Last Old Norwegian 521

[Conan]

Hi there Conan, you are going to have to stop ordering alternators for other cars, either something is messed up in your wiring and/or these other alternators are not compatible with your system. GM made some kind of one wire alternator that is internally regulated that would bypass all your wiring/external regulator, you would not have a light, but as long as it is charging who gives a shit. Right now, you better keep the 77 corolla drivable until you find somebody that knows wiring like the back of there hand.

 

I wish it were that simple, i love the corolla, its just nearing the time where you take it behind the shed like ol'yeller.

I don't have money, i don't know anyone thats good with wiring, and the corolla has to be approved by tomorrow (MOT costs $100+ as well as i need money for all the repairs it needs in order to actually pass)

 

(i have only bought 1 new alternator btw)

 

So as of tomorrow, my only legal car is the datsun, and there is no way around this unfortunatly.

 

Conan, I just checked Rock Auto for a 1969 Datsun 521 J13 alternator and they have it available & also have the voltage regulator to match. These are both non stock items but will ship within 5 days of ordering.

 

I believe the reason you smoked the regulator is because it was rated for 35 amps not 50 amps. The old 521 truck was a 35 amp alternator & regulator.

 

http://www.rockauto....PICKUP,vtype,US

 

I do not know if they will ship to Norway but it might be worth a call.

 

I order most my parts from Rockauto, their prices are atleast dobbled when shipping to norway is added, but i have to say i love getting those fridge magnets ;) i have 3 so far, they forgot to put one in on one of my shippments and i was very disappointed :P

 

(Rock auto doesn't have the alt, when you add it to cart and try to check out, it says it is unavailable and has been removed from cart)

 

Since the last owner had wired the origional alt to bypass the voltreg i think my problem is somewhere else, and as i said before im living on nuddles now and can't afford a new alternator, id rather find a cheaper option which also allowes me to use the 50amp alt as an upgrade as i intend to have more electronics than it origionally came with (my sigarett lighter is just a hole in a welded on piece of metal, can't say it came with much extra which is one of the reasons why i wanted this old truck, i hate electrics and hoped to avoid a lot of problems with having a car with as few wires as possible, and still im stuck driving the car in my mind while looking at it through my window)

 

It has made progress since i got it, first brakes, then i removed som unwanted noises, when i got it it ran smooth as a kitten in a blender, now it runs great, and then i found out the electrical problem was'nt as easy of a fix as i thought and now my dream is laughing in my face everytime i walk to work.

 

So far i havent found any help with any norwegian, but i put out a post looking for a mr. Miyagi that can answer my questions as they come along. (would be just as happy with a mr.miyagi in the US that knows what my car is, and what it looks like, rather than some norwegian that thinks he might have seen one some time, but isnt quite sure. The odds of me finding one that has actually owned this car is as close to zero as my rating of hillary duff's acting, or paris hiltons iq; whatever makes most sense xD)

 

Could i maybe us a 1973 mazda rz2 50amp regulator if it has 6 wires? it only costs $13 on rockauto +$27 shipping :P

[banzai510(hainz)]

going to a 50amper alternator is NOT going to smoke the volt reg.

[Conan]

going to a 50amper alternator is NOT going to smoke the volt reg.

 

 

Thank you didn't think so when i ordered the last one, good thing i didn't go order something else ;)

[bananahamuck]

It was mentioned before but ,the General Motors internally regulated alternator 1974-90 ( newer?) can be used if you have some shims and/or some welding equipment it comes with three wires but one of the wires routs back to + output that goes to bat ,and the remaining wire goes to switched power and thats it..but i dont know anything about what kind of cars are in Norway..or if you even have junkyards..

[Conan]

I gave the old volt reg a shot, thinking that older is always better, they don´t make new things like they did in the old days ;) so i soldered some new wires to it and now both the IGN light and the oil light now work as they should, judging by the flickering of the IGN light when it cranks i know the alt is supplying power to the reg, but it seems to stop there, i got a 13v reading from the white middle wire at the volt reg (battery is only 11.89v in this cold) so i now also know the voltreg is giving an output, now i just need to figure out where that wire goes and where my bad connection/short is and i should be good to go!

If someone happens to know where in the enginebay i need to look please shot it out so that even i can hear ;)

Im guessing fussible link are, but knowing is better than guessing especially when its really cold outside xD

 

Or am i barking up the wrong tree again?

