Yeah you're right......that fender ground was unplugged on mine.....bolted it up and the lights got brighter....my lights are 100% good now......... 8)
Charging circuit
- Thread starter Doober
- Start date
I missed the last two posts somehow... I actually had an issue years ago on my old truck, I had disconnected the fender ground and didn't realize it, headlights kept freakin' out on me, then I reconnected the wire :lol:
I got a PM from the guy earlier tonight. He actually disconnected his body grounds, and it was finally laid to rest. He wrote to apologize, which I think is very cool... you don't often see someone that will do that over internet forums 8)
I got a PM from the guy earlier tonight. He actually disconnected his body grounds, and it was finally laid to rest. He wrote to apologize, which I think is very cool... you don't often see someone that will do that over internet forums 8)
since we're on the topic of grounds...i have my battery in the trunk. i have a ground wire to the rear frame rail to the neg post on the battery, a body to frame smaller ground wire, a bolck to frame ground strap that is about 1" wide, and a block to firewall ground. when i did have an alt hooked up, i could only get it to charge at about 13-13.5V (according to my volt guage). turn on my w/p, drops to 12.5-13V, turn on the fan, drops to 12-12.5V, hit the brakes or turn signal, it drops another .5V (funny to watch when the turn signal blinks and the guage goes back and forth). is there a ground that i'm forgetting to run or wtf else could be going on? i'd like to have 13-14V at least!
What gauge wire from battery to starter? What size lead from the alternator to the battery? How about when it's not at idle?
it's not a 1 wire set up, just to be clear. i have 1 guage battery wire to the starter. i have 4 guage wire from the battery to the alt. seems like it charges at the same voltage even above idle.
If you can find a safe route for it, you could connect the alternator to the battery post on the starter, it was done that way at the factory, but it's not my first choice for wiring since it runs right by the exhaust. 4-gauge along 15-20' for that much current will likely cause the drop you're seeing.
http://www.interfacebus.com/Copper_Wire_AWG_SIze.html
Judging from that chart, you're only good up to about 60 amps. I'd run 2- or even 1-gauge for the alternator to run that far, and 0- or 00-gauge for the starter.
http://www.interfacebus.com/Copper_Wire_AWG_SIze.html
Judging from that chart, you're only good up to about 60 amps. I'd run 2- or even 1-gauge for the alternator to run that far, and 0- or 00-gauge for the starter.
grizwald said:
Where is the reference voltage for the alternator located? Where are you measuring the voltage at? If you want full alternator voltage back at the battery, you need the alternator reference line located there. Be aware this may cause voltage jumps similar to the drops that you are seeing now, only in the other direction. That is, you may see the voltage rise up front as you turn things on, as the alternator tries to keep the voltage at the battery at the proper voltage.
You have some resistance in the power circuit causing the voltage drops. The wire size going to the battery from the alternator looks OK. I think that a better arrangement of your power bus would help here.
i'm no electrical expert, so excuse my ignorance here if i don't answer your questions correctly. my battery cable runs from the batt to the starter (master switch in between). my alt runs from the batt to the post on the alt. i still use the factory wiring for the alt, so there's the plug with the jumper wire that goes to the post on the alt, and the other wire which goes to the volt guage.More questions. You say you use the factory wiring. Do you have two wires on the alternator charging post, or just the one wire that runs back to the battery? If just one, did you just cut off the stock big red wire that goes to the alternator? How many amps is the alternator? What model is it?
as of now, i have no alternator. i cooked the last one. but, that was my 2nd alternator and both gave me the same issue. not sure on the brand of alt., but was 94 amp. the factory plug still has the bigger red jumper wire that goes from the plug to the post on the back of the alternator. the other wire (brown, if i recall) goes to my guage.
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