Electronic voltage regulators have been used on many cars since the mid 1970s. Most people screw it to the bottom of the dash in a place where it's not visible, but where you can easily grab a quick look to see what your voltage is. I've setup a Ford 1 wire and I got mine to keep functioning. With all the aid of this e-book, you are able to easily do your own personal wiring tasks. If neither terminal is marked, that's OK too. Voltage is the pressure of the water. You can still measure the water pressure without any flow of water. Only show this user. Attach the voltmeter to the dashboard with one metal screw and tighten the screw so it holds the voltmeter firmly to the dashboard. The ammeter measures this flow. 14. Route this wire from the voltmeter to the battery. Alternator Wiring Kit 555 -10510 100 Amps 8 gauge 150 Amps 6 gauge 200 Amps 4 gauge It is very important to use the correct wire size to connect the alternator to the battery. use a volt meter while the car is running to check the main wire or large red wire coming off the back of the alternator it should read a steady 14 volts, the volt meter must be set at dc 10 amp settings, ground the black wire to ground or a metal surface some where on the car and touch the red probe wire on the volt meter to the main terminal . The alternator would have no bearing on the voltmeter. If you want to take advantage of a higher power alternator for more added on goodies, you need to change/bump up wiring gauges, THEN your factory ammeter does not function properly. Turn your ignition into ON position (do not start) and touch the alternator pulley with a metal object like a wrench or screwdriver. Step 2 Screw the voltmeter bracket into the dash using the drill and self-tapping screws. 10 ga. wire to the battery (or to the post on the starter solenoid where the battery cable is mounted) The neede will only show a substantial charge when you're replenishing the charge depleted from using the starter motor. The most common way to wire a voltmeter is to get power from the IGN terminal at the fuse box. A voltmeter is simply measuring voltage to ground. This can also produce a low voltage problem at engine idle speed depending on the amount of reduction. If only one terminal is marked, that's OK as the unmarked terminal is the opposite of the marked terminal. Picture of wiring diagram showing how to connect 3-wire alternator to the Infinitybox system. Using carburetor cleaner and a small wire brush, clean all the wiring connectors that are located behind the alternator. A deep-groove pulley improves belt . If you look at the terminals, one or both should be marked. Most gauges read voltage and are simple to wire. Test #2. Step 4: Disconnect the negative battery cable. If you are wiring a volt meter you can wire the + to your ignition switch so it will read voltage when the key is on. If you wire it as it was originally, you will . 10 - Make sure battery is fully charged before starting engine. If the battery doesn't have enough voltage, either get the battery charged and re-test or try a different method for checking the . exciter wire. If the resistance value didn't change after . Ammeter to Voltmeter Conversion. Step 5: Decide where you want to install the gauge. The meter will still indicate the direction of current, charge or discharge, but it won't read the actual current flow. First, you need to connect the alternator directly to the positive terminal on the battery. Think of it like a garden hose. Ammeter to Voltmeter Conversion. A reading of more than 0.2 volts means trouble. Connect the blue and green wirings to the blue and green leads found on the regulator. Choose from the next three wires; one is called the field wire, connecting to the positive terminal. The first thing I did was had my alternator gauge converted to a voltmeter. Ensure to put a primary on-off switch that's really necessary no doubt. Connect the red one to the "+" battery pole and the black one to the "-"pole. The voltmeter will have voltage any time the ignition switch is pulled on. Take careful note of which is which. Turn your car off, pop the hood, and connect the voltmeter's positive probe to the positive terminal on the battery and the negative probe to the negative terminal on the battery. Before the alternator is operating, the voltmeter indicates battery condition or health, which should be (about) 12 volts. How to Wire an Alternator Gauge It immediately tells you when your alt stops working and can give you a heads up if you ever kick your serp. Postby Bigdog » Wed Nov 25, 2009 4:16 am. 140- 200 amp alternator I would choose 4-guage to 0. Here's a very simple do-it-yourself project with useful benefits such as detecting or preventing a power problem on your boat. One wire from a terminal of the volt meter should go to the Jeep's body. Troubleshooting a fuse is extremely simple with a multimeter. Re: Wiring diagram for 12 volt with volt mater. On a battery, touch the black lead to the negative terminal. We tested the voltmeter's action by applying a 12-volt source and a ground. Set your multimeter to the lowest ohms setting and place your probes on either side of the fuse caps. A voltmeter simply probes the amount of voltage available between a certain spot in the vehicle's electrical circuit and ground. It will usually show a little lower voltage then the battery (because of voltage drop on the main dash wire) and the needle may pulse some when the turn signals are on because of voltage drop on the turn signal circuit. Position it away from the battery. If you have the engine hoist use that to steady the engine and put blocks at the M/M's put on the water pump with the accessories needed to run the pump leave the fan off and hook up the hoses to the rad. If it sticks, the alternator is doing its job, if not, you have a problem. A wire size too small can allow the wire to overheat, melt the insulation and cause a fire or worse. Another way to check is with a voltmeter. The indicator needle quickly moved to a position equal to approximately 12 volts. Step 3: Open the hood. Then start the engine and check for increased voltage readings. I would say the one wire on the alternator should go to the battery side of the starter and the #10 wire to the same location. A voltmeter will later display the normality of the alternator / regulator by indicating (about) 14 volts. 