 

(Im getting a warm datsun feeling i might actually be onto something for once, and will award myself with a ratsun T-shirt WHEN i find that bad connector)

 

Junkyards here are shit, new my alt cost $115, used it would have cost $93 and thats not knowing how good it is. Also when i spook to them i just told them what car i had and he couldn´t have ended the conversation any faster than he did.. "can´t help you bye"....

[Conan]

I cheated my electrical problem with a wire from the regulator directly to the battery with a 25 amp fuse with some clips and electrical tape, now i get a pretty stable 13.7v at the battery, and all i need to get back on the roads is some sand bags to get som weight on the back....sand is cheaper than new tires xD

 

If anyone has any good Sub Zero "Datsun on Ice" tips/tricks feel free to post ! :)

Tested out the old Datsun yesterday which was really fun until i had to get up a sligtly inclined hill, needed my buddy to jump onto the back and managed to crowl up the hill at a stedy 5km/h.

[fisch]

Congrats on getting it sorted and pushing through your frustration! No tips on winter driving other than snow tires and chains!

 

It is funny I sometimes feel isolated from Datsun folks here in New England, but it is nothing compaired to you! And Ratsun usually gets me through!

[Charlie69]

going to a 50amper alternator is NOT going to smoke the volt reg.

 

It will if he is trying to charge a dead battery with the alternator or if it is wired wrong as does seam apparent in this case.

[Conan]

Congrats on getting it sorted and pushing through your frustration! No tips on winter driving other than snow tires and chains!

 

It is funny I sometimes feel isolated from Datsun folks here in New England, but it is nothing compaired to you! And Ratsun usually gets me through!

 

 

Thx its not easy being new to Datsun, especially when the only help i can get is on the other side of the world in a diffrent time zone. But i really do appreciate each and every answer i get as its the only source of assistance i have atm :)

 

It will if he is trying to charge a dead battery with the alternator or if it is wired wrong as does seam apparent in this case.

 

Then again would not the same happen with the original 35amp if you were charging a dead battery or wired wrong?

 

(The first smoke i saw i think was ok smoke. When i tried to switch 2 wires i got bad smoke which melted 2 wires, then i changed the melted wires that fried during this attempt and everything looked good on the inside, it still smoked a little more when i hooked it up yesterday with the wires back in place, but i am now convinced that this was just oil or what ever they put on to prolong shelf life or as i called it "ok smoke")

[DanielC]

My Datsun 521 is just sitting in the garage, but I did use it as a daily driver a while ago. I have a Datsun 50 or 55 amp alternator in mine. I forget the model year, but it is old enough to still need the external regulator.

On an alternator equipped engine, the regulator does not handle or measure the output current, only the voltage. Generator equipped engines needed a current and voltage regulation, alternator engines do not.

 

For winter driving, this is what I did. I blocked part of the radiator with a sheet of cardboard. I have found a Datsun 521 has enough radiator to cool the engine in 90 degree Fahrenheit weather, climbing a 6% grade, pulling a horse trailer, wound out in 2nd gear. You certainly do not need that much cooling in below freezing weather running empty.

 

Get some reinforced lug tire chains, for the rear tires. Not the cable type with the little rollers on them. Tire CHAINS.

 

I am not a big fan of putting extra weight in a pickup for traction. Here is why. Extra weight means you now have more inertia to get moving in the first place, and more inertia to stop when you have to. Driving in snow is like driving off road. Rule number one when driving off road is this. Weight is your enemy.

[Conan]

I am not a big fan of putting extra weight in a pickup for traction. Here is why. Extra weight means you now have more inertia to get moving in the first place, and more inertia to stop when you have to. Driving in snow is like driving off road. Rule number one when driving off road is this. Weight is your enemy.

 

I see your point, but here in stavanger the problem usually isnt loose deep snow, its compacted and shallow, so i need the extra weight in the back in order to simply go forward. Last year i had put 4 tires in the backseat of the corolla in order to get traction, and once i did that i had no more problems, before that on the other hand the car was all over the place or stuck in the same place, either or xD (have to admit, i still had to go out and give it a nudge every once in a while)

 

And thx for sharing the radiator tip ;) and ending my fear of an overheating datsun in the summer sun, been having this problem with the corolla since day one.

[denveratsun]

Welcome aboard... :)

 

Just a thought guys...and gals :P ...but how much would shipping be to get a better parts train headin your way? :P

 

Seems like shipping would be way cheaper than dealing with the PITA of buying parts for the much money.

Im willing to try at least to get things rolling with the alternator...

