1302 Super drop-top

Oct 24, 2009 2 Replies
E

I'm restoring a 1971 super convertable, that a previous owner has butchered. When they gutted the interior, they took most of the wiring out as well.



What's got me stumped is the voltage regulator.



The engine that's in it (don't know for sure, but wouldn't be surprised if it was replaced over the years) has an alternator, not a generator as most wiring diagrams indicate.



As such, I have a funny little voltage regulator that has three leads on it, and looks just like the little guy at the bottom of this picture:



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But I don't know how it's wired up, as the old one was chopped out. There is no harness for me to plug into. Wire colors are red, brown, and green.



Any ideas?


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J

How many wire connectors do you see on the alternator? One big and one small indicates internally regulated alternator, no need for an external regulator. Just a wire from the warning light to the small terminal, and big terminal goes to the back of the starter (or to the battery positive terminal, doesn't matter)

Three small terminals plus one big terminal indicates externally regulated alternator, i.e. those require an external regulator to work. And a generator type regulator will not work. It has to be an alternator regulator. Unfortunately they both look about the same. I have no part numbers, sorry.

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E

On the alternator, just as you described, one large and one small, plus a ground. The alternator has B+ stamped into the metal on the large lead. Traditionally, B+ indicates the positive side of the battery - I'll wire it up that way and see what happens. Thanks for the info!

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