JLeatherman

So, I've got a CS-144 alternator for my car and I need help wiring it. I understand that there are two different adapters for this, a "resistor" and a "non-resistor". The resistor is required for cars with a guage only and no idiot light. The non-resistor is for cars with an idiot light and/or a guage. Which one is for a C4? There's a guage, but it also illuminates a small red box when the voltage drops too far (like an idiot light). Do I need a resistor or not? Also, I can't find the correct Delco adapter anymore. If I get a CS plug, which of the three smaller wires do I use and what do I do with the other ones? Anyone put a CS alternator on a C4 lately?

TPI BOY

SunCr

Should be an article here: http://www.alternatorparts.com/

JLeatherman

They have the adapters atleast. That's a help. It still leaves one question unanswered, though. I don't know if I need the resistor adapter or the non-resistor adapter. The car doesn't have an "idiot light" in the old sense, but I'm not sure how the digital gauge interacts with the alternator circuit. I likely need the resistor adapter, but I was hoping someone already went through this. If I buy the wrong one I fry a rather expensive alternator.

MrRenoman

I just installed a CS-144 alternator on my '85 Vette I sold to my neighbor. The easiest way to figure out if you need the resistor in the lead is to disconnect the positive battery lead from the battery, turn on the ignition key and measure the resistance with an ohmeter between the positive battery cable and the exciter lead from the alternator connector. This is the connector that has the two leads going to it. If the resistance is less than 35 ohms then you need the resistor in the pigtail. If it's more than 35 ohms and less then 350 ohms then you're fine. GM, I heard, makes the two different harness adapters. I made mine with harnesses I bought from NAPA and a resistor I bought from Radio Shack. It works fine. I'll find the link to the internet sites that I found to make mine up. I'll edit and post the links soon.

Art

lite blue

If it's for an '84 or '85, here's a tech tip article I did a few years back. No idea if the part numbers are still accurate.

Clicky

MrRenoman

Here's a link to a previous post I recently made.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ght=alternator

Also, here's couple of links that talk about the swap...

http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c3/zma...ternator01.htm

http://www.extreme4wheelin.com/tech/...ators/tech.htm

http://www.novaresource.org/alternator.htm

These were all good sources that I used to put mine together.

Art

JLeatherman

My 84 should be the same resistance as your 85, and should require a resistor. I can either buy a harness or make one. My alternator is remanned, so I didn't get a junk-yard clip with it. Now it seems I need to check my ignition switch first, though, and make sure that wasn't contributing to my problem.

My car used to flicker rapidly, especially at night, headlights and dash included. I was told it was a diode in the SI alternator and when I found out how much parts were for it I sprung for a CS instead.

lite blue, it was your Tech writeup that gave me the part numbers I needed for ordering the alternator and told me how easy it was. Thanks for that. At the same time, though, I've removed my AC compressor and rerouted the alternator wires around the engine compartment instead of under the exhaust (I've got LTs now and it was tight). This means I've gotta shorten all my alternator leads and I'll probably just end up soldering a CS-144 plug on with a resistor.

Anyone know where I can get a cheap CS144 plug new? GM asks like $25 for it and it's cheaper to get the whole adapter at that point.

MrRenoman

I got my CS connector from NAPA, it was just a few dollars. Good Luck.

Art

MrRenoman

If you want to make your own harness for about $12 (your price may vary) you can buy:

A 2541H alternator extension harness. List is 8.69, discounts apply. I got mine for $1.99. This harness extends your stock SI connector about 6-8 more inches. It has a male and female connector on each end. Just cut off the male end. You'll end up with a female connector with pigtails that you can use to plug your existing male stock connector into. Now you have a pigtail to splice the CS-144 alternator connector and resistor onto.

To connect to the CS-144 buy a VRC191 or ECHVRC191 alternator connector. List is $16.44, discounts apply. I got mine for $7.86. This is the connector with a pigtail that fits onto the CS-144 alternator. It comes with 3 wires. The links I posted in my previous post details which wires are used and which one you can cut.

Both connectors are available from NAPA.

The resistor is from Radio Shack. A pack of 5 was 99 cents. Part number is 271-1315. This is a 330 ohm 1/4 watt resistor. I tried to find a lower sized resistor in 1/2 watt but they were all too big. This resistor is performing well.

I just soldered the resistor inline with the exciter wire between the two connectors. I slid some heat shrink up onto the wire so after soldering I could slide it down over the resistor and wires. I could then use my heat gun to shrink it down to protect the resistor and wire from the elements. Leave the pigtails long so when you solder the resistor onto the wire the heat from the soldering gun doesn't start to prematurely shrink the tubing where it is. I also slid another larger piece of heatshrink over both wires before soldering for additional protection. Slide the heatshrinks up the wiring harness as far away from the solder point as possible before soldering anything (duh). The adapter harness was about 10-12 inches long when completed. I slid some split convoluted tubing over the wires so it looks like the rest of the engine wiring harness. After plugging it in I just zipped tied any slack to make it look neat and keep it off any hot parts.

Hope this helps.

Art

JLeatherman

Renoman,
The part numbers help a ton. I went to my local place and tried to get one, but they couldn't look up the number I needed. I will likely build my own. I don't need to extend the SI wires, I actually need to shorten them so I'll likely just cut the wires way back and solder the plug straight on.

JLeatherman

Dragging this thread back to the top. Wired in the alternator and it's not charging much (11.7). I used a resistor from Radio Shack just like MrRenoman. It all went together well, but nothing. Any idea where I should start trouble shooting this one?

MrRenoman

What tests had been performed prior to swapping out the alternator? Any tests after the install and what, if any, were the differences?

Art

JLeatherman

The old alternator had a diode burned out. It would charge fine sometimes and other times the lights would flicker. It was a bad alternator. This one, the lights don't flicker or anything it just doesn't charge much.

Is there a voltage test I can do to the exciter wire? What should it have, 12v?