11 - Reconnect the ground cable, start the engine and using a VOM meter, verify that the . Step 6 - Connect Positive Wire. If installing a 1-wire alternator, see wiring instructions at upper right. Hi everyone, I have a '73, 304 CJ5, here is the problem: I just got this cj a few weeks ago and recently . It should be at least 10 Guage Charge wire with a 100 amp alternator. 1 wire - 200 amp DirtDonk = Got through BG and it is hooked directly to battery positive via 4 gauge wire from alternator. Leave the alternator off when it is not in use. The ammeter is in integral part of the power supply circuit. Get a cheap voltmeter. Amps 56 65 85 86 88 89. I tried to read the microscopic wiring diagram at the back of my Haynes manual (what a joke) and it appears that the factory black/orange wire which was connected to the factory . If you have a very low ohms reading, the fuse is working great. I don't know what terminals yer alternator has on it but I'm sure they all have the same outputs somewhere. This is the recommended street pulley ratio and is used in most . If you're converting from an old ammeter to a voltmeter, you'll need to wire it a bit differently. The alternator in question is a 80amp Proform 1-wire (part number: 66445.8N). So, I decided to install a VoltMeter. This will be the terminal used for testing. Connect the main wire from the alternator harness to the positive lug of the alternator. Remove the ARM and FLD wires and tape them back with electrical tape in case you or the next guy want to re- install a generator. 2. To perform a voltage drop test, set the voltmeter on the 2-volt scale and touch the positive and negative test leads on opposite sides of a connection. If it's below that, charge the battery with a battery charger before you conduct the test again. Fuses don't have polarity, so the probes you use don't matter. So if your alternator housing is unmarked, look from the rear of the alternator: the #1 terminal is on the left and the #2 on the right. Moreover, turn the switch on whenever starting the alternator. On the side of the box it says; " typical output current tested at 13.0v". Stretch the V-belt to meet the pulley on the engine of your system. this video I install a aftermarket voltmeter in my 1980 chevy truck, To check for a bad alternator diode, you may want to reset your voltmeter to the lowest possible AC voltage scale setting. The pink wire you connected to for +12 volts should have power when the ignition switch is in the run position. That should . Jax Florida. That will be the thicker wire running to the positive terminal of the battery, assuming a negative earth system. Step #2 Locate the voltage regulator, usually on the firewall. Alternator RPM 1800 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000. Wire size is important as Larry Beard has warned. If you wire it as it was originally, you will . It's a catch 22 for most. Use a box fan to cool the rad. With the engine off, battery voltage should be between 12.5 and 12.8 volts. Test #1. It is very important to make sure that nothing . Pop open your vehicle's hood to locate where the wires enter, and place the point of the insertion tool in an open spot on the grommet. Bigdog. Always do this step! The neg side of the ammeter should have the BATT line from the Starter/Battery. Because your alternator is connected directly to your battery, your meter will be reading battery voltage. Should a problem arise, it is relatively easy to test an alternator. Answer (1 of 2): Check the brightness of your headlights. Start your engine and let it reach an idling RPM. Did the 3G 130amp alternator conversion on my '86 Capri 5.0 and now the factory voltmeter isn't working. Check the voltage at the battery before you start the tractor. These wires connect to the generator and you don't need them. Step 2 Use the electrical pliers to cut a piece of red wire long enough to reach from the battery to the voltmeter. The biggest downside of the one wire is the lack of a seperate voltage sense input. The #2 voltage sensing terminal allows the voltage regulator to . 1. Field or ignition terminal: Allows battery voltage from the ignition to flow to the alternator's field coil during startup. Two wires. I have installed a 347 CI (302 bored and stroked) in my 1966 Mustang. 