ryan

I am thinking of changing over to a one-wire alternator and am wondering on how to wire it up. I have read that you can just run a 10ga wire strait to the pos batt post, but do i need to fuse that wire? Also I have heard that if you bypass the ammeter in the charging system and you still want the gauge to work you can connect the two wires together and run it to the battery pos. Is this right?

Barfly

Here is a link

to a diagram and some info that maybe of some help.

good luck.

Joe.

440roadrunner

Google up mad electrical. Generally, you can just run one big wire to the battery starter relay, but I'd sure use larger than no10, depending on how large the alternator is. for say, 60-80A, I'd use at least no8.

Hooking the ammeter terminals together is a start, but look up the Mad article. Big problem with the bulkhead connector is that those terminals should have NEVER been used for the kind of current that they see.

ryan

Thanks for the info guys after reading about the one wire systems at mad electrical i might stay with a three wire but dofinately do a ammeter bypass. I think i'll contact them on the best way to wire it up with a dissconnect and get the most out of my system. I get the need for short circuit protection and that a fusable link will protect that, but i still don't get how that doesn't significantly reduse the charging systems potencial. Anyway i'll get in contact with them and thanks for the links

440roadrunner

The whole idea of the so called "ammeter bypass" in the Mad article is the idea that the Mopar bulkhead connector was NEVER heavy enough, and there are several high--current connections that go through the bulkhead.

In addition, as these girls get older, other things can deteriorate, and here we are at the SAME time putting larger and larger alternators, with great big stereos and electric fans and pumps, etc.

On many of these cars, the heavy current going through the ammeter is "sandwiched" between two nuts that are right against the plastic casting of the dash cluster, and the heavy brass shunt inside the meter is only connected to the studs by the pressure of these nuts

This means that heavy current causes heat ==softens the plastic of the dash casting == the connection becomes loose and gets even hotter and can "snowball." Maybe a better term is "fireball."

On a stock Mopar, look at the Mad diagram.

from here:

http://www.madelectrical.com/electri...p-gauges.shtml

Here we see the main two culprits, the two really heavy current points going through the bulkhead. Also, the "in harness" splice depicted is ALSO another source of trouble. Over the years, on friends cars, I've seen three or four of these fail.

By bypassing the ammeter, AND by installing a jumper directly from the alternator output to the battery, THEN what you have is:

The two leads that PREVIOUSLY fed into the car, through the ammeter, and back out to the battery NOW FUNCTION as ONE BIG WIRE which is supplying power from the battery/ alternator combo (now hooked together) INTO THE CAR interior over those two wires.

This change takes a tremendous load OFF of the bulkhead connector.

LAST if you use engine bay mounted relays to run heavy loads such as the headlights and electric fans and fuel pump, AND you pull that power off the battery or starter relay, this means that those heavy loads are now NOT run through the bulkhead connector