Yes, your alt is working, that brightening around (usually 2500 rpm) is the
field kicking in. You are right about the tendencies of self exciting
alternators.
The white wire (on my '70) is for the Battery power to the system (which
goes through the ammeter), if you have your alternator feeding into that it
WILL read the opposite (discharge instead of charge).
The White with Red wire is for the alternator feed to the system which goes
directly to the fuse box (and ignition switch).
Since you removed the (Protection?) fuse or link and the car still ran, you
either had power from the batt or alternator still connected, it's hard to
tell from your mention of "spliced".
Since the power for your system is supplied by the alternator, that should
be the Heaviest wire. I routed an ALL NEW FAT wire directly from the
alternator (thru a 80 amp fusible link) to the fusebox buss. Fusebox
voltage drops are MUCH less now and the harness handles the brunt of
hi-load situations much better.
Also the stock ammeter has a 30 amp circuit breaker in series to protect it
and that side of the harness. (circuit breakes are slower, but tolerate a
short term slight-overamp situation without shutting you down cold, i
sometimes get a momentary 30-35 amp quick charge after starting and idling
at night and hitting the first rev.)
I love this setup. I love the alternator. Yes it doesn't kick in till over
2500 RPM, but by having the pulley ratio setup this way, it doesn't spin
too fast either, and removes the load at idle.
This is Not a "drive and forget" setup though...since one could idle the
car for a long time at night and actually have it go dead if they don't
think of reving it once in awhile. But then roadsters don't like to sit at
idle for an extended period of time anyway! (heatwise and carbonwise) If i
have to idle for a while, i hand throttle it up a bit.
Thorn Filippelli
Santa Rosa, California
'70 2000 Solex
#13575
>Date: Mon, 1 Feb 1999 11:48:13 -0800 (PST)
>From: Daniel Neuman <dneuman@stars.sfsu.edu>
>Subject: Alt electrical questions
>
>Hello All,
>
> I also have some electrical questions that I hope someone can answer.
> I also wired my alt. with one thick cable going to the batt. and one
smaller
>fused cabled spliced into the white cable that used to go into the stock alt.
> Here's whats wacky.. my amp meter reads a discharge?? And when I take
>out the fuse in the cable going to the white wire my ampmeter still works??
>I guess I was expecting it to go dead why did'nt it??
> I think that my alt. is working cause at about 2000rpm's everything
>gets really bright-dash lights higher powered head lights-high powered
>driving lights. I was told that the self-regulating alt do this. Put out
>less power than stock at idle and lower rpm's but turn on with a vengance
>a little higher in the rpm range.
> Is there a way to tell if my alt is working and when it is turning on?
>Should I just put an amp meter in series with the cable going to the batt??
>
> thanks,
> Daniel 69 2000
>
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