AlabamaThunder

Okay guys, my alt. is shot. So I'm going to buy a NEW one...Not Rebuilt, NEW..

lol

I looked at summit and jegs, and they confuse me.

This is for my '86, and it's TPI, I have 100 and some change to spend maybe.

H.O. would be nice.

I don't understand the one wire thing either...

Is chrome the way to go?

One wire?

Can someone point me in the right direction please?

D_Amlee

One wire alternators are really great if you are trying to mount an alternator on an unusual platform, such as a custom built hotrod or retrofitting a modern engine into a vehicle many decades old. The one wire setup means that the only wire going to the alt is the heavy gage wire going between the B+ terminal on the alt and the positive terminal of the car (or battery). With this setup, you don't have to wire the alternator to the lamp terminal in the dashboard, or provide a sense lead connection to the alternator either. For guys who are fabricating a whole new dashboard, omitting the additional wiring can be an easy way to get the job done. These alternators are also necessary on older farm tractors, which don't even have dashboards. These one-wire alternators are often called tractor alternators for that reason.

The big drawback is that without the additional wiring connections which make the voltage regulator run better, your alternator is not as efficient as a regular multi-wire system, nor can it maintain the voltage level as steadily as the standard system. Your voltage sense capability is often degraded on a 1-wire regulator, and your car's system voltage may be either lower or higher than optimum (usually lower).

Another drawback is that when the car is first fired up each and every morning, the alternator provides zero amperage until you give the engine a bit of rpm to increase the alternator speed. The voltage regulator inside of a 1-wire alternator is called a self-exciting regulator, and it relies on residual magnetism from the internal rotor to basically tell the regulator that it needs to wake up and make power. Residual magnetism is often very weak, and at low rpms it does not have the power to turn on the regulator. Rev the engine up a bit, and the alternator will turn on, and from then on it will continue to provide power until you shut the engine off again. If the alternator has been sitting on the store shelf for a long time, the residual magnetism may be so low that you may need to get your engine up to over 2500 rpm before the alternator kicks on. Just to clarify: once the alternator has successfully turned on, it will make decent power all the way down to the idle speed of the car (assuming the alternator manufacturer designed it right).

In my opinion, if you have the stock vehicle wiring system still intact, you would be foolish to go with a 1-wire alternator, as it would provide you with ABSOLUTELY NO ADVANTAGES, and will cause you some minor headaches as outlined above. Get a chrome alternator with a fully functional voltage regulator. Your car will thank you.

ronterry

Now that was very well explained!!!

I would also debate the use of a chrome alternator. Chrome is very bad at getting rid of heat, and the alternator is one place that you don’t need to be baking.
Like explained above with the one wire, chrome I think is best left to show car duty.

You can buy NEW Autolite alternators at Checker Auto. Lifetime warrantee.

Ron

SSC

Very good information, I learned somthing new for the day.

The chrome ones are real nice looking at first but they start to turn different colors after a while. I had one on my 76 Pu, looked real nice for a couple months then went to crap. I second the autolite alt.

AlabamaThunder

Anyone got the URL for me to order it?

ronterry

Try, www.partsamerica.com

That's Checker Auto website.

I think the only thing that's remanufactured on the Autolite Pro units are the case, and pulley.

Ron

AlabamaThunder

Anyone know where to get everything i'd need to rebuild a alt.?

JeffW

any good parts store should have all the parts needed to rebuild it and while its apart polish the alim up and it will look real nice for low dollars. i took mine apart to polish it and man did it come out nice.

Jeff

DTL504

iTrader: (1)

I just bought one from this guy for the same price as a stock rebuilt ALt at Autozone, It's Chrome:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33573

conlinj

iTrader: (3)

i had a problem with my first alt i ordered summit sent me the small 87+ model, but i needed the large style for my 86 tpi which was the powermaster 17290, it's great, looks sweet, and works damn well, hasn't changed color yet been on for a while. It was supposed to be 140amp it tests at 150, volts stay pegged at 14 with everything i could turn on electrical. I don't run big stereo eguip i just wanted a good alt and my stocker died so i figured go all out. This is with march pulleys, not the power and amp but the regular pulleys and it charges that good. It is a direct bolt in as well. They come in black and silver too alittle cheaper