280z alternator "P" terminal?

[jovial_cynic]

Everything I've read on the 1978 280z alternator (60amp) says that there is no corresponding wire on the harness that'll go to the "P" terminal on the alternator.

 

Any clue what it does? I don't have a harness in my car - I'm just manually wiring everything together by hand, and as I'm finally putting a working alternator in my car, I'm kind of curious about that terminal.

 

Anybody know?

[datzenmike]

Not familiar with it, do you have a pic of the alt with where it is?

[slodat]

The answer to this question today on the BlueBirds list:

 

The alternator is "generic" and used for a lot of applications. The ZX Turbo happened to use the same alternator sometimes, but did not use that terminal as it was also "generic" in that car. P stands for "Phase" and the terminal is an auxiliary pickup point for partial alternator output, single phase - approx. 6V, to drive some tachs and other accessories. It's basically the same as a bridge tap on transformers. If you want to go hogwild with 6V, I am sure you can figure out some use for it, otherwise just leave it be.

[jovial_cynic]

slodat - I was just swinging by to post that. :)

 

It's also used for diagnostics - this link explains that you can hook up a meter to it to help diagnose electrical problems with the alternator, which may save time when trying to root out a gremlin:

 

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3828/is_200205/ai_n9036273