could anyone snap some pics how you got your one wire alternator wired? i need pics to see how all the starting/charging and all other stuff attach to each other near the battery, lengths of wires for alternator and starter would help alot, its time for me to start all the wiring on my car so it may run this week
i thought i have no idea but i though i read somewhere that the one single wire gos to the battery postive post, im NOT sure though , im very interested in this thread
On a true one wire set-up, the alternator contains everything... regulator and all. You just do away with that whole regulator harness and run a nice heavy wire to the alternator from the positive on the battery. Really simplifies things. The only problem is that sometimes this system has a tendency to drain the battery when it sits. My uncle has to run a battery disconnect for when his car sits unused for longer than a day. A piece of equiptment at my business also had the same problem. It is one wire GM alternator on a v4 engine. The battery started draining when the saw sat for more than a day. Took the alternator in for repair and the shop told me it was common for one wires. They rebuilt it with a heavy duty regulator and it hasn't done it since, but they warned me it would sooner or later if I didn't use a disconnect. Dave Edit: IMO the cleanest install for the alt wire would be the hot side of the starter relay.
That's where I connected mine. Used a piece of 8 AWG wire. Depends on what the amp rating is for your particular alternator. I've left mine sit for months without disconnecting the battery, never had a drain problem.
They are not supposed to do that, but unfortunately it is common. Have you checked into getting it fixed. When I had mine done, they mentioned words like faulty diode or something. An alternator/starter shop would know what to look for and just do it. Get you straightened out for a time anyway, longer if you are lucky. Dave
by starter relay do you mean that solenoid thinny? and what gauge do you recomand i use for my starter wire and for my alternator its 100amp
You won't need to change your starter wire. It will remain. You are correct on the solenoid, that is also known as the starter relay. To the rear of the car is the starter cable, to the front is the hot battery cable in, use that post for the hot battery cable connection of the alternator. For wire gauge, the alt maker should recommend an appropriate gauge, if not, go at least 8 as mentioned previous. Any thicker gauge may be hard to hook up depending on the connection on the alternator. The only wires you are deleting are the wires in the alternator harness that goes from the stock regulator, and regulator of course. Dave Edit: I just realized you may have been asking about the starter cable because you need to know... I wouldn't use less than 4 gauge myself. 2 might be overkill to some, but I would consider it for the starter.
To make the wire act like a fusible link (unless you're gonna put a 100 amp fuse or circuit breaker in line, you need to look up the safe current carrying AWG for 100 amp automotive circuit then decrease that AWG by two sizes. There are a bunch of internet sites that list automotive wire sizes by current capability. BTW, automotive specs are slightly different than what's required for house or industrial wiring.
This might be a dumb question, but I want to learn why... Why would a wire from the alternator to the battery need a fuse? I would have thought that since the current was going to the battery/car, from the alternator, it would not require a fuse. If it were the other way around, I could see it. You want to protect the part being powered by the battery, but here there is nothing to protect. The current is feeding a battery. Just curious. Also, correct me if I am mistaken, but wouldn't using too small a wire gaurantee a fire? It would not burn in half instantly like a fuse/fuse link, it would heat, melt, smolder, and eventually burn.
My grandpa has a motorhome based on a '78 C30 dually van chassis. Has a 4V 4 bolt main 350 in it. It has been draining the battery like that for years... he just has a quick disconnect on the positive battery cable.
I know this kind defeats the purpose of a one wire alternator, but could you not put a relay in that one wire and 'kick' the relay with a small wire from an ignition hot source? I guess it would have to be a 100 amp relay too... Just a thought. Dave
ok so from battery cable run one 8 gauge wire to the + side of starter solenoid, then run 8 gauge wire from alternator to the same side, then route a 4 gauge starter wire from the other side to the starter, now i also would run a 8 gauge wire from the + side of starter solenoid to my fuse box (out of a junk yard car) to power my accessories?
