Charging Components Identification


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By Tough55 - 14 Years Ago
I purchased my '55 Ford with a 312....'57 Merc Y-Block some time ago and the previous owner converted it over to 12-Volt. Here's what I have.....A small 3-wire alternator mounted low on the passenger side with a voltage regulator mounted on the drivers side front radiator support.

It has an aftermarket gauge mounted under the dash. When purchased...it read in the low to mid 12's. It now reads in the low 10's. How do I check this out and see what component is going bad?

Can this be converted to a 1-wire alternator without much problem and eliminate the voltage regulator? If so........what do I have to do to accomplish this? All suggestions and advice greatly appreciated.

Thank you~~~~~~RonCool

By Ol'ford nut - 14 Years Ago
I would start by removing alternator and having it checked out. Many places do this no charge. I have a three wire on my car with a internal voltage regulator, so the stock one is not used. The gauge should read around 14.2 when engine is running to keep 12 volt battery up.
By oldcarmark - 14 Years Ago
There was quite a topic not long ago on the pros and cons of the one wire setup.Do a search for alternator coversion using the search box at top of page.If it was my choice I would use the 3 wire with integral regulator.One wire is easy hookup but if you read up on it does not seem to be the best choice.
By Jimz Bird - 14 Years Ago
Ron,



I will be converting both 56s over to alternator this winter and the 3-wire is the way I am going to go.



Besides the info here, the following two links have some good info:



http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/onewire-threewire.shtml



http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/remotevoltagesensing.shtml



There is also a good article in this month's Mustang Monthly on TS electrical systems:



http://www.mustangmonthly.com/howto/mump_1112_how_to_troubleshoot_your_charging_system/index.html



HTH