I recently purchased a 3-wire alternator; main lead to battery, and two spade connectors, one for charging light and one for excitor. Does the light circuit have to be connected?
1. use a 10 gauge cable and wire it from your alternator (bat terminal) to your starter solenoid. 2. terminal 1 is the field wire, it goes to the idiot light and than to the ignition switch, 3. terminal 2 is the remote sensing wire, it also goes to the starter solenoid (or bus bar if you have one) - no 10 gauge needed here. Frank
You either need to put in a light OR use a diode. I personally run a light on everything, I like the idea of seeing a problem before the battery is dead. You can put an old glass light on the dash or hide the light somewhere, I had one on a dash lip facing the floor and still could see red when it came on. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/gm-10si-3-wire-alternator-question.217154/ http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/onewire-threewire.shtml
Which is a bad idea. It's called REMOTE SENSING wire for a reason. If you put it on the alternator bat post (which technically works), the regulator never knows what the voltage drop at the battery is, so it will never charge right.
Then run it to the battery not the connection of the alternator bat wire to the solenoid where it will have the same voltage there as at the alternator.
No it wont - the voltage drop that occurs at the solenoid/bus bar, is the whole idea of the remote sensing wire. But don't take my word for it: http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/remotevoltagesensing.shtml
Have my alternator wire #2 attached to the charge wire. It has lasted almost 30 years. No problem yet.
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