Delco one-wire alternator conversion

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tjdub
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Delco one-wire alternator conversion

Post by tjdub » Fri Mar 25, 2011 1:56 pm

My 450 has the factory Motorola sealed alternator installed. It's always been a bit of a pain because it tends to stay excited and drains my battery when sitting so I have to unhook the batteries when I turn it off to be sure. Now it doesn't seem to be charging at all. Maybe it's wiring or maybe it needs a rebuild, but I would rather just to say to heck with it and throw on a generic Delco 1-wire alternator and be done. The Delco alternators are pretty cheap and simple enough that even I know how to wire them up :) Has anyone put one on a JD crawler before?

rufustoad
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Post by rufustoad » Fri Mar 25, 2011 8:25 pm

Never put one on a crawler but just put one on my tractor and I love it.
God Bless
Todd

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Cuzz
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Post by Cuzz » Sat Mar 26, 2011 11:09 am

I too have thought about doing that to my 350c as my alternator seems to have the same problem. Let us know how it works out if you decide to do it.
Thanks,
Cuzz...


My wife says I never listen to her.... or something.

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tjdub
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Post by tjdub » Sat Mar 26, 2011 8:43 pm

Cuzz wrote:Let us know how it works out if you decide to do it.
Yesterday I made an impulse buy and ordered a 37-amp Delco off ebay for $65. I'll keep you posted on my success/failure.

Donald erwin
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one wire alternator

Post by Donald erwin » Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:44 am

hey guys i have one on all my tractor for years make sure you get one with a
low rpm kick in this is very good for low rpm engines . do it you will love it :D

Tom in Mo.
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Post by Tom in Mo. » Thu Mar 31, 2011 6:07 am

I've done this with the Delco three wire alternator on several tractors. It's pretty simple. Last week I purchased a lifetime warranty alternator from AutoZone for under $50.
In a nutshell, remove regulator and isolate or remove wires. One wire from the ON terminal of ignition to field terminal #1. One short wire from BAT terminal on alternator to field terminal #2. One 10 guage wire from BAT terminal on alternator to positive battery cable at solenoid.
This is a copy/paste howto from a different forum. It covers converting gas engines positive ground to negative with alternator but the information is here:

"""""How to correctly install a GM [internal regulated] Delco 10-SI alternator on a 2-Cylinder John Deere...."""""""""

~The Delco alternator you need will have the regulator terminals running like this [- -].........If the regulator terminals are running like this [.l l.], it is the old externally regulated Delcotron and won't work without an external regulator. The best Delco 10-SI alternators for tractor conversions are the lower output units with a 55 or lower amp output. Due to the high parasitic loads of the higher output Delco alternators at full charge they put a fairly high load on the early tractor's fan shaft drive gears.

(1)-First, the tractor must be, or have been, converted to 12 volt negative ground- [unless a high dollar positive ground, or expensive 6 volt converted alternator is used]......If the tractor is converted to negative ground, the ignition coil should have the [-] terminal hooked to the distributor and the [+] terminal hooked to the wire from the ignition switch. If the tractor is [or has been] converted from 6 to 12 volts and the original 6 volt ignition coil is used it will need an automotive ballast resistor [in series] installed in the wire running from the ignition switch to the ignition coil [+] terminal, [ the ''ECH 1CR13'' resistor from NAPA @1.82 ohms works good,, about $14.00 ]. If a 12 volt ignition coil is used it should be the internal resisted type. If in doubt about the coil type, or whether it has the correct resistance for a 12 volt system, just measure the coil primary resistance between the [+] & [ - ] terminals. If the resistance is over 3 ohms it is probably an internally resisted 12 volt coil & will function correctly at 12 volts without an added ballast resistor. If the resistance is under 2 ohms it will then require a ballast resistor between the ignition coil and ignition switch, or points burning will probably occur.

(2)- The wires should be swapped at the ammeter to reflect the new ground polarity [if the ammeter reads backwards when the conversion is done, the wires that are hooked to the ammeter are connected incorrectly and will need to be reversed]. Only one wire should be hooked to the battery side of the ammeter, that should be the wire running to the battery [non grounded side], or to the starter [battery cable stud]. All other electrical loads, including the wire from the alternator rear [BATTERY] stud should be hooked to the [NON] battery post of the ammeter. The exception would be a cigarette lighter, it would hook to the battery side of the ammeter.

