How To Wire A Vintage GM 3 Wire Alternator 

This helped so much, great informative video thanks!

Just installed one of these on a 64 Ford galaxie. Got rid of the old generator. Thank you for your video it’s gold

Thank you , I am not a mechanic, but I have been driving over 50 years and have never taken a car or truck to a mechanic. Way back when i started driving my world was full of wrenching brothers, but over the years they all disappeared, I want to consider you a wrenching brother and subscribe and will watch every one of your videos. I have an alternator like this in my boat and have been trying to figure out what you taught me today. Thanks a million.

This was really helpful in building my engine stand. Thanks so much.

THANKS THAT WAS VERY HELPFUL I AM WIRING 78 CAMARO ATERNATOR UP THIS IS PRETTY SIMPLE METHOD

I'm wiring up an old straight 6 Chevy in a t bucket, you helped me out, you're a good teacher. 👍.

Thanks for the video , simplified my project right now.

Thanks for the video . I'd like to replace the one wire alternator in my 1950 GMC pickup with a 3 wire . A good demonstration on how it works.

Awesome! Best video on this so far.

Great video thank you gotta learn the systems to never be stuck while traveling in these square bodies

I have a 95 S-10 2,2 L Auto, CS130 alternator with PLFS connector. I have watch dozens of alternator videos - this is far and away the best alternator video to get your 80s/90s vehicle running. I was losing run/start through the dash PC board. This video will show you how to duplicate that circuit.

Thanks. Facing wiring one in to my 62 Chevy C-10 resto. Glad to find this, Very helpful.

Very good and simple video. Much appreciated!

Extreme simple great job buddy

thankyou thankyou very much from canada, you made it look easy and i appreciate that, i have an old ford 2n tractor im converting from 6 volt to 12 . i installed the same alternator as the one shown here, you made it easier for me now. thankyou

Great video 👍

Thank you for explaining bought a 59 fairlane that’s been converted to this system and wanted to make sure it’s wired correctly

Great common sense video on this subject. Off subject maybe you’re in southern states and don’t get much snow but your trusses seem a little far apart for the pitch of your roof. My building is similar pitch (12-3 ?) and width (24’)as yours and engineer at local truss factory said I would need a 2x6 on the bottom of the truss instead of a 2x4 like yours appears to be since I was spacing them 3 feet apart instead of 2. Yours looks to me 3 or 4 feet apart. I guess this depends on region or location where they’re being used.

Thanks, exactly what I needed to know.

Thank you. Great video!!

Great explanation

I just absolutely love your intro 😂

Great video. Lots to learn

Thank very clear and precise information, and video . 👍💯

I picked up an old Ford 8n tractor. This is the third N-series tractor my family has owned in my lifetime. We had an 8n when I was little, then a 9n when I got to high school/college, now I picked this 8n up about a month ago. I'm not sure if the original 8n was ever converted to 12v, the 9n was. When I got this home, I found that they had hotwired it enough to sell it. It was a real mishmash of 6 and 12v parts, mostly all bypassed and a fried condenser because there was also no resister or anything else in use...it was a mess. These old Fords actually take a GM alternator because they fit in the mounting brackets available. Most guys use a single wire alternator for ease of installation, but I was thinking about wiring up a 3 wire alternator (the fit is the same) for longevity, but I haven't seen anything about hooking one up to one of these tractors. This puts my mind at ease. These basically hook up almost identically the way the old generators did (minus the exterior regulator). Thanks for the video, and keep up the good work.

The wiring was very accessible!

Excellent video

Good advice thanks.i have got use 10g to run from the alternator on my puegout diesel as the loom heavy cable broke the copper tab connector. Thanks hope it does nt confuse the e c u

Thank you this really did help 🤙

Great video thank you

That was a SI Delco Remy alternator I'm thinkin' , Can you do a CS for us? Very good, plain, simple explanation. I liked it alot. Thanks it was delivered good too...

very good, thanks!

If alternator is not hooked up correctly like this guys is saying, you need to regulate the charge going to the battery, or it will overcharge the battery and ruin most likely, i bought like 3 batteries until i decided to search and came up to this video and realized i was destroying my batteries, and another reason one of my dash lights was aways on not knowing what it was.

Great video and description of the wiring. What gauge is the ground cable you added at the end? Thanks!

