Alternators put out 40 or more amps at highway speed and will charge
the battery slowly at idle. The generators they replaced could only
put out 10 to 20 amps at most and would not charge at all while idling
unless you got an extended range generator. Commercial trucks and
police cars with two way radios usually got the extended range generators
as an option so that the battery would stay charged when the radio
was on.
A lag on start up is normal for the externally regulated, two wire,
and one wire alternators if they don't spin fast enough at idle.
They need to build to the vattery back voltage from the residual
magnetic field in the coils before they start a field current and
start making any amps. This is done so the alternator field coils
don't drain the battery when the truck is shut off or trying to start.
Externally regulated alternators have a field relay in the regulator
to do this. Internally regulated ones have a transistor in the regulator
block to do this.
The real cure for the delayed startup is to install a larger harmonic
balancer drive sheave on the end of the crankshaft to speed up the
alternator RPM, but that is sometimes easier said than done. That
makes the alternator spin faster at a given engine RPM.
The alternate is to jazz the throttle a little and the alternator
will wake up.
Once it has started, an alternator will continue to produce amps
until the engine is shut off and the alternator RPM drops to zero.
At this point the alternator output voltage falls below the battery
back voltage and the field current is shut off. This puts the alternator
to sleep.
Polarizing a one wire alternator normally has to be done only once.
Brand new alternators have virgin steel with no residual magnetic
fields in the coils. Jumping the terminals starts a magnetic field
in the coils in the alternator and lets it start making electricity.
Once done, a residual magnetic field stays in the coils and the
alternator will start itself. A rebuilt alternator may have a residual
field left in it and might self start the first time.
On two wire and externally regulated alternators, this excitement
voltage is always supplied by the other wires that turn on when the
key is on. The basic diffenence is the circutry and components of
the voltage regulator and diode pack.
It sure is nice to have that alternator there. The lights don't
go dim at stoplights, there is plenty of power for the radio, wipers,
and heater fan, the battery is always charged, and things just seem
to work better.
Bruce K
57 3200
Mt. Iron, MN
At Friday, 18 April 2003, you wrote:
>None of my one-wire alternators start charging right when the vehicle
first
>starts up "I have 3 vehicles with the One-Wire Alternators". I have to
>increase the rpm's to something like 1000 rpms or so to get them
to show a
>charge on my volt meter. Now my other vehicle has a regular off
the shelf
>internal regulator alternator that isn't a one wire and it will start
>charging without having to increase the rpm's.
>
>Joe
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <ke6bnl@juno.com>
>To: <oletrucks@autox.team.net>
>Sent: Friday, April 18, 2003 8:04 AM
>Subject: Re: [oletrucks] gen to alt wiring
>
>> I installed a kit to convert my regular internally wired to one
wire and
>> they did mention that there are cases that required it to be energized
>> polarized what ever, by taking a hot 12volt lead and touching the two
>> small terminals that are not normally used. And wal la it should
work,
>> mine worked the first time, Idon't think I would go that route next
>> time. the reg internal one can be just jumpered I believe from
the main
>> charge lead to the number two terminal and works fine. I have been
>> running that combination on my not chevy econoline for a couple
of years
>> and you don't need to rev the motor to get it to first charge
at startup.
>> ed Let me now if I am in error. Thanks Ed 53 Ad 3100 So.Calif.
>>
>>
>> On Fri, 18 Apr 2003 07:10:45 -0700 Joe Garcia <joegarcia1@comcast.
net>
>> writes:
>> > It's true..........
>> >
>> > When the brand new One Wire is installed and doesn't charge after
>> > reaching
>> > the higher rpm's hopefully you will remember this email and
>> > appreciate this
>> > advise. Sometimes they work with exciting the field by polarizing
>> > it and
>> > other times you have to polarize it to get it to work for the first
>> > time.
>> >
>> > Joe
>> > ----- Original Message -----
>> > From: "Hanlon, Bill (ISS Houston)" <Bill.Hanlon@hp.com>
>> > To: "Joe Garcia" <joegarcia1@comcast.net>; "Devin Timmons"
>> > <64bowtie@quik.com>; "oletrucks list" <oletrucks@autox.team.net>
>> > Sent: Friday, April 18, 2003 6:10 AM
>> > Subject: RE: [oletrucks] gen to alt wiring
>> >
>> >
>> > Don't think so. You polarize generators, not alternators.
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: Joe Garcia [mailto:joegarcia1@comcast.net]
>> > Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2003 11:13 PM
>> > To: Devin Timmons; oletrucks list
>> > Subject: Re: [oletrucks] gen to alt wiring
>> >
>> >
>> > I'm pretty sure it will tell you in the instructions that come with
>> > the one
>> > wire alternator but just in case............remember that you have
>> > to
>> > polarize it the first time for it to start charging.
>> >
>> > Joe
>> > ----- Original Message -----
>> > From: "Devin Timmons" <64bowtie@quik.com>
>> > To: "oletrucks list" <oletrucks@autox.team.net>
>> > Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2003 8:30 PM
>> > Subject: [oletrucks] gen to alt wiring
>> >
>> >
>> > > Thanks to all for the assistance. I think at this point I will
>> > switch
>> > over to
>> > > the 1 wore style, just to make it easier. I didn't realize how
>> > easy it
>> > was to
>> > > do, but I haven't actually done it yet, so I may come back over
>> > the
>> > weekend
>> > > with some tales to tell.
>> > >
>> > > Devin
>> > >
>> > > '57 3100
>> > > oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between
1941 and
>> > 1959
>> > oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and
>> > 1959
>> > oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and
>> > 1959
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>> Ed ke6bnl@juno.com ( 1950 f1 & 1963econo
pu
>>
>> Agua Dulce Ca. 91390 70 chevy S/B)
1948 Ford
>> F3
>> So. Calif. 70 mil N.Eof Los Angeles 1953 Chevy pu 3100)
>> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>>
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>> oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941
and 1959
>oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
>
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