Older painless harness to 4G

[Johnnyb]

I have an older painless EB harness, part number 10108 as nearly as I can tell, and I'm trying to hook it up to a 4G alternator.
My alternator harness has a 6 gauge black and orange with fusible link, a white, a yellow and a green wire.
The painless harness has the wires indicated in the diagram. None of the numbers seem to match the other posts here on the forum.
I know where the six gauge wire goes, that's easy. I'm pretty sure the white wire is not necessary with a 4G alternator because it's internally connected. Can anybody help me match my yellow and green to my painless harness?

 

[DirtDonk]

Is the current set up still the old alternator with the external regulator? Just curious.
Even if not, the painless harness should have a green with red stripe wire and a yellow wire. The yellow wire is hot with battery voltage all the time and connects to the yellow wire on your alternator’s connector.
The green with the red wire has 12v ONLY when the key is in the ON position and connects to the green with red wire on your alternator’s connector.

Just out of curiosity do you have a picture of the alternator and its connector?

 

[Johnnyb]

Current setup was a 3G wired to the factory harness. New setup is a 4G which I'm going to connect to the painless harness following your instructions. I've got Dakota digital gauges so I don't need an alternator shunt.
As soon as I finish dinner, I'm going back out to the shop. I'll get you a picture. Thanks so much for the info!

 

[Johnnyb]

Here's the alternator end, I terminated the white wire because I understand that is internal on 4G, the second photo is the alternator harness, third photo is the fusible link.

 

[904Bronco]

The yellow wire on the G4 goes to battery.
Some have recommended the batt terminal on the Alt. (It does work this way) The more correct way is to connect it to the Battery or Batt terminal side on the starter rely. It is used to sense Batt voltage.
From your 1st diagram, the green wire that connects to your "I" position on the external regulator would be the new field wire, 12v with the Ign switch in the run position, no voltage in the Acc position. (As Paul said) Green /red wire coming from the G4 plug

The white wire (usually with a black strip) is the stator wire that typically is not used with the G4 on the Explorer.
The Batt wire (Black/orange) with the dual fusible links, looks like it came from an early Explorer harness.

 

[DirtDonk]

I’m glad Doug mentioned that first diagram you posted. I didn’t look at it closely enough and did not notice that it’s the wrong diagram.
So never, ever use that diagram as a reference point for Broncos, because no Bronco between 66 and 77, or at least 67 to 77 ever had an alternator and regulator wired in that configuration.
Only passenger cars and pick up trucks with warning lamps on the dash instead of an ammeter had regulators wired in that configuration.
No Ford vehicle between 66 and 79 that had an ammeter used that configuration. The wire colors were the same, but the functions were different and in different locations.
The “I” position was never used. Only the F, S, and A positions. But everything else still holds true.
Yellow is for battery power.
Green with red is for switched power.
Orange is for field, which is no longer valid with an internal regulated alternator.
The white with black stator wire was only found on 73 to 77 early broncos with an electric assist choke.
And that was its only function. To help power and heat the choke coil.

 

[DirtDonk]

As far as connecting it, why don’t you just leave the wires the same as they are?
Simply connect the big charging wire, plug the three wire connector into your new 4G and leave the stator wire dangling.
Well, not really dangling. But you get the point.
Tie it up safely out of the way.

 

[Johnnyb]

The yellow wire on the G4 goes to battery.
Some have recommended the batt terminal on the Alt. (It does work this way) The more correct way is to connect it to the Battery or Batt terminal side on the starter rely. It is used to sense Batt voltage.
From your 1st diagram, the green wire that connects to your "I" position on the external regulator would be the new field wire, 12v with the Ign switch in the run position, no voltage in the Acc position. (As Paul said) Green /red wire coming from the G4 plug

The white wire (usually with a black strip) is the stator wire that typically is not used with the G4 on the Explorer.
The Batt wire (Black/orange) with the dual fusible links, looks like it came from an early Explorer harness.

The yellow wire is small 24/14GA, no way it can handle the output of the alternator. That's why the 6GA red/orange.

Do I still/also connect the yellow fire from the 4G to BATT+?

THX,
-JB

 

[Johnnyb]

As far as connecting it, why don’t you just leave the wires the same as they are?
Simply connect the big charging wire, plug the three wire connector into your new 4G and leave the stator wire dangling.
Well, not really dangling. But you get the point.
Tie it up safely out of the way.

I was connected to a stock harness (when I had a 3G, no regulator) and it terminated in the 1971 4-flat (like a trailer plug) on the stock harness, but also had the 6GA black/orange to BATT+. Worked well.

Now I have gone to a 4G and also a painless harness, which is why I changed the connection.

Lots of problems with the painless harness: Unprinted wires, smudged printing (impossible to read), incorrect diagrams in manuals I have just downloaded.

So what I am hearing is:

• Yellow on ALT harness to 915 yellow (BATT+) on painless harness
• Green on ALT harness to 969 green (switched +) on painless harness
• White wire not needed on 4G
• Black/orange (6GA) from ALT output terminal to BATT+ terminal on starter solenoid

THX,
-JB

 

[904Bronco]

The yellow wire from the 4G regulator plug goes to Batt voltage, it is not carrying a load, just sensing Batt voltage.

 

[904Bronco]

Okay, we simultaneously typed a message...

The 4G is stand alone...
It needs power from the Battery > your 6g black/orange wire.
The yellow wire from the Reg plug needs to go directly to the Battery 12v.
And it needs 12v from the Ignition switch when in the run position > that goes to the Green/red wire from the Regulator plug. You will have to confirm that with a test light or volt meter on the Painless harness.
White or white/black stator wire from the Regulator plug is not used. shrink tubbing on the end.
Same goes with all the remaining Painless wires from the old external regulator set up you referenced, not used, shrink tubbing the ends.

 

[Johnnyb]

Okay, we simultaneously typed a message...

The 4G is stand alone...
It needs power from the Battery > your 6g black/orange wire.
The yellow wire from the Reg plug needs to go directly to the Battery 12v.
And it needs 12v from the Ignition switch when in the run position > that goes to the Green/red wire from the Regulator plug. You will have to confirm that with a test light or volt meter on the Painless harness.
White or white/black stator wire from the Regulator plug is not used. shrink tubbing on the end.
Same goes with all the remaining Painless wires from the old external regulator set up you referenced, not used, shrink tubbing the ends.

Great, thanks! That will get me going.

 

[DirtDonk]

Here’s something to think about too. Essentially the 3G and 4G alternators connect to the vehicle in exactly the same way.
The only minor, non functional difference is you don’t have to connect a white with black stator wire because it doesn’t use it.
But that’s only at the alternator, and there is no alteration to how it connects to the vehicle.

The other connections remain the same. Identical. No change.
The 3G should also have had a six gauge charge cable.
The 3G should’ve had a yellow battery sensing connection.
The 3G should have had a switched power connection.
If the yellow battery connection was meant to carry a heavy load, Ford would not have made it out of 16 gauge wire.

If you want to simplify the connections, then as 904 mentioned previously you can connect the yellow wire directly to the battery output of the alternator.
This has been done many times and does seem to work OK. However, he’s also telling you the better way to do it, which is to extend it all the way out much closer to the battery.
Such as at the starter relay.

I see something that makes me question your harness.
We’re talking about green and yellow, but is your harness a universal harness? I see the purple wire on the starter relay and that’s a GM color. Not a Ford color.
Even the universal harnesses do tend to have a green switched wire, but as 904 stated you have to check that it’s hot in RUN/ON only.
And not in ACC.

 

[Johnnyb]

No, it's a painless #10108, with EB glove compartment. Older harness.