Converting from an Externally Regulated Alternator to an Internally Regulated One-Wire Alternator

Рет қаралды 81,051

3 жыл бұрын

DISCLAIMER: These videos show my way of doing things. Don't necessarily follow my advice, I could be wrong. You are responsible for your actions. Not me.

Пікірлер: 96

@russellmanweller6694 Жыл бұрын

This is beautiful. I was ranting out loud to my family about how I've watched videos and googled all day and I've heard everything you can think of, but I still don't have a clue about the basic stuff, and I can figure out what I have, or how to hook it up. I spent so much time just trying to figure out if a one wire alternator was only sertan brands and models, or if it was a specific way you can wire it, or if it's just an internally regulated alternator. You would think that now that they make everything internal, then someone would make a video explaining the basics for people who have old cars that all have external. I'm not trying to install a $5000 dollar stereo system. I'm just trying to put on a new alternator with a little extra power. You are the only person that understands that someone might be smart enough to understand complex things, but if they don't understand the most basic stuff, then how can they know they are doing it right.

@pd2865 3 жыл бұрын

So far the best video on alternator upgrades. Electric has beer been my favorite subject on cars. But you did a good explanation. I upgraded my 1965 Mustang 289 to an electric fan, and wish not to be on the side of the road with the original alternator.

@anthonygarofalo3710 2 жыл бұрын

Kkkl look Ii

@r8edrv4fun65 10 ай бұрын

Cool! Thank you!! I have a 1997 Bluebird with 3 wires and replaced the alternator with a 3 wire that has a built in regulator.

@stubby1122 Жыл бұрын

When you say the "old hot wire" with regard to the Generator light in the dash, are you referring to the Armature or field wire that you hooked up along with the 8 gauge wire going to the battery? Thanks

@acemarshall8729 2 жыл бұрын

Good stuff , im going to try this on my Dodge Dart . Wish a guy luck

@coachk7674 3 жыл бұрын

Effort Matters. thanks for sharing

@67Stang 3 жыл бұрын

Good video. I switched to a one wire when I rewired my 67. Rocketman's Classic Cougar Innovations sells original ameters that have been converted to voltmeters. So you cannot tell the difference from the outside just looking at the instruments. I have one on my car.

@mechtrician1 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! That’s good to know, I’ll check it out.

@waynezurbrugg786 2 жыл бұрын

I’m moving to a 100 amp one wire alternator on my 79 f150 351m 4x4, my question is can I hook the power wire up to battery side of the solenoid valve, the run the old starter wire from the alternator to the ignition switch side of the solenoid?

@ccfreedomseekerconstitutio8767 Жыл бұрын

I have a question I just installed a new radiator with two fans (electric) and it’s killing my battery and also on my 68 ford galaxy It came with a newer geo Chevy distributor that I am sure draws more current . Well I am needing to convert what do you suggest because if I drive and turn off it won’t start because it weakens the battery 😢

@zemoney954 Жыл бұрын

GREAT GREAT VIDEO AND INFO, THANKS ALOT

@TheCanadianBubba Жыл бұрын

Seeing bow tie bits on the blue oval alone gets the like from me !

@chickenfrenzy9096 Жыл бұрын

Hello, great video it was a huge help! One question though, are you running any kind of fuse between your alternator and battery and if not would you recommend one?

@mechtrician1 Жыл бұрын

I don’t have a fuse but I do recommend you use one.

@yjcowboy 10 ай бұрын

do you you happen to have a part number for your alt?

@gunsandhorsepower 7 ай бұрын

Could you do this on a 74 w150 dodge 4wd truck cause i keep blowing lights like the blinkers and other lights keep blowing all wires are in good shape and also keep blowing external regulators

@lonmar44 2 жыл бұрын

Great video I got questions how can I get in touch with you

@jedclampett6466 4 ай бұрын

The down side of this swap for me is that i use the stator wire to heat up the automatic choke on my carb.

@travisbyington3516 2 жыл бұрын

really well explained thank you.

@marcosmaza88 3 жыл бұрын

Good evening sir. I have a question, do you still have that original externally regulated alternator? If so, does it work? I have a 1972 GMC Sierra Grande with a small block 350 on a TH400 automatic transmission. I want to keep it as original as I can, and I was wondering if that original externally regulated alternator you have would work just fine without having charging/power issues? I bought an internally regulated alternator but im learning as I go and I’m honestly not too electrically inclined. Therefore I’ve looked up the alternator conversion and I think I can do it but since I’m not planning on putting electric fans or anything out of the ordinary, I was wondering if I could just get by with the original alternator. I’m sorry for the long message, thank you for your help. Have a blessed day!

