Pretty sure alternator just died...

[Kirden]

Alright, I had asked about the alternator upgrade about two weeks ago and looked over all the info I could find and what happens this morning? Stop to get gas and I don't have enough power to crank the truck. Solo push start (glad it was a flat parking lot) and get home, not even enough power to turn it over and the lights are very dim. Shadows were being cast in front of my headlights by the streetlights...

 

The reason I think it is the alternator and not the battery is that my charge light has been blinking furiously since I got the truck. Lately it has been staying on for longer periods of time and this week it is on for about 60-70% of my trip to work, which is a 40 minute drive one way. I know I should have checked into it more seriously but I procrastinated. Flame away.

 

I'm gonna go have the battery checked today, but if it is in fact the alternator, I guess I will be doing an alternator upgrade. I am thinking the KA truck alternator will be the easiest after everything I have read but please correct me if I am wrong.

 

I have work again tonight and no place near where I live has an alternator for the 620 in stock, so I am just trying to find the fastest way to get back on the road.

 

I think my venting is over. Have to say, push starting the truck is easier than any vehicle I have ever owned. I didn't know how light it really was till I pushed it off with one leg from inside the cab :P

[Kirden]

Ah thank goodness for Vatozone and Bleach mentioning the 78 200sx alternator. Looks like I may be able to get the truck up and running today :)

[kelowg]

Gm alt is most poplar. Saturn one works good,buick skylark is high output. 105amp. Only tricky part is adjuster. There is even a way to convert to one wire and high output. If u know how to rebuild them, that is.

[banzai510(hainz)]

Just be leqary of Vato zone parts or even O riley parts.

My Vato zoem starter is going out already and I dont think its even 2 years old.

I got one from O rileys and going to put it in this weekend maybe if I can make it as the Vatozone one is loading down really bad.

The O riley one said remanufactured in Malaysia.

Back in the old days Schucks had them remade there and Im sure its the same place, meaning it wont last long

the 78/79 200sx Alt should be a bolt in since you dont the wire jumper conversion already.

The t plug of coarse is the same.

 

cant rememebr if you use the L20 belt or L16/18 belt as you know the bigger alt might hit the idler arm .

[datzenmike]

Most higher output are physically larger around and will hit the idler arm just below it.

[Kirden]

I don't have the time to worry about mounting and wiring the saturn alt, so I'm gonna grab that 200sx one. I don't plan to have a large sound system and halogens annoy me, so hopefully a 60 amp will work. I'll probably grab an OEM one (not a reman) as soon as it comes in, but the reman will get to to work for today which was the main issue :P

 

Bleach said to use the 200sx belt so I will pick one up and try to document the swap. It is strange that vatozone stocks this, no other parts store in my area keeps anything in stock for pre 90s imports.

[datzenmike]

Your '74 has an external alternator. The '78 200sx is internally regulated, so the plug for the ext. regulatir will need two wires jumped together to make it work.

 

I see the charge light was on and off. This could be a burned or loose fusible link near the battery making intermittant contact. A new alt won't fix this.

[izzo]

For what its worth.

 

If you're going to buy a new alternator, just get a 720 alternator.  Its smaller, bolts in and its IR regulated.  All datsuns I have done this conversion to, have accepted it. Even the A14 in my B210. Tho the top bolt that goes to the adjuster was on the wrong side. So I did need to goto the hardware store and buy a nut & lock washer.  Cost about a dollar.

 

Luckily datsun used pretty much the same colored wires for their cars.  So finding a 510 IR alt upgrade diagram worked fine.  You just jump two wires (and you can do this without hacking your wiring, so you can always go back to stock).  Takes about 4 minutes longer than just swapping in a stock ER alt. 

 

There's tons of pics and info out there, btw the stock average 720 alternator is 50amp vs stock 620 35amp.  You can get higher or lower amp alts, too. 

[Kirden]

Datzenmike would you happen to have a picture of the fusible link? I found some wires tied together with house screw connectors and I have no T connector, just wires with crimp connections on the end...

[Kirden]

For what its worth.

 

If you're going to buy a new alternator, just get a 720 alternator.  Its smaller, bolts in and its IR regulated.  All datsuns I have done this conversion to, have accepted it. Even the A14 in my B210. Tho the top bolt that goes to the adjuster was on the wrong side. So I did need to goto the hardware store and buy a nut & lock washer.  Cost about a dollar.

 

Luckily datsun used pretty much the same colored wires for their cars.  So finding a 510 IR alt upgrade diagram worked fine.  You just jump two wires (and you can do this without hacking your wiring, so you can always go back to stock).  Takes about 4 minutes longer than just swapping in a stock ER alt. 

 

There's tons of pics and info out there, btw the stock average 720 alternator is 50amp vs stock 620 35amp.  You can get higher or lower amp alts, too. 

 

Yea, I was trying to find the fastest possible solution but it looks like I won't make it to work now. I tried to find a 720 alt, but the only easily swapable alternator that was in stock locally was one for the 200sx.

 

So far on the swap the 200sx alternator fits, bolts in easily all but the adjuster. The adjuster turns up away from the alt slightly, I need it to turn down and follow the body of the alt. I think I can flip it and it will work perfectly, but I can't get the bolt out that holds it in due to the fan pulley. Have one hour before I am supposed to leave for work.