1 Wire Alternator Wiring Diagram. Start the engine and listen to how the alternator feels. Connect (piggy-back) the red lead of your meter to the big lead on the alternator where the current comes out. Between those years you may have the CS-130 or the CS-130D alternator. Step 3 10 - Make sure battery is fully charged before starting engine. How To Wire Alternator Step #1 Disconnect the battery! Now, looking at the new harness there is a brown wire, shown in the photo, that is going from the 10SI alternator and I followed it through the harness to the dash harness and it does go to the ACC on the IGN. That's it. They should get brighter as you rev the engine from idle to faster. With the bezel prepared, we located and screwed the voltmeter onto the bezel. Guage custom made charge cable back to the battery. + to ign and - to ground. The wiring directions go like this. Step 1 Find a mounting location for the voltmeter; under the dash usually works. vrooom3440. Connect the voltmeter probes on their respective battery terminals. In other words, you'll touch the probes to two points an already-closed circuit, with current running through it. Most boats have 12-volt electrical systems powered by one or more batteries that are recharged by the engine's alternator or other electrical sources such as solar panels or a wind generator. You can use the original wire by hooking it to the positive terminal on the voltmeter, but you must also run a wire from the negative terminal to a ground source. There are a few how-to's out there using a variety of methods and . A small ammount of current will still flow thru the meter. If you're converting from an old ammeter to a voltmeter, you'll need to wire it a bit differently. Will switch to voltmeter, just need to determine witch will fit in factory gauge cluster. From the face description it sounds like an M series voltmeter. But that's enough typing for tonight. Once that's put back, the ammeter shuld settle down to just a bit to the right of 0. The BATT terminal on the alternator is the "Charge Line" so to speak It will carry the high amp output. Ensure that the pulley is taut enough so it cannot slip off once you turn the system on. If there is resistance in the connection, some of the voltage will bypass the resistance by flowing through the voltmeter. 3 Wire Alternator Wire - Data Wiring Diagram Today - 12 Volt Alternator Wiring Diagram You can always rely on Wiring Diagram as an crucial reference that may help you conserve time and money. The GM Delco-Remy cs130 alternator was used on GM vehicles from about 1986-1996. If it drops more than .06-volt — like here at 13.97 volts — the charge wire is too small, or there is resistance at the connections. Read the voltmeter. Jan 28, 2016. switch. To perform a voltage drop test, set the voltmeter on the 2-volt scale and touch the positive and negative test leads on opposite sides of a connection. fed from the commutator, to the charging circuit to establish battery voltage. The charging voltage of the alternator is checked with a multimeter (available from around $20): Set the voltage range on the multimeter (up to 15 or 20 V) Connect the black clamp to the ground pole and the red clamp to the positive pole. Find this Pin and more on Alternator by Vseth. Has been working great so far, but would love to have some gauge to monitor in case somthing goes wrong. Refer to the diagram below if you're working on three-wire connections. A voltmeter does not measure how much current is flowing, just the level. In my C4 The Alternator is just 2 feet away from the battery in the LH Lower Fender Gille panel. The exciter wire is exactly that. Above left: The voltmeter studs extend through the circuit board in the same fashion as the ammeter. 3-Wire Alternator Wiring Diagram. Step 7- Test Connections. 11 - Reconnect the ground cable, start the engine and using a VOM meter, verify that the . Changing the pulley ratio on the alternator by slowing it down will generally keep a one-wire regulator from charging. Dependin g upon the maximum output of the alternator, use the . It makes 60 amps and uses its own solid-state voltage regulator. Click to see full answer. It is used to excite the field windings of the alternator, which in turn creates the amount of amps. Without it, no electricity will flow to the rest of the electrical system unless you connect the 2 ammeter wires together. Position the alternate regulator on the side of the driver shock tower, which is next to the relays. The current from the alternator flows through the ammeter. If both are marked, you should see + and - signs. Current would be how much water is flowing through the hose. If you see higher readings, chances are the alternator is good. BTW- I intend to put a larger wire from alternator to battery. Voltmeters cheap and very useful for separating alternator problems from battery problems. Have your assistant start the car's engine and let it run for a few minutes at 1200 RPM. Step 2 - Attach Voltmeter. Ammeter and wire should have a capacity of at least 10 amps more than your vehicle's maximum alternator output. Step 1 Locate a spot on the dash to mount the voltmeter bracket. Step 5 - Connect Ground. Here are the important parts of this diagram. If the OE was indeed an alternator that gauge may be a volt meter. If it's less than 12.2, you'll need to charge your battery before you can test the alternator. If you are wiring an amp meter it needs to go inline from the big + (Bat) post on the back of the alternator, (between alternator and battery). Have your maximum alternator output tested. The meter has a ground connection in addition to the case being grounded for the light. Step 2: Install the memory saver per the manufacturer's instructions. It doesn't need to be as heavy as the starter wire because it will never carry more than 40 Amps. The exciter wire does not always show an application of full 12v. It may have the part number on the face. All late-model alternators employ an electronic voltage regulator. Wiring . Wiring instructions for the GM Delco Remy internally regulated CS130 alternator. You just need to lead 2 wires into the old voltage regulator connector. Step 1 - Determine Voltmeter Location. Step 1 - Install the Wires to the Alternate Regulator. Alternators are usually tested with a 3:1 pulley ratio. 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