This is from a thread on another forum. I wanted to bring it to anyone else's attention that may have received a kit that had the same issue as mine and save them some time and frustration. Quote: <TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset" class=alt2>Originally Posted by T-bucket23 and you should never connect anything directly to the alternator. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> Not to dig up an old thread but, The new wire kit I just installed came with wiring to run a 10g jumper with fusible link from the starter solenoid post to the battery lug on the alternator. From there another 10g lead goes from the alternatorlug to supply power to my main fuse panel in the cab of the vehicle. Are you saying running the power wire from the alt to my fuse panel is wrong? By the way it is a rebelwire 9+3 kit. "Well to follow up on this I contacted Bob at Rebelwire and learned that my harness was mislabeled. Apperantly someone installed an "Alternator +" lead where they should have put a "battery +" lead. What this means is I have to spend time re routing my harness this weekend. It's a pain because I maticulously group, wrap and shrinktube all my wires at exact lengths so I will need to cut the wire out to re route. To make things more difficult I use high end adhesive lined shrink tubing on many of the wre groups. Not easily removed. This is kind of a PITA. I did much research before buying my wiring kit and I had heard so many good things and not a single knock aganst rebelwire. Well, here's the first knock against them." So after talking with Bob at Rebelwire, what I found out was at some point around the time I ordered my 9+3 kit, they changed the kit from having a 10g "Solenoid+" lead and a 10g "aternator+" lead to just having the one 10g lead which should have said "battery+" My kit only had the single 10g lead marked "alternator+" so I wired it as such. Not knowing it was actually meant to go to the battery or starter. My instruction manual also just had some things crossed off and others written in as an update for the changes so it was a bit confusing. I know to many of you this should have probably been obvious since it seems no accessory load should be powered from the alternator power lug, but this is the first engine I have wired and I am still learning
Ratpin, What day did you purchased the Rebel 9 +3 harness. I purchased a 9+3 wire harness from Rebel in January of 2012. The instructions/wire reference for FRONT SECTION listed two red 10 g wires, one to ALT. POWER, and the other to BATTERY +. I ran the red 10g to the BATTERY + because the wire was labelled Battery +. I called Bob at Rebel to say the 9 + 3 harness didn't have wires to install that go from the alternator to the voltage regulator. Bob said that's because there is enough wire left over to make your own. I asked about the white 14 g exciter wire that goes from the voltage reg to the alt. He said only use it if the engine is slow starting. He said Ford did away with that wire on the voltage reg in later years. It was my first complete wire install and I have to say,I will use Rebel Wire on my next build. See pix of the wire reference chart that came with my harness. The *ALT.POWER 10 g Red has a footnote. I ignored it.I did get a 10g wire labelled ALT wire, fuse link, butt connector but never installed them. The instructions for the red 10g wire said: RUN FROM BATTERY POST ON ALTERNATOR TO BATTERY POST ON SOLENOID OR BATTERY. I did use the original wire harness from voltage regulator to alt. I haven't driven my car more than 6 miles at a time, and it has been driven about ten times. I still have a few things I want to get done before I leave town in it.
So did your red 10g in the harness say battery+ and not alt+? Mine said Alternator+ out of the harness and in the bag. Here's another version of the same kit I found on the web that included the two 10g leads in the harness.
I have the alt + wire with its accessory bag next to my keyboard. Never used it as stated earlier. Wired my car about 5 mths ago. Here's a pic of it I took a minute ago.
Bob said they must have run out of the "Bat+" wire when they made my kit and substituted it with the "Alt+" My bad luck I guess. I guess I should have studied it closer before I ran it. I was confused by the different sets of instructions for the same kit. I admit I was using the onlne instructions with my phone and did not realize they had changed the kit that I had and my wires were different. Thanks for your help.
I am still in process of wiring mine. I wired it to how the page is with the alternator wiring diagrams on it. I am running a chevy alternator with the 2 prong plug. Red wire from harness to positive post of the alternator. Jumper wire to 1 of the plugs and the excitor wire to the other plug of the connector. Is this correct?
Tin Can exciter to #1 and small jumper from #2 to bat post. Alternator wire from bag, bat post on alt to bat post on solenoid.