[izzo]

^^^ Understandable. 

 

When mine shit out I was in the drive thru at BK.  What a bitch that was.  Called the taxi company to come give me a jump.  The alt still worked at high RPMS, but wasn't for shit at anything under 2-3krpm.  Revved that bitch out all the way home, got an alt the next morning and installed it before heading to work. 

[Kirden]

Mine works between at lower rpms. The charge light never comes on between 40 and 50 in 4th gear, but as soon as I hit 50-70 is blinks or stays on. Same through lower gears. My drive to work is over twenty miles on i-16 each way, so staying between 40 and 50 isn't really possible.

[izzo]

Strange man.  Maybe bad brushes, or dying regulator? Guess you'll find out when you install the new alt if it continues lol.

[Kirden]

I think it is gunked up. Truck kinda told me this when I grabbed it and it had a ton of goop on it. Found out I was not only losing coolant from the radiator (no coolant overflow) but I also had a leak at the bottom of the lower water neck, right above the alternator.

 

I thought about rebuilding the old one, but looking at it, it is a world reman, malasia...

[datzenmike]

I found the 50/60 amp 720 alt was the same size as the 710. I'm guessing that the 200sx is als but could be wrong. It did not fit the 620 very well. Bleach did have a 620 so if he said it fit then I guess it did.

 

I'll look around for a picture of the 620 fusible links. Marr connectors and crimps tells me that something was monkied with.

 

 

May be better to take some pictures of what you have and post them. Someone may notice something not obvious.

[banzai510(hainz)]

You wont be able to pull that long bolt out !!!!!!! youll need to pull the radiator out.

 

buy the turn buckle type adjusters and when you pull your radiator out next time have that ready to install.

[datsunaholic]

If it's turning the light on at higher speeds, that's usually brush float. I've had a couple remanned alternators do that, they soldered the "new" brushes in with way too short of wires so as the brushes wore down, the wires would pull the brush away from the commutator. I fixed one by resoldering the wire longer, that worked for a while.

[Kirden]

Thanks for the info Hainz, here is what I have wire wise and other pictures:

 

 

Adjuster arm problem

 

Remove radiator and fan to flip the adjuster arm.

 

 

Here is my rigged wiring:

 

Power from Battery, not sure where the wire goes.

 

Ground from battery:

 

Rigged T connector:

[datzenmike]

 

 

That box at the top is your external regulator. It needs to be disconnected (the round plug) and two pair of wires jumpered together for the internal regulated alternator to work.

 

On my 710s I pulled the regulator off, cut the wires off the plug and joined YELLOW and WHITE together then the WHITE/BLACK to the WHITE/RED

 

 

 

The old plug now just connects to the engine harness.

 

 

This is for the PL510 but good enough for the early 620 also.

 

 

Take note that doing this will apply power from the white wire to the choke heater relay coil and it will be permanently ON and drain the battery. My fix is to remove the relay and connect the BLUE choke heater wire on the carb to the BLUE idle cut solenoid wire at the carb.

 

Everything works normally.

[banzai510(hainz)]

yeah this is getting confusing.

I thought you have already done the alternator wire jumper conversion on another thread. earlier(saturn alternator???)

Now I see the  photo of the external Volt reg still plugged in to it.

If the jumpers werent installed and you ran a Internal volt reg with the external maybe that why the light came on.its getting double regulated fighting each other.

 

OK since that volt reg looks new I would  NOT< NOT cut the connector off as datzenmike shows. just get 2 wires and since the 620 uses a round volt reg connector get some bullet connector ends and then put it in the engine side connector.  usse the colors from the engine side of the harness.  as I seen the correct color on the volt regs but were wrong goin into the harness.

 

Save the external volt, reg in case you want to go back. to a external type alternator.

really all you needed was a 610 or 710 50amper  external say 75,76 maybe 77 year. and you could still use the external volt reg. as the Alterntor you have is the same size.

 

make this simple just buy a 35amper like you had and live with it.

 

 

also with the adjust arm as shown do you think inverting it will make it better as the curve will be oppiste and hit the case before it can even reach the hole??????????

[Kirden]

Oh no, this is the conversion. The old alt was external, I have another voltage regulator that I am modifying the connector from. jump 4 of the wire and cap the remaining two. I have a picture of it somewhere. I won't start the truck till I have the voltage regulator bypassed.

[Kirden]

Just to clear this up, the above picture was to show the second screw on cap that is on the ground from the battery, not the voltage regulator pulg. I just got a bad angle :P

[banzai510(hainz)]

your jumpering 2 wires  but 4 ends

 

so if you got a beat volt reg then do like Mike said and pull the plug and short it like he shows then just plug it back in but ck the wire colors to be sure that they go to the same colors in the harness.

[Kirden]

Alright, will do, for some reason my above post double qouted datzenmike even though I was typeing :(

[Kirden]

Alternator is on, jumper is complete, battery is charging atm.

 

I'm gonna eat some pizza and work on school work. Thanks for all the help everyone, you guys are the best. I will update this if I end up having any issues out of the new alternater.