 

What do you guys think?

[Wide14u]

welcome glade you got it fixed. i like the colors

[erichwaslike]

ill check between the 2 dattos i have and if the alt is good ill be more than happy to send it to u for just the price of shipping

to be read as FREE+ shipping

 

they are bot 67s so shood be a useable alt for u

[flygrl620]

Wow nice looking long bed----love the paint on it too! I am rather new to this stuff too, I have had people want me to put my trucks in a club but I think that they aren't the kind of people that I would like to hang out with that is the reason that I am going to make my way up to Idaho...

[banzai510(hainz)]

Charlie

It will if he is trying to charge a dead battery with the alternator

 

No it should not smoke. if you push start a car cause of a dead battery it should still not smoke.

I killed mine 4 times and still charge back OK.

 

norway customs is a bitch sending things. I sent parts before and took months to get thru.

There is a couple 510 guys up there.

 

Conan!

Yngve Tidemansen [tidemansen@hotmail.com]

[Drifter]

norway customs is a bitch sending things. I sent parts before and took months to get thru.

There is a couple 510 guys up there.

 

... and a few 120Y people :)

 

Lykke til videre med prosjektet, blir cool!

[Conan]

Wow amazed by all the replies! Im really taking a liking to this "community". This really sparked up my mood again seeing that yesterday the 521 drow great, alt and everything seemed fine.... until the fuse on the wire from the volt. reg. went out, and after that every new fuse i put in the second i connect the battery. So i now have a short somewhere and need to get the car towed home because im at work and its abandoned in a parking lot thats locked from 21-09 and it was only allowed to stay overnight, have to love that when you start work at 8.

 

(Noticed the problem when the battery suddenly ran flat. I used the white w/red wire, the one in the top right corner of the socket, guessing i should have used the white)

 

I can't see how i fried the electricals when i had a 20 amp fuse, but there is a short somewhere, and now the agony of finding it, i also noticed that my battery had drained while it was parked since tuesday xD

 

Nice to hear that there are norwegians also around here, and hainz everything our government touches is a bitch, its not exclusivly customs hehehe

 

Thx for all replies so far, var godt å høre at det også er noen norske her på siden, man må helst være norsk for å virkelig vite hvor latterlig dyrt deler egentlig er og ikke å glemme det dårlige utvalget.

 

__________________________________________________

Edit: I think i may have had the ratsun equivalent of what the godfearing call an awakening. I think i know whats wrong with my datsun, but my damn "awakening" made time slow down to a halt here at work. Can't wait to get home !!!!!

[Conan]

I think i have the wiring the way it should be, my voltage is around 14.2v max with everything off and 13.8v with everything on, i first thought it was slightly too high, but then again it is pretty cold out here ;) going for a test drive soon, and hoping i get back home with the car ;)

 

Really looking forward to moving onto improvements instead of repairs; and especially when it comes to electrics xD

 

Btw i broke a screw that goes into a tap in the engine block next to the alternator, there was a wire with a horse shoe attached to it. I don´t like loose wires, everything works fine, so i guess its not an immediate threat so i just need to know what it is so i can order a new part, or if it is sufficient to solder it in place, the screw broke off inside the tap/bolt thing. ;)

[erichwaslike]

progress?

[Conan]

My break is over i have´nt had any cash after christmas, now I just got money again, and have already spent more money on tools too start working on the car than i pay in rent and electrical bills xD....I have now pulled out the carpet and discovered a lot of rust holes, so i will have to replace these panels. So i have purchased a MIG welder, i cant afford gas, but i started teaching myself to weld yesterday with flux cord. Im starting to get the hang of it so i was thinking about cutting out the floor next weekend. I have never done a repair like this and i really hope i don´t mess everything up. Also when i drove home just now, my clutch was gone, i managed to get to a gas station and saw the there was hardly any clutch fluid, but topped the tank of an got home, so i will have to track down a leak as well, though this is the least of my worries as the car also pulls hard to the left. Im starting to find problems everywhere. It seems my hazard switch is totally no where to be found, my horn doesnt work and the left indicator light in the dash workes when it wants. My fuel gauge is not working nor is my water gauge (it seems to just move randomly sometimes, and the rest of the time its at 0), and i have a leak in the rubber tube going down to the gas tank It seems i find a new problem everyday which is very demoralizing, but im still dedicated to getting this car back in shape!

 

 

 

Here are some pics of my rust (only pulled the carpet on passenger side to start with as this is still my everyday driver)

 

This is right next to the seat and it goes all the way to the door.