@mechtrician1 3 жыл бұрын

Hi there. I do have it but it’s for a Ford and won’t work or mount up to your application. If you are totally stock with no added accessories you can keep the externally regulated alternator. I would get an electronic regulator replacement though. They work much better. You can also convert to an internally regulated alternator if you want and it will still look original.

@marcosmaza88 3 жыл бұрын

@@mechtrician1 Thank you for the reply. Oh okay, I for some reason thought it was for a Chevy/GMC. Well when I bout the truck, the wiring was and still is a mess, so I’m trying to wire everything up. It seems like all the wires are there but again, I’m not very good on the electrical side if things so I’m figuring it out through KZfaq and Google. Do you happen to have an Instagram account so that as I go through the process maybe if it’s not too much trouble, I can ask you some questions and send pictures of the process? Thank you very much, have a blessed day.

@marcosmaza88 3 жыл бұрын

@@mechtrician1 I forgot to mention, it didn’t have an alternator to begin with, not even the brackets for it so when I bought one, I ended up getting an internally regulated one unintentionally.

@mooosestang 20 күн бұрын

Weren't there things connected to the external voltage regulator that still need to be rerouted? I got a 42amp on my 63 thunderbird which has 3 wires coming from it and it has an electric voltage regulator. Just trying to hook up a classic car stereo head unit with a small amp is sending the amp into protection mode. Is that a tuff stuff alternator? How reliable has it been after 3 years?

@mechtrician1 20 күн бұрын

No reroute is necessary. Just disconnect it. 3 years and several thousand miles, still works perfectly.

@pd2865 3 жыл бұрын

I have one question if you have time. Vehicle: 1965 289 standard transmission. I'm going to put a one wire alternator on and ground it good, and disconnect the voltage requlator. My question: Can one still intergrate the alternator warning light by jumping wires in the voltage requlator harness that is now disconnected? Which wires need to be jumped? and does a diod need to be installed?

@mechtrician1 3 жыл бұрын

I’ll have to study the schematic for a bulb type indicator on the 65, but a lot of times the GM style alternators have an output you can use for a charge indicator bulb already. If not, there are several other ways to make it work.

@ameliaorrostieta4632 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the vid. My question is...is it not necessary or at least advisable to have a fuse inline from the alternator to the battery when running a 1 wire? If so, any fuse size recommendations for a 120 amp alternator?

@mechtrician1 2 жыл бұрын

It’s advisable yes. I personally don’t usually fuse them because the way the wire is routed, it’s pretty safe (production vehicles weren’t fused for many years on the starter and alternator), but yes I’d recommend it for folks. Fuse size is based off of whatever in the circuit has the lowest maximum current rating. Usually that’s the wire and it’s what we want to protect. So if you’re using wire that is good for 150 amps, conservatively you’d fuse at 150 amps. If you have a 120 amp alternator, size the wire for at least that and fuse at 120 amps. This assumes you have headroom in the power you need and that it will be running at less than 120 amps at full load.

@Corolla_Beau 2 жыл бұрын

Hey! So question. I would think, but would this work for other engines as well? I have a 1980 Toyota Corolla with 3tc 4cyl engine and I bought it as a project car, but the last person messed up the wire harness and I’m trying to “rewire” the alternator so it charges. My engine keeps dying once the battery empties charge. It is an external regulator as I believe since the wires goto the regulator. I’m not too fond of electrical, or enough to trouble shoot. Possibly the regulator is dead but I feel it would be the alternator even though it looks brand new.(also to note, they made a button start, which works fine and starts quickly, but the ignition key does not start the car. Not sure if that could be a reason it isn’t charging the battery.) Great video and explanation as well very informative I appreciate you for this.

@r8edrv4fun65 10 ай бұрын

Did anyone reply?

@Corolla_Beau 10 ай бұрын

Dang! A year ago….. Nope. Not a single person. I did fix it with my own intuition but stayed with the external regulator, and new stock trashy 55amp alternator. Found another video that was more to my engine and corolla model with the 1 wire conversion @ touge classics that I found useful as well

@Corolla_Beau 10 ай бұрын

Did not proceed with the one wire just yet…

@etp1325 Жыл бұрын

Very helpful. How Can I completely remove the old external regulator and doing so affect my ignition starter system? Thanks

@mechtrician1 Жыл бұрын

Just unplug it and remove it. Leave the harness alone.

