Alternator quiz

4g6beat · Post by **4g6beat** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 8:47 pm

Quick quiz guys this is the only thing keeping my recently serviced staz from going out on the road.

Can someone tell me how the wires go on the alternator as i'm having charge problems Ie: the cars running soleley on battery. The car's a jb i'm trying to figure out where the blue and yellow wire connect Ie: do they hook together?

Also if worst comes to worst and i need an new alternator are there any that would be a straight fit?

Thanks :)

Ice Starion · Post by **Ice Starion** » Sun Oct 24, 2004 6:22 am

I have an alt from a '95 Galant that was kind of a straight fit and it also has 95A output but orginal starion ones are like 65A

hcca · Post by **hcca** » Sun Oct 24, 2004 12:49 pm

Unless JB is different, which it shouldn't be, the white wire goes to the B+ terminal (the one with the nut on it). Blue wire is the exciter wire and connects to the spade terminal. Yellow wire goes to the oil pressure sender.

4g6beat · Post by **4g6beat** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 9:33 am

Ok weirdness time now:

I stuck my head behind my alternator to have a gander and i noticed that there was nothing plugged in to the plug! i had a look around to see if it was dangling but it was nowhere to be found!
First question, what hooks up to the actual plug (2 pin connector) and where can you get the wires from (diagram maybe?).

Question 2: how the hell has my my staz been running all this time!

I just uninstalled 2 non working alarm systems, (why can't anyone wire them up properly) and since starting it back up again i've noticed the lights are dimmer, could it be possible the alarm sys was bypassing or compensating for the lack of alternator plug?

Thanks for your help in solving this columbo mystery :beer

trophy181 · Post by **trophy181** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:58 am

I have an electronic copy of the JB eelectrical diagram if you require this PM me with an email address and i will send it.

Furthermore if you log onto this link http://www.starion-turbo.co.uk/ you will find the electrical manual for a conguest under tech manual. You should D/L this and read up on the relavent section. I found that by reading this and using the electrical diagram was able to solve a few problems i had.

Hope this is helpful in solving your problem.

Checked my JB and found that it does have a plug connected to those 2 terminals with 1 wire in it going to the terminal nearest the R/H side.

4g6beat · Post by **4g6beat** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:36 am

Thanks a lot tropy 181 hcca and ice starion :).
Ok wen't through my staz file collection and found jb-elect.tiff had a look through it and saw that the 'R' (top horizontal) terminal goes to fuse 14 and L goes internaly to the alternator (diagram wise). trophy181, was the wire you saw connected to the other terminal on the alternator? and the top one was going somewhere else? can anyone tell me if that's right?

Thanks for your help guys.

hcca · Post by **hcca** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 3:17 pm

The only wire you -need- is the B+ wire which goes from the screw terminal on the back of the alternator to your battery +ve terminal (through a fuse or fusible link - important unless you want to melt your entire car). This is the ONLY wire you actually need.

The other terminal (which has one or two spade terminals on it depending on your alternator) is for the exciter. I'm not sure how it works in the Starion as it doesn't have a charge light, but in most cars, this is connected between your dash warning light and an ignition-hot power source. I rewired mine so that there is a small 12V light globe in the engine bay. If it's working properly, the light should come on when you turn the key to 'ON' and go off a second or two after you start the car. If it stays on with the car running, something is wrong with your alternator (ie. it's not charging).

If you -don't- connect the exciter, the alternator will still work, but you will have to give the engine a quick rev to somewhere around or above 3000rpm to get the alternator to self-excite. My car runs very poorly untill the alternator kicks in so it's easy to tell when it does start working. :)

hcca · Post by **hcca** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 3:22 pm

Oh yeah, since the Staz alternator is worth about $500, a TM Magna alternator (the one with the V-belt and normal screw terminal - NOT the one with the ribbed belt and wiring harness connector) will fit, although the B+ terminal sits VERY close to the dipstick. Still, as long as it doesn't touch, it's ok (if it does touch, fuses are going to go bang). I have been running this alternator for a while now and it works well (and only cost $50 from a wrecker).

