Thread: 1 wire alternator

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Im trying to figure out how to wire myt alternator.. it has 1 wire on one of the big prongs and a plug on the back of it with a small blue and black wire..

its a 91 s10 with a 283 small block i just need to know what wires go were.. i dont really know how to wire it..

is the altenator internally regulated or externally???

Think I'm going to use the GM one with the built in regulator.... Got a diagram for that one also??? Or is it acceptable to use the jumper wire and make it a one wire alternator??? I've heard a lot of bad recently on the single wire alternators.........

PS-----Thanks again for the schematic on the headlight relays Denny!!!! I converted my old Ford to the new style headlights with replaceable bulbs (Tri-Bar Red Dots!!!) and wired them up and tested them last night, they work great!!!

Thanks again, Denny. Youdaman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This thread could bring up some discussion on the pros and cons of a single wire alternator such as the requirement to have to reach a certain speed to start the charge cycle, the fact that there should be a fusible link equivalent to the output of the alternator in the line, that the wire to the positive (or negative terminal on an older 6v Ford) needs to be correctly sized depending on location, or that if the battery wire to the solenoid of the starter is always hot, it can be used or that it might be necessary to use a diode to prevent afterrun when the engine is off.

I'm probably using a single wire alternator on my project car, but had I known some of these tidbits, probably would have reconsidered - and may yet as my Powermaster 100 amp alternator can be set up either way.

Just some food for thought from our resident electrical guys - as I keep saying that I'm a mechanical dude

i was considering a 1wire, and then i decided that the wiring for it would be noticibly different, and i was sick of doing wiring after hand wiring an entire other project i was working on.... so i just bought all brand new resto wiring for my car so it just plugged right in in all the same spots as the old ratty harness ... then again thats a benefit of having a mustang is theres more parts availability on them than a TON of cars

I used a one wire that only had one wire
Usually the problem with the one wire is that the older cars run the voltage thru the entire system,rather than relays like the newer cars.You can either hook the one wire straight to the battery or hook it into the horn relay buss to power up the internal components better.The best thing is to take the load off the wires under the dash by doing like Dave has done and use relays on the head lights etc........this takes the load off the underdash wires and cures the voltage drop from the power snaking thru 20 foot of wire and 3 switches Relays take a wire that used to run full voltage and amps and converts it to a remote wire for the relay which draws mili amps compared to full amps thru the switches.
The more relays you can install under the hood to keep the load from traveling thru the underdash wires the better........and use some sort of fuse on everything,I am not too hip on the fusable links or better stated too light of a wire to burn in two sumtin about glowing red wire melting in two has no appeal to me

my 87 mustang had that problem, they used super thin wire all over the place, one day the regulator in my altenator failed and my altenator lit up ALL the wiring under the hood.... that was a bad day, happened on my way to school when i was in highschool, and i had a 20 mile commute every day

wires like to keep the smoke inside, once you let it out... just never seems to work the same

See i run a painless switch box... and the only wires i have other than the switch box is the wires for lights.. So what route exactly would i go with wiring the one wire alternator?? And how exactly can i know if my alternator is working properly?

Yup, heard so much negative about the single wire setup, think I'll go ahead and use the regulator...

Have used 100 amp Powermaster one wire alts in two of my cars. Never had a problem with one, but the other was a nightmare. In that one the internal regulator went wacky and over charged the battery and which subsequently blew up. Also melted quite a few wires in the car, but luckily did not cause a fire. All of this happened in the middle of the boonies on a lonely interstate miles from anything. After a very long trailer ride everything was repaired and the alt was converted to a three wire. Have had no more problems since. Don't think I will ever intentionally use another 1 wire unit. Could have been a lot worse than it was, fortunately it wasn't.

yup.... the concept of the one wire is cool but it just isn't worth the possible headaches they can cause..... specially at the prices the good ones cost.... like the MSD one that costs $349..... and can you think of how often you've really needed a 100 amp alternator anyways? i have a 65 amp in my mustang, powers my tribar headlights, HEI ignition, power windows, alarm, stereo head unit, and 1000 watt amplifier with no problems at all

And, as long as Denny keeps posting all those really first class schematics, no reason to do without the regulator and take all the risk of an electrical malfunction, or like 34 said a battery explosion and fire!!!!

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

And, as long as Denny keeps posting all those really first class schematics, no reason to do without the regulator and take all the risk of an electrical malfunction, or like 34 said a battery explosion and fire!!!!

Do we bribe him ?? Or ....??