Electrical Question

[Jim.ME]

Ok so I connected the battery with a positive ground, nothing, touched the alternator wire to the alternator, nothing.

Now as a double check, do the same with the battery connected as negative ground. If you still don't get a spark, I would recommend either taking the alternator to be checked, or just get a new negative ground one so you know what you have and correct wiring as needed, before hooking the alternator up.

 

[old]

Now as a double check, do the same with the battery connected as negative ground. If you still don't get a spark, I would recommend either taking the alternator to be checked, or just get a new negative ground one so you know what you have and correct wiring as needed, before hooking the alternator up.

I agree to me it sounds like he let all the smoke out of the alternator so now it shows up as a full open circuit

 

[retiredfire]

Now as a double check, do the same with the battery connected as negative ground. If you still don't get a spark, I would recommend either taking the alternator to be checked, or just get a new negative ground one so you know what you have and correct wiring as needed, before hooking the alternator up.

So you are saying it should be a negative ground?

 

[old]

So you are saying it should be a negative ground?

I think he is saying that the alternator is only good for a boat anchor so to make it easy get a new alternator and wire it up so it is negative ground since one that is negative ground is easy to come by and a whole lot cheaper then a + ground one

 

[stevieb49829]

I think what they are saying is a negative ground Delco 10SI that will look the same as yours is the most common way to convert these systems to an alternator. Then your negative battery cable attaches to ground (the tractor chassis), and your positive goes to the ignition and start circuits. Its probably just as easy and cheap to turn yours in as a core and get a good remanufactured or new negative ground Delco 10SI from your parts store. Then follow Jim's instructions for hooking it up. Be aware that the 10SI comes in "one wire" and 3 wire configurations. Yours looks to be a one wire, but it's not imperative to stick with a one wire. Do a search on this site and you will find all kinds of discussions on how to wire both, and the advantages of either one. The key point in the discussions so far is you don't need the alternator in the system to rebuild your whole wiring system to negative ground. Then get the tractor running on a negative ground system, and add in a new alternator. Here's a very simplified wiring diagram for a One Wire Delco 10SI. Use it as a guide, or if you choose a 3 wire I'll post that diagram also:

steve

 

[retiredfire]

I think what they are saying is a negative ground Delco 10SI that will look the same as yours is the most common way to convert these systems to an alternator. Then your negative battery cable attaches to ground (the tractor chassis), and your positive goes to the ignition and start circuits. Its probably just as easy and cheap to turn yours in as a core and get a good remanufactured or new negative ground Delco 10SI from your parts store. Then follow Jim's instructions for hooking it up. Be aware that the 10SI comes in "one wire" and 3 wire configurations. Yours looks to be a one wire, but it's not imperative to stick with a one wire. Do a search on this site and you will find all kinds of discussions on how to wire both, and the advantages of either one. The key point in the discussions so far is you don't need the alternator in the system to rebuild your whole wiring system to negative ground. Then get the tractor running on a negative ground system, and add in a new alternator. steve

Got it now, Thanks Steve

 

[Jim.ME]

So you are saying it should be a negative ground?

I am trying to determine which ground the alternator is, and/or if it was "fried" when you hooked things up before and give you the options.

In your first post of this thread, you wrote: "The cables seem to be setup for a negative ground because of the ends." That to me would mean the battery cable going to chassis ground had the battery post end with the smallest diameter clamp and would not fit over the positive post without being spread. And the cable going to the starter switch had the larger diameter clamp and would have been too big if installed on the battery's negative post. These things would indicate it had been operated as a negative ground system. (Another indicator would be if the wire from the ignition switch is connected to the + terminal of the coil and the wire to the distributor is on the - terminal of the coil.)

Your first post of this thread reads like even though the battery cables indicated negative ground at that time, you hooked it up positive ground, had sparks, and it got hot. The ring terminal connected to the alternator post in your picture looks like it got hot when I enlarge the picture. Now, you have just hooked it up as positive ground again and had no ill effects this time. If you get the same results hooking it up as a negative ground, to me, it will indicate either you fried the alternator that first time or there was something else shorted out that first time and in checking things you moved something enough to break that short circuit, maybe both. One ground it should not spark the other it should. While it is not a great way, at least just touching the wire to the post will show a spark or not with the least chance of damaging something.

For the exchange cost of another alternator vs if one has to pay for testing the current alternator (unless one has a parts store or place that will test it for free), I would just swap it out for a known negative ground alternator and make sure the tractor was wired negative ground before hooking up the alternator. If you do swap it you should swap the pulley if your current alternator has a pulley The right width for the belt that matches the crank and water pump pulleys.

 

[stevieb49829]

Got it now, Thanks Steve

Be aware that Jim and I have impeccable timing to answer the questions the same way, at the same time. I still haven't figured out why that is. steve