 

 

 

 

(the white areas need to be replaced)

 

I have bought 1.25mm sheet metal for the floor.

 

All the advice i can will be extremely useful!!!

 

Great to be back in to work on the car! :)

[banzai510(hainz)]

I have rust on my 521 also.

 

id the gas gauge and temp gaauge dont work its the square metal can in back of the instrumant panel.

 

If you have skinny hands ,from the right side reach you hand up there and hit the can with your fingers. It might just start working. Mine is intermittant also.

[DanielC]

A lot of odd electrical problems on 521 pickups come from bad grounds. You have to make sure they are there, and probably add some more.

The negative cable on the battery goes to a bolt holding the lifting bracket on the cylinder hear, behind the fuel pump, and above the alternator. There should be a wire from this bracket down to the frame of the alternator to ground it. There should also be another black wire, that goes into a wiring harness. This wire goes to the voltage regulator, under the front screw holding the voltage regulator to the inner fender. Make sure all these connections are good.

Even after making sure all these connections are good, I would add an extra ground from the cab, to the engine. If the engine loses ground to the cab, all the current for lights, and other accessories goes through the throttle and choke cable, and melts the plastic outer casing, and destroys the cables.

Make sure the engine is grounded to the frame.

Make sure the bed is grounded to the frame.

You might have to run a extra wire from the taillights directly to the frame, for grounding them.

 

There are three wiring harnesses on a 521. An engine harness, a cab harness, and a bed harness.

The engine harness connects to the bed harness, on the firewall, above the starter. It probably has two connectors. The engine harness goes into the cab behind the windshield wiper motor, and has a lot of connectors to the cab harness up above or behind the glovebox.

 

None of these connectors are sealed. There could be corrosion on any of them. You need to carefully take then apart, and clean them, if there is any sign of them not making a good contact. There are also similar connectors on all the switches. The connectors there might need to be cleaned, also.

 

If I remember correctly, current for the turn signals goes through the four way flasher. There are actually two switches inside the four way flasher switch, and when the four way switch is off, one of these switches is on, to allow the turn signals to work. Get the four way flashers on all four corners working, then work on the turn signals.

 

Power is always applied to the horn relay. On the relay, it goes to one side of the relay coil, and one terminal of the relay switch. The horn switch on the steering wheel grounds the horn relay coil, and then power goes to the horns, that are grounded to the cab, by there mounts.

I will translate Datsun relay connections to "Bosch cube relay" numbers. Power is applied to pin 30, and pin 86. The steering wheel horn switch grounds pin 85, and that connects pin 30 to pin 87. The horns should make noise then.

 

I think on both the temperature gauge, and the fuel gauge, grounding the connection at the sender should make either gauge go to full, or RED (overheated)

 

That should keep you busy with your 521 electrical system for a while.

[Conan]

Thx for the info on my electricals; i will bump this up on my to do list for this week and try to get as much of this done as possible before i get started on my floor next weekend. Today i have set aside to take a look at my clutch leak, im hoping its gonna be an easy fix, its still usable as long as i keep an eye on the fluid level and give it a good pumping before starting as well as pumping a little extra every time i change gears; so today i'll learn how to air out a clutch :)

 

Im still worried about my welding abilities for the floor repair; my face is still red as bitch slapped ass from all my test welding this weekend, when i learned the hard way why a welding mask should be used appose to welding goggles :frantics:

 

 

(Im guessing the bolt in the floor is a cab mount, i was wondering is this under any tension, and will i have to take any extra considerations when i cut out the floor except for cutting into anything, and also are the rubber plugs needed?)

[Conan]

Got my idle tuned up yesterday, so now i don't have to "gas brake" to keep it alive at intersections. I also had a look underneath my car to investigate the clutch, turns out i have a leaking slave cylinder, so will have to get a new one from the states, luckily its only a small leak so the car is still usable. I did however se a few oily wet spots underneath that were not caused by the slave leak, these worry me so i will get some pics when im done at work.

 

When i got home yesterday, my gear shift felt very loose, it went very easily into gear, earlier you had to give the stick a little push now it just slides in and out of all the gears with little effort, i never like it when things feel too good to be true, so i was wondering if there might have been something that suddenly gave way. :unsure:

 

Edit: price of the slave cylinder was only $12 at RA, too bad shipping is $50....

Pictures will come as soon as my car dries up, its been raining too much to get good pics as my car is outside.