4g6beat · Post by **4g6beat** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 4:22 pm

Thanks! i guess this means it's new alternator time as mine must be a bit stuffed then oh well looks like i'll be getting a magna alternator from the wreckers then!

Thanks for the comments guys

4g6beat · Post by **4g6beat** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 4:29 pm

Just a refresh, i was reading back through the post and realised hcca wrote the blue wire connects to the spade terminal. which terminal is that? is it the b+ with a connector or is it the plug? i thought you meant b+ by the spade but i need to know for sure before i zap the alternator for good as i reconnected it to the b+.

thanks.

hcca · Post by **hcca** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 6:03 pm

The blue wire should have a green plug on the end of it with two female spade terminals - not sure if there's another wire in there or not. The white wire should have a ring on it and a little rubber cap.

Anyway, if you look at the back of the alternator, you'll see a screw post with a nut on it. That's the B+ terminal and is probably also marked as such. Put the white wire there. The white wire goes STRAIGHT to the battery (with a fuse). This wire should have +12V on it at all times (since it's connected to the battery). Hence the reason for a fuse unless you want a smoking ruin.

The blue wire with the plug goes the male spade terminal(s) on the alternator. There may be one or two, but the plug fits both the Starion alternator and the Magna alternator (even though the Magna alternator only has one spade terminal on it). The car WILL run fine without this wire provided the alternator has self-excited (rev the engine and it will unless it's broken).

It's virtually impossible to confuse these wires unless the terminals have been cut off. If you're still not sure, B+ wire has a constant +12V on it, blue wire should have +12V when the key is in the 'ON' position.

hcca · Post by **hcca** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 6:07 pm

One more point: If you go with the Magna alternator, you lose a lot of belt adjustability because the alternator case is a lot closer to the block. The standard fan belt DOES fit, but it might be tough to get over the pulleys, but trust me, you can do it.

I also took my adjusting bracket off and elongated the screw hole at the block end and cut through the other end so that the screw slides all the way out of the alternator bracket. This gives you another 1/2 a centimeter or so of adjustability so you can tighten the belt up a bit further.

4g6beat · Post by **4g6beat** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 1:34 pm

Ok cleaned up my alternator (full of ps fluid) put it back together only hooked up b+ , don't know which spade to plug in the blue exciter to as wire was cut (horizontal or vertical?).

Anyway started the engine kicked over, was idling (i replaced the fuse to the b+ wire, twas the fusible link hooked up by yellow wire to + battery terminal, is that right?) then i tested to see whether it was charging by unplugging the - battery terminal while running. The car stopped so i'm assuming the alternator isn't charging, is this the correct way to check for a stuffed alternator? or did i replace the wrong fuse for the alternator?

thanks :)

fr335tyl3r · Post by **fr335tyl3r** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 2:02 pm

ive been having charging problems too...what is the best way to tell if my alternator is goooone?

hcca · Post by **hcca** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 2:46 pm

I think if you disconnect the battery your car will die regardless of whether the alternator is working or not.

If your alternator was full of p/s fluid it is more than likely completely rooted.

You'd be best off taking your car to an auto-electrician and get them to test it. They should have a machine that will tell them whether it's working or not. Otherwise, get a multimeter and you should see somewhere around 13.5V with the engine running. This WON'T tell you anything about current capacity though, so even if it's got good voltage, it may still be undercharging.

The wiring for the B+ should go from the battery to the relay box (with a fusible link or big fuse in between), then out of the relay box on a white wire, across engine bay to the other side where there are two connectors with 3 fusible links between them. One of these goes to alternator, another goes inside the car, no idea where the other one goes :)

Austarion

Alternator quiz

Alternator quiz

Who is online