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If an alternator loses connection to the battery, it can surge to 100V. If a load is connected to the alternator directly, and the fuse blows, any load upstream could see 100V, and that would also be catastrophic.
That's why I have my alternator's output running directly back to the battery- not just to waste wire...
what do I ask for? a pigtail adapter for a cs144 to ??
is just the red wire from the adapter to the stud, then plugs into the original harness?
I am going to run a #6 to the starter post
I had a 94 amp 12si and it could barely keep up once I got my Mark VIII fan.
You can do the quick check below to see what adapter you need to convert from 12si to CS-144 ...then go to the local parts store and get the equivalent part (I went to NAPA, mine took Echlin part # EC82
(****THAT WAS FOR MY VEHICLE ---YOU NEED TO DETERMINE YOURS****KEEP READING).
"If you are unsure which adapter to use, measure the resistance of the exciter line. Disconnect the positive battery cable and the alternator plug. Connect an ohm meter between the #1 terminal on the plug end of the alternator harness and the end of the positive battery cable. Turn the ignition key to the "on" position and read the ohmmeter. If resistance is less than 35 ohms, use adapter #8078. If it’s between 35-350 ohms, use #8077. If it’s more than 350 ohms, you have excessive resistance somewhere in that circuit which needs to be repaired, first."
...the above text is from idavette dot net (doesn't appear to work anymore).
that's the guidelines I used to wire mine in and it worked from the get-go.
Last edited by carriljc; Jul 21, 2017 at 12:03 PM.
Later '80-'82 cars have the additional red wire off the battery cable at the terminal. How is this wire routed? Where does it go?
Hi Jim...
The heavy red wire in the picture at the starter is a secondary power cable from the new CS144 alternator. I previously had the cable installed backwards with the fusible link at the alternator instead of the starter as it should be - hence the switcherooo.
You don't really want it tied to other wires. It gets hot if it does fail and would damage the wire it's tied to. Might need space around it so it can fail safely too.
Last edited by lionelhutz; Jul 27, 2017 at 07:35 PM.
