This is not a new issue for me but might become a problem now. Upon startup the volt gauge and my Sniper handheld both read about 12 volts and it stays there until I rev it up past about 1500 RPMs. After that it goes up to about 14 volts and stays there until I turn it off. Not sure when I first noticed it but it didn’t cause any problems until after I had my Sniper installed. A couple times after startup the voltage dropped a bit and shut down the engine.
Is this something I should be concerned about or is it normal for this to happen?

 

With a standard Delcotron internally regulated alternator, charging should happen as soon as the alternator is spinning and voltage is applied to the "B" terminal of the regulator connector. If the ignition switch is applying power and the idiot light in the instrument cluster is not burned out, it should function. Obviously, it is charging after an RPM increase, so it could even be dirty commutator rings and/or sticking brushes in the alternator rear shell. It might be time for an alternator cleaning and inspection. Brushes and bearings are still available. Standard RX-103A is one example.

 

^^^ This ^^^

​​​​​​​Make sure the "Choke" light comes on when it's supposed to.

 

Do you have a one wire alternator? One wire alternators usually turn on at 1200-1500RPM then start charging and stay on until you shut the car off.

 

Thanks for the replies! The idiot lights are long gone as the computer is only still there to lock up the TC. Is there some other way of testing it with a multimeter or taking it to an auto parts store and having them hook it up to their tester?
Also its a stock type 3 wire alternator, 94 amp I believe.

 

Went ahead and took it to Autozone and had them test it. Found the battery is bad. Any chance that’s causing the issue? I’m guessing not but thought I’d ask. It’s still under warranty so I will be going later today of tomorrow and get a new one regardless.

 

Probably not.

The inverse could be true however.

You need the light bulb, or some suitable substitute. A 100 ohm 5 watt resistor between the alt brown wire and switched ignition (pink/blk wire circuit) should do the trick. Cut and tape the brown wire so that it doesn't go to anything but the alt.

 

OK I looked at the back of the alt and cleaned up the wires to see what color they actually were lol. I found the brown wire you were referring to. Now I have to locate the pink/black wire, where is the best place to find it, behind the dash, or under the hood? Sorry I’m prob asking a dumb question but I’m basically colorblind (VERY hard to distinguish colors) and don’t want to connect the wrong wires.
Thanks again for your help!

 

Pink/blk is EVERYWHERE under the hood. It goes to every solenoid, some of the sen-sores, etc.

Problem may be, it's mostly in the ECM harness. Maybe entirely. If that's gone, then it might not be available. In that case, use the pink wire, at the dist; but DO NOT cut or splice it. Use one of those T connectors you can get; look for one with one female to plug back into the dist, and 2 males, one for the supply, and the other to the resistor. Or, you could make one, with a short piece of #12 wire, a short piece of #18 or #16, a yellow crimp-on ¼" female on the #12, a yellow ¼" male with both crimped into it, and a ¼" red female on the small wire to run to the resistor. I'd suggest locating the resistor inside some one of the split-loom harness covers, preferably near the alt, just for convenience's sake.

I Note also, the terminal on your little red "sense" wire, looks like it's MIGHTY close to that other thing I can't identify, maybe touching it. BAAAAAAD. Clean that up.

You may also find that the system overall works AHELLUVALOT better if you get rid of that stuuuuuupid little red wire, and instead, hook that terminal to somewhere as far as practical downstream in the electrical system. Reason being, the alt exerts its entire life effort to maintain the voltage ON THAT TERMINAL at its set point, and hooking it to the alt output GUARANTEES that the voltage there will never get any higher than 14.6 or whateveer, NO MATTER HOW MUCH voltage drop there is elsewhere in the system. Which can be SUBSTANTIAL at times such as a dead batt, lots of electric load in the cabin, etc. Hooking it up to somewhere more sensible will make it recharge the batt MUCH faster. Might be best to add a 3rd wire to the thing I just described making, and hook the 3rd connection up to the alt terminal where the little red wire now is.

Meaning, your adapter would become, 1 #12 wire, 2 #18 or #16, all 3 crimped together in a yellow female, the #12 other end going to a yellow male, and the other 2 going to red females; one to the resistor and then to the alt terminal where the brown wire now is, and the other straight to the alt terminal with the little red wire. Or, if you still have pink/blk under the hood, connect that alt terminal to that.