Well that regulator is junk now...I guess I'm riding with my folks up to Dallas for Turkey Day.... I'll swap regulators when I get back into town and swap the terminals and see what happens.

 

The connections listed are right there is something else wrong. First take the plug out of the alternator. Start the engine, connect one field terminal on the alternator to the positive battery terminal, than connect the other terminal to the negative post. YOu should have full charge on the amp gage. If not there is a problem with the alternator.

If you do have full charge, you need to look at the wiring and find the problem.

If you hook 12volts to the lower terminal of the regulator it will scrap it. Generally no smoke, just don't change, forever.

Sounds like you have wires crossed, or a short on one of the alternator wires where they go to the plug in the back. You did disconnect the wires from the harnes I hope. The only wires on the alternator are the large one to the batteries, generally through a fuse, and the two wires going to the regulator. The two wires going to the regulator should not have any other harness wires connected to them.

To try to be clear, if you are using the plug from the truck system on the alternator, it must be cut off the truck wire harness first.

How the system works, on the alternator, full 12 volts energizes the coil to excite the alternator. On the regulator the lower terminal can be regulated for the proper ohms to ground which is done internally. The 12 volt feed to the top is measured and the less voltage there the more the regulator shorts the lower wire to ground. At about 13.8 volts to 14 volts the lower wire is disconnected from ground so that the alternator stops charging.

So the top wire is supplied with 12 volts and the bottom wire regulates the alternator by creating the right voltage on the exciter coil in the alternator to produce the 13.8 volts for the batteries.

It is simple, but so easy to misconnect wires. Done it myself.

 

So I need to unbolt the little terminal box from the alternator and just run the two wires from the regulator only?

I removed the little 5/16" nuts and put the round connectors on the wires from the alternator, then put the nuts back on.

 

Yes the only thing on the two terminals should be the two wires going to the regulator. I sort of thought that was what you did.

Take that connector and the wires that are on it, tape it off and just get it out of the way. You have the terminal type with the nuts. Other units have a snap in plug there which is what I referred to in another post.

 

OK cool...I've got a new regulator, I'll pop that connector off, wrap her up and try it. thanks

 

OK...seems like its all working. I wrapped up the two terminals on that connector and tucked it out of the way, ran the two wires from the Regulator straight to the alternator posts. I installed the new regulator and put the wires on THE RIGHT WAY, fired her up and the amp gauge is higher than I've ever seen it!

The needle is on the little white line to the left of the "18" line... So I hope thats working and not just tricking me. I might run down to the parts store and have them hook up their little battery/alternator tester.

My AC isn't working...is that because of the PCM not getting its signal?

 

Texas, do your lights flicker with the regulator hooked up? When I ran mine for about 2 days, it was bad about the light flickering or pulsing. It may have been because of a bad ground.

 

I had to wait til dark to check. They slightly flickered at first start up, with the truck cold, and about 50* outside. Of course the truck idles like crap for about 30 seconds when it's cold. But after that they didnt look like they were flickering, high or low beam. I mounted the regulator just above the 3 relays on the drivers side inner fender panel, and grounded the case to the radiator support where the other ground wire is from the battery.

 

I have been dealing with about the same problem with my system all week. I went to Austin Thursday and about half way there my gauge showed it was charging. I pulled over, checked it with my meter and had over thirteen volts but it gradually went back down and hasn't been up since. I think it is the brushes but I have had no luck finding any. As far as your a/c not working, if you unplugged that terminal going to the alternator, you also unplugged the a/c. Mine has four wires on that terminal, two going to alternator and two to the a/c clutch.

 

Yes, that's why your A/C is dead - there is no crank position sensor signal to the PCM. I seem to recall asking you about the A/C several times.... You need to check continuity on that crank sensor, there's something wrong somewhere.

 

spend about $100.00 and get the factory manuals from Chrysler the local dealer parts counter will give you an 800 # to call

 

I'm not too worried about the A/C right now...I don't see the temps getting over 70 until March or so...so it's not big deal. I'll deal with it when the time comes.

Took her out for a drive...seems like everything is working fine. I don't have a voltmeter, but I'm going to stop by the parts store nd have them check the alternator, just to make sure everything is working as it should.

Dave, I'm going to run to the junkyard and pluck a Crank Position Sensor from another truck... this whole thing started after the CPS wires got cut up from the belt, so I'm prety sure that's where the real problem lies. Local parts stores dont carry the CPS and the local Dodge house has monkeys behind the parts counter.

 

My computer was not correctly controlling the asd relay... seems to be related to temperature. I ended up permanently grounding the DB/YL wire on pin 85 of the asd relay. Because the asd relay provides power to the alternator field(DG/OR), it must be working properly. One more note... if the system is charging much over 14.5 volts (say 15.5-16 volts), it will tend to 'boil' the battery shortening it's life (even with a dry cell battery such as optima). Voltage regulators sense temperature, and system voltage will increase with lower temperatures.

 

Had everything tested today, twice....

14.88-14.92 volts.

Looks like all is well for now.

Thanks for the help everyone...

 

TexasHardcore I would look good at the ground between the alternator and regulator. The charge rate is a tad high. It should be in the range of 14.3. Mine was higher before I added the ground wire. The ground wire would be from any attachment of the alternator casing or frame, and directly to one of the mounting screws of the regulator.

You do have it working properly though, glad to see that. I was carrying an extra at first in case I had a problem with it, but it has been stable now for many miles.

As was mentioned, the charge rate is higher in the cooler temperatures. Mine charges about .3 less in the summer time. Probably a good thing.