StealthElephant

For some reason my alt isn't charging. Now...it's wired correctly in the engine bay, but I'm thinking maybe somewhere in the fuse box a wire isn't right (we did some reworking). Did a brown wire going to the fuse box have anything to do with it?

Right now what I'm thinking is that some sort of relay/sensor made sure that the alt didn't overcharge the battery, and that if I cut that wire it doesn't charge as a safety precaution.

Any ideas? Cause I know the alt is good.

Rice Killer87

so u cut the brown wire? im not sure what that does,but try hooking it back together w/ just a cheap/temporary fix and see if it charges. if it still doesnt charge than something else isnt wired right...or the alt. is bad

StealthElephant

Well, after my 350 swap we FINALLY figured out I had bad wiring (hit brake pedal, power to fuel pump went to 0, which explained why I was stalling at stoplights)

So we did a complete overhaul on the power. The alt WAS working BEFORE we rewired the car, after it didn't, so it had to have been us, since that thing is only like 6 months old anyways, I just had it replaced.

On a good note, I finally drove my car for the first time in 3 weeks...alt still isn't working tho so I didn't go far. I'll def start making my way through the maze of wires.

Rice Killer87

im sorry i cant help more man,i would go look at my car but there isnt a motor,or tranny in it and theres wireing harnesses and wires EVERYWHERE and EVERY DIRECTION. this is the 3rd time ive pulled a motor on a 3rd gen so im gettin better at it lol

angel71rs

I looked at my book for 'birds and it shows a brown wire going from fuse box to the alternator. It may be the exciter voltage for the alternator.

90rocz

I see the brown wire, it also shows up at the cluster...
No, the regulator is IN the alternator itself, but you may have cut the wire to the gage or light? Does your battery run down, or will the car continue to run if you pull the hot cable off? Or what's the volts while running?
Man, nothing I hate worse than electrical problems, so many variables..

StealthElephant

Brown wire was cut from the fuse box, battery gets drained.

Is there someplace I can put a voltmeter on the alt to see if its putting out 14+ volts? Im 99% sure it's not the alt but the wiring that got redone.

Rice Killer87

the exciter wire is the wire that tells the alt. how much it needs to charge. im not sure if the brown wire is it,but the exciter wire on the back on the alt. is the 1 thats all by itself...towards the bottom i believe.

if u want to check the voltage being produced...i think u take the pos. lead of the meter to the exciter wire on the back of the alt. (the 1 on the back by itself) and the neg. lead to the neg. battery terminal. atleast,i think thats how it goes (we did electronics last year in my auto mechanics class).

hope that helps

StealthElephant

I just pulled the underside of my dash out...millions of wires....and how on earth am I supposed to get to the back of the box to rewire it?

SUPPOSEDLY what happened is the brown wire that went to the fuse that serves the alt was cut, and that fuse was reused for something else. So the brown wire is just hanging, and that is why my alt isn't charging the battery....so I'm supposed to use a spare, and rewire the brown wire.....blah.....no idea....I don't want to do more damage.

90rocz

Can you do a continuity check on that wire, putting one lead on it and the other on the same color alternator wire. Before you put voltage on that wire, make sure it's not some kinda ground..
Did you have the alternator tested at a parts store??If, when you were wiring everything, you shorted something on it you could've blown the diode in the integral voltage regulator...
I'm still looking over my wiring diagrams...I'll check in later..