Replacement alternator

Webbinator

Webbinator

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Location
York, SC
Need to get a new alt. for the jeep since I think I hear some bearing noise coming from mine. I think it's also the original one on the jeep. I know that I haven't put one on in the 10+ years I've owned it. I went to Advance to check into a new higher output one for my jeep. They can get new Powermaster ones but they are 1 wire hookup. The guy there said they would work fine on my jeep. My existing one has two wires. One being the heavy red battery wire and then another that plugs into the alt. I also have rewired the jeep with a Centech harness that I had to add a diode (per Centechs instruction) to the smaller wire because the jeep wouldn't shut off. That had something to do with the MSD ignition box that I run. My question is, do you guys agree that a 1 wire hookup alt. will work with my existing setup? I'm not even sure what the smaller wire is for. Thanks.
 
Yes, it will work. Thats what I have on my Jeep. But, you do not use any of your existing wires. Keep them, wrap them with black tape, and put them out of the way in case you need to go back to a regular unit. The one wire goes straight to the Battery. You HAVE to have it hooked to a good battery for it to work. It uses the existing 12V to excite the alternator to make it start putting out amps. Use a much larger cable, not wire, than the stock alternator did. I use 4 ga on mine since it can put out 160 amps.
By the way, the factory delco you have has a battery wire, and a plug in which has two wires in it. So, three in total.
 
Chip, yes you are right about the total number of wires going to my existing alternator. Will the setup you are describing still work with the MSD unit I'm running? Like I said, I originally had to put a diode inline to make the jeep shut off when I turned off the key. It had something to do with the alternator bleeding some juice back to the MSD unit and keeping it energized. I guess with what you are describing though, I would be doing away with those wires anyway, so all should be fine. Thanks for your help.
 
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