another one wire alternator question!!

[maxwedge5281]

everything seems to check out. i purchased a new battery cable for the solenoid and got rid of the temporary fix. the red and green wire has been retaped and without undoing the tape i chancing that it has been wired correctly. when i removed the positive cable to the solenoid i also removed the alternator cable and the large black with yellow stripe wire. the attachment lug was very crudded up. i cleaned it very good and put it all in order. im wondering ig the blk/yellow cable feeds to the ignition and it was not getting a good connection if this might contribute to the question. i think tomorrow that i will loosen the alternator to see if the problem still is there.

 

[Oldtimer]

From the factory the BK/YL wire was connected to the alternator (the loose alternator plug shown in your picture).
Did you move the BK/YL wire to starter relay as part of 3G installation?
The BK/YL wire feeds Ignition switch, light switch, and fuse box, then feeds thru loop in ammeter, and ends at a bullet connector.
At the bullet connector the wire becomes BK (some years was BK/RD), at bulkhead connector wire is BK, and terminates at battery side of starter relay.





In your photo it appears the BK wire, and the YL wire that feeds the voltage regulator are connected to battery side of starter relay.



You need at least one of the wires, BK/YL or BK connected to the battery side of starter relay.
It would not be bad if both were connected, it would double the ampacity available to ignition, light, and fuse circuits.

As stated by others, we would appreciate a photo of starter relay connections and fender, looking from the direction of distributor cap.

Factory schematic of charging system.

 

[maxwedge5281]

thank you for the diagrams. here is a picture of the solenoid with wires and cales attached. the positive from the battery is black. the starter cable is properly placed....just hard to see. also a picture of the coil and wiring attached.

 

[m_m70]

Is the white wire connected to the positive side of the coil for your tach?? If so, move it to the negative side.

 

[DirtDonk]

Looks like a very, very faded red with green wire to me.

 

[m_m70]

Looks like a very, very faded red with green wire to me.

Good eyes Paul............looked white on my phone and old eyes

 

[DirtDonk]

Yeah, mine too!
But I’m getting pretty good at this zoom feature on the phone too. As long as you have a good picture to work with, you can tell a lot.
I still prefer the big screen on the computer though!

 

[Oldtimer]

Back to the original question:

the bronco would start but only run a few seconds and then die.

Does the engine continue to run now, or does it still die after a few seconds?

 

[DirtDonk]

If it's still only working for a moment or three, go back and do the jumper wire trick, between the positive battery terminal and the positive coil terminal.
Follow all of the safety instructions mentioned previously, and see if it runs any longer.
If so, then your Pertronix Ignitor is probably not getting sufficient voltage from the resistor wire.

Paul

 

[maxwedge5281]

it is a red/green wire. the bronco ran fine and does now. i have not had an opportunity to loosen the belt...i will do that tomorrow. i have no idea if the symptom was already there as i had never had a loose alternator belt since i bought the bronco. as i said everything works and the engine runs fine.

 

[DirtDonk]

Well then don't mess with it!
Leave well enough alone for now at least, and enjoy the good running.

Paul

 

[m_m70]

I don't know....I would want to check it. Knowing that something might be wrong with wiring would concern me. Ya know..........fire and all..

But your rig so go and have fun with it!

 

[ba123]

Yes and no. Not sure that not running without the alternator is a fire concern.

Did we ever get an answer on ignition being electronic vs something basic that def should run without it?

 

[Oldtimer]

Just spit balling here:

It appears the vehicle has a Pertronix Points Conversion and coil.
His photo shows pertronix coil and I see black & red wires connected to coil, leading to distributor, which is indicative of pertronix point conversion.
The Pertronix system needs a full 12 volts to operate correctly.
I suspect the pink resistance wire (ballast resistor) in factory harness has NOT been bypassed.
He said the alternator belt was loose and slipping, causing a no charge situation.
With no alternator output, battery voltage drops to 12v, and resistance wire lowers voltage down to 6-8v for ignition system, and engine dies.

A voltage reading needs to be made at coil positive connection, with the engine running, to determine if the resistance wire is still in system.

 

[m_m70]

Not sure that not running without the alternator is a fire concern.

It's most likely not. Pretty sure it isn't.

My response was just me saying if it were mine, and I knew there was "a" problem "somewhere" in the electrical system, I would want to know what it was and then fix it.

I agree that it looks like a Pertronix and we know that's not happy under 12v.

 

[DirtDonk]

And yes, even if it ran fine for a couple of years, eventually, even those igniters don’t like running on reduced voltage.

 

[maxwedge5281]

i checked the voltage at the coil...8v with the switch on...12v engine running at idle.

 

[m_m70]

12v engine running at idle.

with the alternator charging/turning?

 

[maxwedge5281]

yes... belt tight etc.

 

[maxwedge5281]

i just disconnected the alternator cable at the fuse block. the engine cranked right up and is running fine. the voltmeter showed no charge. so i think whatever i thought was wrong seems to be gone.