OK here we go! When I installed the 3.4 I also used the alt that came with the engine. Now that alt has 1 wire running to it as opposed to 2 like the alt for the 2.8. So what I did was swap the plugs for the alts, hooked the hot wire back up to the 3.4 alt. Then grounded the black wire which I think was the correct thing to do. Now I am getting no charge and running my battery down. So my question is did I do the right thing or should I switch back to the old alt?

Here is a pic of the 3.4 alt connection.

 

i would try out the old one, other than that ???????, never swapped to a 3.4.

 

Nope, that was incorrect.

If you look at that wire a bit closer, you'll notice that it is a bfown wire, dark brown.

Connect this brown wire to the brown wire that was in the plug for you're old alternator and you should have a charge, PROVIDED, that grounding that wire didn't damge the regulator.

 

I'll give that a shot but I swear that wire looks red to me. Oh well anything is worth a try. If not I still have the old alt. So what to do with the red wire to the Alt?

 

What? In your first post you mentioned grounding a "black" wire, you didn't mention any red wire.

The 10 AWG red wire from the car harness goes to the charge terminal at the back of the alternator.

The brown wire I'm speaking of is in the plug on the alternator.

 

Ok I see what you are saying. The 2.8 plug had 2 wires runningto it a red and brown wire. The 3.4 plug just has a red wire. Do I connect both wire to the 1 wire for the 3.4 alt plug? I guess thats where I am stumped. I went and got the 2.8 alt and plug but if I can keep this 1 I would like to. There was no black wire( my bad on that) it was brown like you said.

 

Ok, a pic would really help to clarify things here, just to be sure, but...

The red wire in the plug needs to see 12 volts, constant 12 volts. Most people will loop this wire to the charge terminal right on teh alternator, more correctly it should be connected closer to the battery,a s this is a voltage reference wire, that will adjust the output of the alternator to try and keep it as close to 14 volts as possible.

So are you saying you grounded the brown wire from the harness that attached to the original alternator?

 

Well yes I have the red wire from the original alt hooked up to the single wire coming off of the 3.4 alt as in the pic on the original post and yes I did ground the brown wire. I have a feeling its wrong in some way so I'm just going to hook the 2.8 alt back up. I would guess that the output would be the same between both of them anyway.