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73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Performance => Topic started by: dieselman123 on January 23, 2015, 05:20:49 pm
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OK guys I need your help again. I lucked up on a serpentine setup for 80 bucks and it includes everything. My question is about the alternator. The factory alternator has one wire. The new one has a plug. Not for sure how to wire alt up. Been reading topics but they are unclear. The new alt sits on the driver side instead of the pass. Can anyone shed some light one this for me and maybe some pics to help me with this swap. It's going in a 83 c10 Silverado base with a vortec headed 355 sbc. Also I'm thinking of the electric fan conversion and was wondering get how do I tighten the water pump pulley. Was thinking of getting some washers and using the factory supplied nuts and tighten her down. Any advice would be greatly appreciated
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The big heavy wire with the 10mm nut (wrench size, not thread) goes to the battery. The small wire hooks to a circuit that is live only when the ignition switch is in the run position.
-don't hook the alternator power wire to the accessory circuit or it will run your battery dead when you are just listening to the radio.
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So pretty much run the wire to the fuse panel slot were its hot while the engine is running.
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Yup.
And if your original alternator was a one wire set up just connect that wire to the new alternator's threaded terminal.
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The big heavy wire with the 10mm nut (wrench size, not thread) goes to the battery. The small wire hooks to a circuit that is live only when the ignition switch is in the run position.
-don't hook the alternator power wire to the accessory circuit or it will run your battery dead when you are just listening to the radio.
You can also run the alternator to the junction block where everything else hooks up.
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OK thanks for all your input. Any advice on the water pump pulley. Not gonna use a clutch fan. Switching over to electric
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You can use studs and nuts for the water pump if you want. I went to home Depot and got some nice Allen head bolts so it looks a little cleaner.
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OK I got the serpentine setup but the alternator has a 3 prong plug on it. Going to the salvage yard to get the plug but how do I wire it up. Here are the pics of the alternator please help.
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What is the allure of the serpentine setup?
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What do you mean allure
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Dieselman, the alternator plug should be available at the local auto parts store or dealer.
Srozell, the allure is the all around simplicity of the serpentine system.
With 3 belts, you have multiple pulleys of various sizes and numbers or tracks. Some pulleys have 1 track, some have 2 tracks, some have 3. Each belt has to be individually tightened, that itself can be tricky also, too tight and it can snap, too loose and it can slip. At least 1 belt has to be removed to tighten or change the others. There are also many brackets involved with the whole system.
With a serpentine system there is 1 belt. Each pulley has 1 track. Tightening the belt is done with a tensioner. All you have to do is put the belt on and release the tensioner, to change it, you pull the tensioner back and remove the belt. The tensioner keeps constant even pressure on the belt at all times, keeping it always tightened proper. There are only 2 main brackets holding all of the accessories and you can use bypass pulleys for accessories that aren't installed. The most common being a bypass for the ac compressor and smog air pump.
Also a serpentine system is much more aesthetically pleasing.
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Thanks Ltz c20, you really cleared everything up
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Yeah, it definitely looks cleaner.
They make me nervous though as I've seen otherwise perfectly good trucks down for the count because the AC froze up and destroyed the belt.
I was googling it after asking the question, and it seems that you can only add a supercharger if you have a serpentine system, so I guess I'll have to relent and get one as well.
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i took my alt to a shop where he changed some things in it. it now turns on at only a couple hundred rpms so if i need to i can take it off and put it on a tractor or another motor with very little problems. he also made it a true one wire and plugged the port for the plug so it doesnt need a "signal" or anything to turn on again this makes it work just by spinning it. and gave it a wire for a ground signal so i can set it up for making a tach signal
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Nice Irish.
Your welcome Dieselman.
Srozell, this true. I don't have a supercharger, but I do have a serpentine setup and electric fans. It looks SOOO much cleaner. Your right about shredding a belt, but if you don't have money for a new compressor you can get the bypass pulley.
My compressor actually did that while I had the hood up one nite, I caught it and stopped it before it did any real damage. I could still drive the truck and got a new belt the next day, also unplugged the compressor lol.
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Make sure you have the correct rotation water pump for your setup
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but if you don't have money for a new compressor you can get the bypass pulley.
The money isn't so much the issue, as being disabled out in the bush. Out here the woods will kill you if you're not prepared, and cell service is rarely an option.
Carrying a back-up belt doesn't do you any good if you have a component seized up.
I'm not sure what a bypass pulley is. I'll have to look that up.
Perhaps I sound overly paranoid, but I like to learn from others mistakes, and I don't ever want to be "that guy" that had to be rescued.... and I want a supercharger...
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I assure you serpentine setups are not as unreliable as you might think. They are very reliable, that's why most modern vehicles from 85 or so and up all use them.
A bypass pulley is just a bracket that mounts where the missing component would go with a bearing and pulley on it. The pulley is the same as what would be on the missing component. A new compressor for my truck is about 250 bucks, to bypass pulley is 30 bucks.
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What about the factory alternator if it had the one big 10mm wire and a two wire plug just in case others might have the same question but different factory alt. How do you wire the same serpentine alt. With the plug with one wire into the system if you have the factory alt with the two wire flat plug??? Thanks in advance and I'm pretty sure this will help someone out. Just a thought!!!
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My truck had the alternator with a 2 terminal spade type connector and the charge back wire at the back. You can get a plug from a dealer or I think auto parts stores for the serpentine alt. Then I just used the wiring diagrams for both types of trucks and cut the old plug off and wire the new one in matching the wires to their position. Obviously the charge back wire at the stud on the back goes at the same place on both alternators.
It's been so long since I did that lol, you made me have to think how I did it. I think that's right.
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Glad you remembered I was a thought that came to mind and pretty sure your answer will help someone
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I'm glad I remembered too. At first I thought uh oh! But it started to come back to me. If I think of anything different I'll let ya know.
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The adapter falls under MANY MANY different part names. I just put a CS140 into my truck and had to buy the adapter myself.
Adapters:
Non-resistor adapters:
- AC Delco: 8077
- NAPA: ECHEC80
Resistor adapters:
- AC Delco: 8078
- NAPA: ECHEC82
I then wired in a new 8g feed wire from alternator to the battery.