alternator...what should i try next.

[Lee]

I'll try to keep this to the pertinent facts. I've been reading posts for hours at a time, but I'm still having an issue.

BAckground.

I have a '78 SC. I believe the alternator is a Paris-Rone (?). The VR a black one, made I think by Marchel.

A while back, I had problems with the starter, and installed a relay from performanceparts. It has since become loose, and I've hooked the starter back up.

A month or so ago, I hooked a Gunston gastester to my car. I think it was properly connected. Later that evening, I got smoke from off the engine...it smelled like melting insulation from a wire...although at the time, I thought maybe it was clutch.

The next day, the alternator light came on, while I was driving. It comes on when the ignition is turned on, and stays on, the same intensity, no matter what the RPMs.

The battery is good...I've had it checked twice.
The alterntor is good...I had the brushes replaced, and it's been bench tested twice. The guy said the diodes had been checked.
The battery, transaxle grounds are clean and tight.
The solenoid-type relay for the starter has become loose in its housing...I've taken it off, and reattached the original wiring on the starter, and cleaned the contacts.
I've got voltage on the hot wire, at the alternator.
I seem to think I've got voltage on the d+/64 wire at the alternator. I've definitely got continuity at the 14 pin connector with the d+/64 wire...I jumped it at pin 11. I cleaned the connector.
The big ground wire was crispy and slightly melted at one end...I replaced it. I mended the end of the df wire, which had become brittle.
I might have a small break in the insulation around the d+/64 wire, but not enough to ground it, I don't think.

I've had the alternator out so many times that I can do it in my sleep...except for the painful wire housing...

And yet the light remains, and I'm not getting voltage at the battery when it's running.

I gets weary and sick of trying. Help...

[Kmatts]

Daniel, have you checked your grounding wires? especially the one on the starter. i know it sounds elementry, but mine came loose once!
(once on the ground for the battery & once for the ground on the starter).
cheers
Kyle.

[DohertyCM]

Dan
Also check to make sure you have the wires on the alternator correctly along with any insulators that you might have taken off. Some of them (like on mine) look like washers but made out of micarta. I had taken mine out, rebuilt it myself and put it back in and had a wire swapped. I got the GEN light but could figure it out. The wiring diagrams SUCK for our years and you might try looking at a couple of different diagrams to make sure you have the right set up. I had found the one that worked for me was a very small diagram (very small) in the hayes manual..kinda like a "oh by the way diagram". And NONE of my wire colors matched what was in the book.

[bigchillcar]

dan,
i too have had mine out many, many times..once i simply put a wire in the wrong place and had the same symptoms..pulling the alternator revealed the mistake..it can happen. short of that, i'd pm early_s_man (warren) and solicit his advice. if anyone knows electrical on these cars it's him. good luck!
ryan

[Lee]

Okay...
I forgot to mention that I got rid of the noise suppressor...

Kyle, my grounds are okay, but I'll check again.
Ryan, I've got the wires on correctly, but I'm going to pull the alternator again, so I double check. By the way, I bought my car in jonesboro, when I lived there. I loved driving on the delta backroads between jonseboro and newport.

Doherty...insulators. I wasn't aware of them, and may have lost one or all...who knows. I'll find out tomorrow. Do they go under the connector, or between the connector and the nut?

Thanks for your replies...