(3)-The old generator & regulator should be removed, and [ if so equipped] remove the ignition switch and light switch power feed wire [L] wire that ran to the old regulator [L] terminal. The ignition switch and light switch feed wire(s) should then be hooked directly to the [NON] battery side of the ammeter, the old [L] wire going forward to the old regulator can then be eliminated...

(4)-The alternator should be mounted so the belt is tight and not out of line. If need be, the alternator 4 case securing bolts can be removed and case halves separated slightly [not more than a 1/4" or the internal brushes will fall out], then the rear case [with startor] turned so the regulator terminals are facing out and away from engine interference or exhaust heat.

(5)-A short 14 ga. wire should be made up and run from the big [BATTERY] stud on the back of the alternator to the #2 internal regulator terminal of the alternator. That is a low power battery sensing circuit so it doesn't have to be heavy gauge.

(6)-If the alternator is over 60 amps, a 10 gauge wire should be run from the [BATTERY] stud on the back of the alternator to the [NON] battery side of the ammeter. The old wire that ran from the ammeter to the battery [or from the ammeter to the big starter cable stud on the starter] should be replaced with a 10 gauge wire capable of handling the 60+ amps from the alternator. If the alternator is under 60 amps then the wires used can be 12 gauge.

(7)-If the tractor is distributor equipped, or has an ignition switch that supplies power to the coil/mag terminal instead of ground, a 14 or 16 gauge wire should be run from the coil power terminal on the ignition switch to the #1 terminal of the internal regulator. An inline 10 ohm [2 watt + ] resistor should be installed [in series] in that wire, [that resistor isn't required for the alternator to actually operate, but is put there to protect the diode trio inside the alternator from damage due to a power surge]. Make sure the resistor isn't taped inside the harness or placed close to anything that will burn as it gets quite hot when the ignition switch is on and the alternator isn't charging . While a little over kill, the Radio Shack 10 ohm 10 watt p/n- 271-132 works very good and is under 2 dollars.

(8)- If the system charges, and the engine shuts off promptly when the ignition switch is turned off at high RPM, that's all you need to do. If the engine won't shut down consistently, or wants to run on a little after shutdown, or you just want to make sure it will always shut down correctly, then you can install a 1-2 amp 50 volt diode [in series] in the wire that is run from the ignition switch [coil terminal] to the alternator [#1] terminal. The diode is installed in series and in addition to the added 10 ohm resistor. The diode must be installed with the polarity indicating [stripe, dot, k, +, or cath,,,,, "cathode side"] towards the alternator and the [non] marked [anode] side towards the ignition switch. That diode is placed in the system to keep the alternator form back feeding the ignition coil when the ignition switch is shut off. Not all systems need that back feed protection [depends on the ignition coil] and once the alternator stops charging after shut down there is no additional power flow [from] the alternator #1terminal to the coil terminal on the ignition switch. I always include that diode in any conversion as it is easy and cheap and it won't have to be added later if a shut down problem arises. While again, a little over kill, the Radio Shack p/n 276-1141, 3 amp power rectifying diode will work good and is well under 2 dollars.

JWB Contracting
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Absolute Must

Post by JWB Contracting » Thu Mar 31, 2011 7:58 am

We do the conversion on all of our work machines, including a pair of 350C's, 450C, 450G and 540A and 540B skidders.
Jason Benesch

John Deere 420, 430, 440 & 350C With 3 Point Hitch
John Deere 400G With Winch
John Deere 2010 Crawler Dozer
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Rick Kr
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Post by Rick Kr » Thu Mar 31, 2011 9:48 am

I put a 1 wire on my 46 AC WC tractor in 1996. Absolutely no problems. I have a Western plow on the front and 2 batteries. The plow will drag the batteries down a little if I move a lot of snow. Occasionally I'll throw the battery charger on when I am done just to get them back to full.

I bought the exciter from a local place for maybe $10, can't remember exactly.
Took 10 minutes to install.