Well I am just about ready to start wiring as soon as I get the motor back. I bought the above mentioned kit but I have not studied the instructions. I will be running a one wire alternator with a 20 amp in line fuse. If I understand the dialog from above correctly, I can simply run the wire directly to the solenoid battery post and be done with it. Where does the fuse box get it's power from, if the above is correct.
i wired up our shop and a few room additions but when a car or even a car stereo has more than 4 wires i need to get my son to do it! so i have a car now thats in need. looks like rebel will get my buisness also.
I purchased an after market fuse panel at a swap meet for my roadster. When it came time to wire the car I decided I would like to use labeled wire. Rebel had me give them a list of the circuits I was going to use and provided me with the wire for the complete car. Chassis, Dash and engine compartment. Not only were they great to work with the price was very reasonable. I highly recommend them. John L
From what I am understanding that is incorrect. The 10g red wire from the harness is supposed to go to battery+ or solenoid+ and not the alternator. It seems like more people than me are affected Bob. It may be time to include a new instruction sheet with the updated wiring schematic and lists rather than just patch up the current instructions. This is why I started the thread to save others the headache that I must now go through with re-routing and terminating my harness after taking so much time to do it the first time.
It may run fine, but from what I understand putting the extra draw on your alternator causes the charging system to have to work harder, and potentially fail sooner.
I've used both painless and rebel. Also some American auto wire. Even with my pea brain I have been able to complete the wire install. IMHO you just hit a small dip in the road. rebel was able to show AND TO ADMIT they made a slight error. So why would you be so unhappy with them. Look at all the other repop stuff that is not just right and no one to fuss at for help. I'm just glad you can email are phone rebel and get a quick answer. jus sayin.
We've done American Autowire, Painless, and Rebel and all of them take some thinking as every car is different. I have a Rebel in my 27 and found it to be a really good kit at a good price, and I will have another one in my rpu project when the time comes. A big advantage of the Rebel is being able to pick up the phone and get someone who knows and who cares enough to give you the help you need in a friendly manner. Don
I never said I wasn't happy with them. Bob has been great. I just think they could make things a bit more idiot proof for beginning hot rod wire guys like myself. Seems I'm not the only one who was a bit confused.
Ok, So I have a red wire hooked to the positive post of the starter that is labeled Battery positive. But there is an alternator positive from my fuze box that is running to my alternator. Both are red wires. If I need to run a wire from the alternator to the battery positive that is not an issue. What do I do with the alternator + wire then? There is already a battery + wire hooked to the + post on the starter for the harness?
OK so you must have gotten an earlier kit that had the 2 10g leads out of the harness instead of the single 10g with included jumper. I think the kit was changed to eliminate the second 10g lead by just running a jumper from bat+ directly to alternator rather than from bat+ all the way back through the fuse panel and then back out to the alternator. It looks like the updated version just eliminated a 10g wire through the firewall and uses a fusible link off the starter or battery rather than a fuse in the panel. If you have two red 10g coming from your fuse panel then how you have it wired is correct. The newer kits only have one 10g out of the fuse panel.
The older kits had a solenoid power 10ga red - powered fuse panel A 12ga red alt pwr ran from fuse panel to alt battery post. A 10ga red alternator wire was included in a bag for alternators over 65 amps- ran from battery post on alt to solenoid. About a year ago we did away with 12 ga wire. and change lable on solenoid power to battery +
I've wired cars from scratch since 1955...you can imagine how surprised I was when wiring kits came to us. I used the 'other guys' a few times: customers bought a kit, paid me to install it. Two 'painless' installations (for the GM columns) resulted in some changes when the GM columns weren't used. (Street Rod harness modified to fit Hot Rod!) There was a confusing development on one car ('34 roadster) The Chev type harness required 2 power sources to the light switch...went around a few corners with that one. (that and the courtesy lamps) Rebel Question: Does Rebel offer a Ford type harness (for Ford ign & headlamp switches) besides that consarned 5" flat plug that hangs off an Old Man GM tilt column???
I am running a rebel wire kit also. Very easy to install and works great. I agree that it's great to have contact info for these guys and they understand English. It's very hard these days to find people to stand behind their product and willing to offer assistance when needed. Thank you REBEL43, now just don't move your headquarters to India or Mexico.
Atwater Mike Not at this time. But just found a source for Ford Voltage Regulator plugs, Alway's looking for Ford and Mopar connectors
In this hobby too few products fit exactly as they should or perform as claimed Rebel43. You have earned your good reputation and I am glad to voice my good experience with you and your company. John L
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