@badcrcz 3 жыл бұрын

My niece has a 1984 fox body Mustang and bought a Powermaster 150 amp 1 wire replacement alternator. I looked at it today and it says it need 6 gauge wire. The alternator in there now has 2 wires, one red, from the alternator going to a connector, then those 2 wires go into a harness that disappears somewhere, doesn't look like it's coming out at the solenoid. There's a voltage gauge in the dash. I was planning on getting a 6 gauge wire and going direct to the battery, but I'm wondering if that voltage gauge is going to work. I guess I just leave that plug with the 2 wires hanging and shrink wrap it then?

@mechtrician1 3 жыл бұрын

One of the original wires should be the original positive wire, it will be a larger gauge wire. Hook that up to the alt positive stud and a #6 to the battery. That way the original positive is still hooked up. Shrink wrap the other wire.

@badcrcz 3 жыл бұрын

@@mechtrician1 Sweet, I was just thinking maybe I could do that and fake the system out and just leave the smaller wire disconnected. Thanks much!

@Ab3g Жыл бұрын

This sounds like you can just remove the rest of the wires and connect the one wire to the battery. with some insolvencies but itll work. Is this correct? I have a 1966 Lincoln continental.

@mechtrician1 Жыл бұрын

Correct

@MrCbell57 Жыл бұрын

How does the amps going to the battery from regulate themselves ? Or should battery get over charged. Or is the internal regulator inside alternator govern that somehow?

@mechtrician1 Жыл бұрын

Voltage is regulated by the voltage regulator in the alternator. Current is inherently regulated by the batteries internal resistance. The higher the charge, the less current it will draw.

@sambear6368 Жыл бұрын

Question, what do you do with plug for the voltage regulator? Do you btpass it??

@mechtrician1 Жыл бұрын

Just disconnect it and that’s it.

@joshuacartagena5450 5 ай бұрын

I have a 1964 ford Galaxie and I plan on installing a one wire. However, the two harnesses coming off my firewall seems to have every house in my community attached to it. I am having a hard time with people telling me to just simply remove it and that is it. HUH?!?!?! How does everything else get power????? I am so lost!

@MrHATERPROOF210 2 жыл бұрын

I have an 96 Buick Regal Somerset i need help with

@bobsue3639 2 жыл бұрын

Could you explain how a dash mounted ammeter would be hooked up to this one wire system?

@mechtrician1 2 жыл бұрын

In order for it to really work correctly you need to install what’s called an ammeter shunt. It’s a basically a low resistance resistor that the ammeter is in parallel with. Personally I don’t think it’s worth playing with that. I just had my stock ammeter converted to a voltmeter.

@jefflyon877 2 жыл бұрын

I have a question I don't know whether you're going to see this or not I recently upgraded to 140 amp alternator 86 El Camino with AC it has the one wire hook up like you're talking about what'll happen if I still plug in the factory plug as well as the one wire

@mechtrician1 2 жыл бұрын

No real need to. If the one wire has the 2 terminal plug, assuming the pin outs match you could hook it up but you’d want to check the pin outs first and make sure they match. GM changed them over the years. I wouldn’t bother though.

@jefflyon877 2 жыл бұрын

@@mechtrician1 thanks I'll just leave it its holding volts so all is good 👍

@robertmason8341 Жыл бұрын

Was the old style of oem ammeters just a form of a shunt?

@mechtrician1 Жыл бұрын

Yep.

@MCFABRICATION Жыл бұрын

My question is if it’s one wire and I’m running a Dakota digital dash and holley sniper kit how do I wire it up to where I’m going to be able to read the voltage on the holley sniper handheld ?

@peytonhicks1491 5 ай бұрын

Did you ever figure that out I have same problem

@MCFABRICATION 5 ай бұрын

@@peytonhicks1491 What’s your problem?

@garyshoaf5699 Жыл бұрын

Wish you had shown how to wire it.

@tylerangel4073 2 жыл бұрын

I have a 350 small block and when I go to start it the power is on but when I turn it over all the power shuts off the battery is brand new fully charged I’ve pulled fuses I’ve checked for bad grounds. I do see that my Alternator wire the red one is burnt up could that be my problem? Thank you.

