[GreaseMonkey]

Hey Fellas,

I need help
When i plug this into the back of the alternator and start the engine, the engine starts up and runs for about 5 second pretty rough. If i pull it out it will run fine but will not charge the battery. Has new starter motor and alternator. Any suggestions?



Thanks.

[AckerDackerly]

Pry off the rubber seal on the back of the connector and verify that the connectors are seated properly. They can dislodge or corrode causing a faulty connection.

Be careful not to accidentally switch the connector wires. One goes to the charge indicator on the dash binnacle and the other (probably the one that has black in it's color markings) goes to earth/ground.

If there is a third wire in the plug, disregard this post! It's based on North American product experiences...

I have had some luck securing connector wires with a hobbyist hot glue gun. I saved $200 US fixing a headlamp assembly turn signal socket.

[Gwagensteve]

Greasemonkey, it sounds like you have more than one problem.

As you have discovered, pulling that plug out stops the car charging. The fact the engine runs fine like this isn't surprising. That's normal.

You really need a clamp DMS to properly troubleshoot the problem, but my guess is that you have a pretty flat battery. When you plug the plug in, you're getting very high load at the alternator. This can be enough to stall a motor out, especially if there is a problem with the choke or idle up circuit. Try the same experiment with the headlights on. the headlights control an idle up that should raise engine revs (irrespective of the choke) if the car runs better with the headlights on, it's clue the problem is high load and a poorly calibrated choke/idle speed etc. There is a chance there is a major short somewhere that's overloading the alternator, but that's not going to be easy to find.

You can't do more at this stage unless you have a multimeter - you can then check that volts are increasing at the battery when the engine is running, and are in normal range. You can check resting battery voltage to confirm approximate charge level, and if you have a clamp DMM you can check charge amps when the engine is running (with the plug in)

Ack - I'm not sure the OP is complaining that the plug us coming out, rather that his car stalls when the plug is in?)

[Gwagensteve]

Greasemonkey, it sounds like you have more than one problem.

As you have discovered, pulling that plug out stops the car charging. The fact the engine runs fine like this isn't surprising. That's normal.

You really need a clamp DMS to properly troubleshoot the problem, but my guess is that you have a pretty flat battery. When you plug the plug in, you're getting very high load at the alternator. This can be enough to stall a motor out, especially if there is a problem with the choke or idle up circuit. Try the same experiment with the headlights on. the headlights control an idle up that should raise engine revs (irrespective of the choke) if the car runs better with the headlights on, it's clue the problem is high load and a poorly calibrated choke/idle speed etc. There is a chance there is a major short somewhere that's overloading the alternator, but that's not going to be easy to find.

You can't do more at this stage unless you have a multimeter - you can then check that volts are increasing at the battery when the engine is running, and are in normal range. You can check resting battery voltage to confirm approximate charge level, and if you have a clamp DMM you can check charge amps when the engine is running (with the plug in)

Ack - I'm not sure the OP is complaining that the plug us coming out, rather that his car stalls when the plug is in?)

[AckerDackerly]

The problem described by Greasemonkey involves the act of installing the connector. One place to start in troubleshooting is to verify the condition of the connector. If the connector is working right (I personally had one that was falling apart), then one moves on to the next possibility.

The next possibility in my troubleshooting would be to check other points in the alternator circuit.

It almost sounds like the ignition circuit is getting low/intermittant voltage possibly causing spark to be marginal. An examination of the SJ413 wiring harness (http://www.acksfaq.com/diagram_color_86-88_sam_no-hitachi.htm (which may be very similar to Greasemonkey's vehicle wiring) shows that the earth part of the ignition shares the same wiring as the black/white wire on the alternator plug...

Just tryin' to help...

[jdk81]

Black/white wire is on when ignition is on?
Its not part of the earth circuit?

[jdk81]

Have any other wiring changes been done?
Did you double check the earth, and starter cable etc?

Got an old alternator to try?

What happens when fan belt is removed, but all plugs in?
What happens when alternator output is disconnected? (Dont forget to shield the cable). With belt on and all other plugs in?