Lots of people said it wouldn't work due to the tractors lower RPM, but 15 years later and still no problems. Works for me. I guess you could hunt for smaller pulley, but I can't see a dozer drawing that much juice unless you have a giant light bar on the front and back.

Good luck.
Rick
JD 350B, 6 way blade
NH3930 4x4 w/loader & tree spade. AC WC.

JWB Contracting
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Only issues

Post by JWB Contracting » Thu Mar 31, 2011 12:26 pm

Only issues are:


1. Getting the correct pully size so you can use the stock fan belt

2. Mounts in standard location, but you may need to add washers on one side or the other to get pulley to match the engine pullies.

3. May need to fabricate or alter the fan belt tighten brackets.

Well worth the effort.
Jason Benesch

John Deere 420, 430, 440 & 350C With 3 Point Hitch
John Deere 400G With Winch
John Deere 2010 Crawler Dozer
John Deere 420, 430, 435 & 440 Wheel Tractors

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FL450B
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GM ALT

Post by FL450B » Sat Apr 02, 2011 7:11 am

I PUT THE GM ONE WIRE SYSTEM IN ALL OF OF MY TOY CARS TRUCKS DOZER THEY MAKE THE SPACERS AND ALL THE BRKT YOU WILL NEED A ON LINE COMP IS WHERE I GOT THE KIT I PUT ONE IN MY 450B 2 YEARS AGO I WORKS GREAT

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tjdub
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Post by tjdub » Sun Apr 03, 2011 8:52 pm

Well, I got my new alternator in the mail. It looks like it will bolt up fine with some spacers, BUT the pulley it came with is for a narrow 1/2" V-belt. I tried swapping the pulley of my old alternator on to it, but it's a different shaft size. I guess I have to track down a new pulley for it now :(

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Post by DavTom » Mon Apr 04, 2011 6:18 am

If the center hole in the original pulley is to large you should be able to machine a bushing to make it work... I seem to recall that the GM alt has a spacer behind the pulley anyway... If the hole is too small of course you could bore it out...

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tjdub
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Post by tjdub » Mon Apr 04, 2011 8:57 am

DavTom wrote:If the center hole in the original pulley is to large you should be able to machine a bushing to make it work... I seem to recall that the GM alt has a spacer behind the pulley anyway... If the hole is too small of course you could bore it out...
Yeah, the original pulley has a smaller shaft size, so I was going to take it in to get it bored out. I did some looking and found that the wider pulleys for 10SI alternators aren't too hard to find. I figure I would be better off by getting the right pulley for the alternator, because with my luck, my old pulley probably won't be the correct width. I ordered a new wide belt pulley for $15 (delco part # A203).

Also, the original pulley is 3.75" in diameter, but the delco pulley is 2.5" so that should be better since it will spin faster (and self-excite) for the low rpm engine. Now just as long as the alternator doesn't stick out too far that I can't get the engine side panel back on (I didn't think about that until just now ). :roll:

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Post by KenP » Mon Apr 04, 2011 10:51 am

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tjdub
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Post by tjdub » Fri Apr 08, 2011 10:57 pm

tjdub wrote: Also, the original pulley is 3.75" in diameter, but the delco pulley is 2.5" so that should be better since it will spin faster (and self-excite) for the low rpm engine. Now just as long as the alternator doesn't stick out too far that I can't get the engine side panel back on (I didn't think about that until just now ). :roll:
Well, I got the new pulley. Mounted the alternator and surprise, surprise, it sticks out about 1/4" too far for me to put the side panel back on :cry:

I guess there's no way forward except to find a bigger pulley or a shorter belt. No matter what I do to the mount, the alternator is still going to be sitting out from the engine too far with the belt I have. It looks like the Motorola alternator that was on there is not original. I'm not sure if the pulley was or not. I see that Deere used two different fan belts (50.5" and 51") so I guess there were different pulley sizes used depending on serial number. The earliest serial numbers had 50.5", then they went to 51", then back to 50.5" the only way I'm going to find out how long mine is will be to measure. I'm pretty sure that a belt that's half an inch shorter than the one I have will still fit. Fan belt needs replacement anyway, so I guess that's the path I'll be taking.

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