@mechtrician1 2 жыл бұрын

Could be the issue but I doubt it. Sounds like the solenoid is not wired right. There is a bypass wire to keep the system energized when cranking. Sounds like that might not be hooked up.

@tylerangel4073 2 жыл бұрын

@@mechtrician1 so would you recommend me getting a new Starter? Or just the Solenoid?

@mechtrician1 2 жыл бұрын

@@tylerangel4073 starter but I’d troubleshoot the issue before going through the expense and trouble. It’s unlikely the starter solenoid is bad if it’s cranking. It’s likely a wiring issue or bad ignition switch, something like that. Find the schematic online and trace it out.

@andreamono6319 2 жыл бұрын

Could I do something like this on my 1994 Ford F-150

@mechtrician1 2 жыл бұрын

You could but your 94 probably already has a 3g in it. They are excellent alternators.

@theshark2804 3 жыл бұрын

You should run a high quality agm battery as well.

@mechtrician1 3 жыл бұрын

I usually do. I run Optima’s in my other vehicles already. This is just what was in it when I bought the car and it’s brand new. When it gets replaced, it will be with a red top.

@bda2672 3 жыл бұрын

@mechtrician I'd also change this alt to a HO alt, similar to your other vehicle. If you're staying with v-belt and not switching to serpentine then I'd suggest going with less than 250A alt. Anything higher will put too much strain on the v-notch. I'd suggest to check out Brand-X alternators (out of Ohio). Jon Patrick has been in the industry for a long time and very knowledgeable about alts and internal/external regulating with or without diode trick (depends on voltage you want to charge at). You can also do the Big-3 (probably Big-4 to be safe) upgrade to your electrical system.

@mechtrician1 3 жыл бұрын

This is a new alternator, 100amp. So it’s not too much for a v-belt but plenty for this application. I like to use Mechman alternators for high output.

@theshark2804 3 жыл бұрын

@@mechtrician1 i have a 160 amp for my 73 nova. I have a 240 mechman i had for my 90 bronco. I want to change the housing so i can use it in my chevy.

@Ryan-fh7ne 3 жыл бұрын

Where’d you order yours? I can only find 160/140 amps.

@Fotosaurus56 3 жыл бұрын

Yup, like how only an electrician can understand what an electrician is saying.

@4gclipseGT Жыл бұрын

surprised you’re okay with a single 8 gauge. id run minimum 4 gauge competition wire.

@mechtrician1 Жыл бұрын

I thought I explained that in the video. It’s 8 gauge but it’s 125c rated so it’s good for 105a. Not all wire is created equally 🙂

@4gclipseGT Жыл бұрын

@@mechtrician1 no matter how high quality the wire is, or how high its rated for, 8 gauge is too small for my comfort level.

@mechtrician1 Жыл бұрын

@@4gclipseGT then you are ignoring science, physics, and mathematics. Sorry, can’t help you with that.

@keemusic4789 2 жыл бұрын

Da da da da on and on and on

@curmudgeon154 2 жыл бұрын

More confused on 1G to 3G alternator conversion after watching this video than before.

@mechtrician1 2 жыл бұрын

Well that’s because this video isn’t about converting to a 3G alternator. It’s about switching to a one-wire alternator. 3G is a great alternator but it requires a few more wires to hook it up.

@mikeebert3933 2 жыл бұрын

Just get on with it

@BarryBranton 2 жыл бұрын

I don't like that little red wire.

@mechtrician1 2 жыл бұрын

It’s property rated for the current.

@jamescall8781 2 жыл бұрын

Are you some sort of a genius who can’t tie their shoes

@michael5866 2 жыл бұрын

You talk to much

@mechtrician1 2 жыл бұрын

You don’t know the difference between “to” and “too”.

@stevehamilton9418 2 жыл бұрын

No one is interested in a talking hand, your technical explanation belongs in a classroom and you failed to “physically” explain the conversion. Please take no offense but you may consider some help on your presentation. Good luck

@fireball4thewin108 5 ай бұрын

He explained at the beginning that this is for those who didn't grow up around people who work on cars. As a 16 year old who is trying to learn on my own videos like this are great.

@ccfreedomseekerconstitutio8767 Жыл бұрын

@mechtrician1 Жыл бұрын

You need an alternator with more output at idle. You need to estimate how much current you’re drawing at idle and select an alternator that meets that minimum at idle speed.