:38 PM   #4
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Re: is a?

been running one on my dd almost a year now.no problems.charges great .just have to remember to rev engine past 1000 rpm to kick it on .i dont know if they are all that way but mine wont start charging till i get over 1000 rpm then it charges all the time
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Old 01-04-2009, 01:53 PM   #5
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Re: is a?

I have a 100 amp one-wire alternator and love it. Had it for 4 years now, and no problems, plus less wires = cleaner engine compartment. I see them on all the high dollar hot rods, so that is good enough reason for me to have one. With the extra amps, you will have no problems with running other accessories as well.
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Old 01-04-2009, 02:10 PM   #6
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Re: is a?

Quote:
Originally Posted by LONGHAIR View Post
You are much better off with a traditional 3 wire internally regulated alternator. There is a very good explanation Here

BTW, it is a very good idea to make your post title an actual question, related to your actul question is best.
I prefer the one wire alt myself. It's simpler, eliminates a few wires, and performs just as well as the three wire.

While there may be some merit to the idiot light not working on the one wire and the "remote voltage sensing" of the 3 wire, most of the other info in that article is bogus.

Right here is the first clue;

Quote:
does not sell alternators, and we never have. Therefore we have no reason to slant this story.
While they might not sell alternators, they are tryin to sell an alternator wiring kit.
I can't remember exactly how to wire a 3 wire right at the moment, but I know it can be done for a couple bucks. IIRC, all ya need is a few feet of wire and a couple spade connectors. I'm guessing this would be their "kit" they're selling for 28 bucks.

Any 10SI, (and probably the 12SI too, but I can't say for sure), can be converted to a one wire alt in a few minutes by just swapping out the normal internal voltage regulator for a "self exciting" regulater. That's all there is to it. Everything else is the same.
I just did this conversion, (again), 2 days ago for the alt on my motorhome.
If anybody needs/wants pics of how to do it, I haven't put the alt back on yet. I'd be more than happy to split it apart again and snap some pics.
The normal regulator is still layin on my welder as a matter of fact! LOL

If ya have a friendly alternator rebuild shop locally, just go in and ask 'em for a self exciting regulator. The last one I bought cost about 12-14 bucks I think. I carry an extra one in the glove box just in case it fails. But I've been using the "one wires" on various vehicles for close to 15 years and never had one fail yet.
To be sure ya get a self exciting regulator, the part number on it will have a SE in it.
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Old 01-04-2009, 02:21 PM   #7
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Re: is a?

doesnt the one wire alt come with an internal regulator tho?
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Old 01-04-2009, 02:23 PM   #8
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Re: is a?

I also recommend a local alternator shop whichever route you choose...I have always had problems in the past buying from chain parts stores when it comes to alternators. My local guy is the one who recommended a one-wire alt, and also wound it so I have 100 amps output.
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Old 01-04-2009, 02:34 PM   #9
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Re: is a?

ya i know a place were to get one with 100 apps!
but how do i hook it up?
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Old 01-04-2009, 02:36 PM   #10
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Re: is a?

oh ya and how will itwork the the og harness?
i dont think ill be using the harnees to connect to the alt so wich wires will i be eliminating?
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Old 01-04-2009, 02:38 PM   #11
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Re: is a?

Quote:
Originally Posted by drewfever1020 View Post
doesnt the one wire alt come with an internal regulator tho?
Yep.

And to look at the regulators themselves, (3 wire internal vs the 1 wire internal), they look identical. The only difference is the SE on the part number. The 1 wire even has the 2 spade connector terminals, (that don't get used). I've never figured out why they went ahead and put those terminals on the SE regulators.... Doesn't make much sense to me. LOL
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Old 01-04-2009, 02:41 PM   #12
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Re: is a?

Quote:
Originally Posted by drewfever1020 View Post
oh ya and how will itwork the the og harness?
i dont think ill be using the harnees to connect to the alt so wich wires will i be eliminating?
With the 1 wire?

You'll be eliminating basically all the wires that go to the original alt. and regulator.

Ya just run one wire from the post on the alt to the pos (+) post of the battery.
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Old 01-04-2009, 02:58 PM   #13
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Re: is a?

so i run a wire to the positive post but what happens the the wire that goes from the starter to the battery?
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Old 01-04-2009, 03:10 PM   #14
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Re: is a?

starter-battery=nothing to do with this.

in a three wire alt there are three wires to your old alternator, a constant hot, a constant ground, and an ignition hot. anything else electric you want to run under the hood? you can use your old alt wires

lets put a tech response here in case this thread shows up in a search.

what are the wires that go to the original alternator? where do they go? link to a wiring scheme?
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Old 01-04-2009, 03:18 PM   #15
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Re: is a?

found link to this in first page of search results for "alternator wiring"

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=119379
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Old 01-04-2009, 03:56 PM   #16
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Re: is a?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Senator350 View Post
found link to this in first page of search results for "alternator wiring"

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=119379
There's that $28 "kit"! 4 or 5 connetors an a couple inches of wire. Hahaha

It's been to many years since I converted my 72 to the 1 wire to remember what I did with the original wires, but I know they're gone...LOL I think I traced 'em back to the firewall plugin and removed 'em from the harness completely.
I remember replacing the resistor wire for the distrubutor, (ignition/coil), power with a normal wire when I swapped to HEI. I'm pretty sure I removed the alt wiring at the same time.
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89 Trans Am (was) 305 TPI 700r4
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98 Sonoma (TPI outa the Trans Am)
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