Naa , dad gum it ; I'll stay with my generator 🤣🤣🤣 Thanks from old New Orleans 😎

I ordered an alternator it's the 1 wire kind would anything happen if I hooked it up the way my old alternator was before I removed it?

I have question.I have a Mercruiser 140 inline 4 Chevy motor. I installed a new alternator that only has 2 wires. Battery+ and ground. The old alternator had 4 Wires going to it. I taped back the other wires from the boat and used Bat+ and ground on the new alternator. I measured the voltage when the engine was running with a meter and its charging 14.4 volts or so. I can turn off and on the engine no problem. My question is would one of those wires from the alternator I did not use go to the key? Would accessory's run off the alternator while running ? Newer alternator does not have a 2 wire plug. I assume because I was getting 14v at the battery. Thanks

You can also replace the internal regulator with a "one wire". These do NOT NEED the no1 circuit. Some "one wire" regulators seem to "like" having no2 connected (sensing) and some do not seem to care

Correct! I do prefer to connect the sense wire (spade #2) directly to the battery positive terminal as opposed to the alternator output post. The reason is, this way the regulator is sensing battery voltage directly, and it compensates for the slight drop that occurs between the alternator output and the battery. Incidentally, the spade #1 (excite) regulator terminal can be connected to your electric choke heating element to power your choke heater. In this case, removing the internal alternator wire-wound resistor allows you to use your alternator idiot light to monitor the choke heater element. An idiot light that fails to illuminate during key on bulb check indicates the choke heater may have failed

Hello. Very good video, informative and well illustrated. Hopefully you can help me with my problem. I just replaced a non working Delco Remy 10SI with a 22SI on my 1995 Cummins 8.3 (RV). Before the replacement, I was getting 0 voltage output and my tach was all over the place. With the new alternator, voltage output is 14v but now my tach doesn't work at all. Did I miss something or is the tach gauge not working? Is there a way to test for a tach signal from the alternator? Thanks

Thanks!

Exactly what I needed. Thanks

Well done

So what gauge is used for #1, the exciter terminal that's only?

Thank you

I am confused now,..please wink at my ignorance. I would like to install an "ammeter" in the #2 line before connecting to battery positive. And I would like to have a warning light in the #1 line, but don't know where to connect the other side of it. ???

Thanks, I have done this on old tractors what if your plug has 3 terminals. I have one with a 3 wire plug like that on the side and one with a 2 prong on the back of the alternator.

Stater wire which one is that as I won’t to use for electric choke

Thank you Sir..been trying to find info on how to wire a Mahle alternator generator to a 5000 ford tractor..would this apply the same??

Can you advise if I need to put a fuse in the #2 line when I insert an ammeter? Is polarity of the ammeter important? Also, I want to use an old 1950 amp gauge,..is that possible? Amps are amps right? Thank you for this teaching video!

my alternator on my 72 Cadi has the ground run to the battery, is that normal, or should I remove it and run a ground from the alternator to the engine block?

Go thru the junk yards and search for one that hasn't been messed with, thats what I did with a 69 2500 I redid years ago.

Thanks

The problem I see with this that red wire you took from plug to the battery wire will always be pulling amperage when check on the negative post on the battery

Isnt there fusable links somewhere in the wiring?

I'm looking to install this type of alternator on a IH Farmall 826 diesel tractor. It has a Delcotron externally regulated alternator and the old wiring harness is totally shot, grease encrusted, dried out, frayed, cracked, bare, broken, turning green, and none of the lights or gauges worked anyway. Hoping to simplify this absolute rats nest of brittle broken crap and get rid of it. All I need to run is the starter.

Can you just run?The ten gauge were directly to your battery and don't need to use pin number one and 2

Ok, 10 gauge output, but your replacement grounding wire seems to be 10X larger. Why?

i have an alternator, the harness has3 wires protruding from its connector, 1 of the 3 is bigger then or thicker than the other wires. i m attempting to create a generator for another idea of an inexpensive e-v conversion i intend to use the alternator as the genset that will power the 120vac or 240vac electric motor using an inverter. my ideas are plausible well thought out ideas nobody is willing to help pay for anymore creative ideas coming from me. hard lesson to realize i live

🌹 'Promosm'

My charge light in Oldsmobile will not go out even when key is out stays on till I unhook battery

Great effort,..a little long getting to what everyone wants to hear though.