I have been working on my 1970 580ck that i just bought and i am now to the charging and attempting to hook up a amp gauge in the dash there wasnt one when i bought it this also has a 3 wire gm alt on it when i got it it only had one wire hooked to it on the back of the alt and it goes to the starter (positive) which im sure is right but there was no wires hooked to terminal #1 or #2 so im pretty sure it wasnt charging before so im trying to correct it now here is how i now have it wired the amp guage has a terminal labled + that is hooked to my ign switch so its only hot when key is on the other terminal is labled - this one i have hooked to the terminal#1 on the alt then the #2 on the alt i have a jumper from it to the back of the alt sharing the (nutted) terminal with the wire going to the starter (positive) does this sound right
Just my opinion, but I'd take a volt meter on the dash over an amp gauge any day. The main reason is because a volt meter doesn't require heavy gauge wire whereas an amp meter requires minimum 12 gauge wire from alternator to amp meter then back to starter battery terminal connection. Did you actually test the output of the alternator with a meter? I have seen many three wire Delco alternators converted to single wire, no connections needed at I or II terminals.
I have that same alternator on my Case 680. It is a good reliable alternator. It does have an issue in regards to engine speed (about 1500 rpms required) and when the internal regulator starts it charging. That problem is easily corrected by installing what is called a self exciting regulator. After installing that se regulator it will start to charge at engine idle speed. Here is a link that shows the regulator that solves that problem. http://www.ebay.com/itm/VOLTAGE-REG...=200674163004&ps=63&clkid=8710101333925931338 I know some tachometers are wired to the alternator but I have no idea as to if this alternator can be wired to a tach. Here is an image for the proper way to wire it.
i havent tested it yet im waiting for some parts to come in so i can get it back together to run it i just started working on the amp guage while i was waiting on parts i guess i better disconnect term1 and 2 until i get it running so i can see if it has been converted to a 1 wire thanks for the help i will post back this week hopefully
do you have all 3 terminals hooked up or just the bat term the reason i ask is i thought i read somewhere they will work with just bat hooked up at higher revs but if you wire up term 1 and 2 that excites the reg at lower revs ??????? i could be wrong but i thought i read that somewhere thanks
Is there a particular reason you're determined to use an amp meter on dash? They require a much heavier wiring harness than a volt meter.
i called it a amp gauge but i believe it is actually a volt gauge i will look tommorow thanks
Yes, do. An Amp meter wires up completely different than a volt meter, and requires much heavier wire.
I found that it did not matter if only one wire was used or if it was wired like it is shown in the diagram I posted. The engine had to be at 1500 rpms or more to get the standard regulator to start the alternator to charge. It has to have the self exciting regulator to get it to start charging at low speeds. My tractor came from the factory with an ammeter gauge. That means it already had a very heavy wire in the harness to handle the high charge rate. I installed a red (idiot) light in the dash myself. You don't really need a special harness with the jumper in it. Any parts store has the replacement two prong plug with about 6 inch leads for a couple of dollars. With that plug you can do the wire hookup as shown in the diagram. There are many web sites that have detailed instructions in regards to the complete conversion. If anyone cares to spend a little time reading here is a link to the most complete instructions I have found in a quick google search. Here ya go ! http://mightymo.org/Proj_OneWire.html
well now i am confused i looked at mine and it says it a amp gauge so i guess i will need to get the bigger wire i had to cut the 2 1/8" hole in the dash to mount it so i will be using this do they make a round volt meter that mounts in the dash i looked on ebay but i dont see any that is like this i just bought this tractor and it wouldnt move when i got it so i took the backhoe off and tore into it the woodruff key is sheared that runs the shuttle pump so im waiting for gaskets to get in so i can put it back together and i figured while i have easy access to the dash i would mount a charge gauge and a fuel gauge as the previous owner either removed them or it never had them i cant seem to find much about what was original so im just cleaning up the wiring and trying to get these 2 gauges in there while i can there are currently 3 gauges in the dash and 3 idiot lights there is a engine oil pressure gauge which i believe they pulled the fuel guage and put this in its place there is also a water temp gauge and a shuttle pressure gauge and 1 of the lights are hooked up to a pressure switch thats on top of the shuttle valve i think it is the torque convertor pressure light the other 2 lights arent hooked to anything im thinking one probably went to a generator that no longer exsist and the other i have no idea so i am not using 2 of the lights i have cut out 2 holes on the dash to accept the amp gauge and fuel gauge which i still need to figure out what ohm gauge i need the tank has a sending unit in it so im sure it originally had a gauge im am just fixing this up to use on my property but i would like to fix these things while i can im not worried about it being original just functional and as right as i can make it while im working on it you guys are a ton of help and i appreciate it thanks
Ok, thanks for the info on your original arrangement and what you're attempting to do. BTW, you really should use some punctuation when writing, reading a really long post like that with no periods to end sentences is difficult for readers. Here's the nuts and bolts of amp vs volt meter. An amp meter is an in-line gauge reading amount of current flowing through a conductor. In-line meaning the charging wire that leaves the alternator/generator and ultimately goes to the battery being charged. That wire has to be heavy enough to carry the current output of the alternator. Typical alternators can produce 40 to 70 amps, so a heavy conductor, 12 to 8 gauge wire. With an amp gauge, you have to run this heavy wire to the dash, connect to the amp gauge, then continue the heavy wire to battery connection at starter. With a volt meter, you can use as small as 16 gauge wire, connect one terminal of meter to battery terminal of ignition switch, then connect other terminal of volt meter to ground/earth. 2" is pretty much standard instrument size, you should be able to pick up a volt meter at any local auto parts store.
Sorry about the longwinded. And just being honest but i have installed the amp gauges before on other smaller tractors and just thought i was reading volts (stupid me). Now im wondering if my gauge reads large enough it ranges from -30 to +30 and according to your post it can go as high as 70 amps maybe i will just try to get a volt meter after all that is what i want displayed. I will let you know final outcome.
Just to clarify something xpack, some alternators "are capable of putting out 70 amp", but in working reality, the regulator typically holds the charge output to 30 or below. Nevertheless, heavy gauge wire still required.
ok willie thanks for all the help