Alternator swap

[Hamilton172]

I need a new alternator as my Jeep did not come with one when I bought it... I have seen people swap the original for a higher output model. What would be a good choice? Internal or external regulator. I think internal would be nice, but not sure. I have found a few.

Option 1
NAPA AUTO PARTS

Option 2
NAPA AUTO PARTS

Let me know what you think.. Any input is appreciated

 

[Hedgehog]

Hmmmmmm, is it really a swap if your Jeep doesn't already have an alternator?

I recently had my alternator burn out a regulator, so I took it to a local shop and they rebuilt mine with a single wire regulator. At the time some folks thought it was a good idea, oghtes thought it was a bad idea. After running it for a month I really like the single wire set up. It's clean, it's easy, it's one less wire to worry about.

 

[Torxhead]

I think either one would be fine, but you have to wire the thing up. Are you already set up for the external type regulator? If not go with the upgraded but still outdated internal type. If you have later plans for stuff like fuel injection, I would suggest something larger.

 

[Hamilton172]

I pretty much started from the ground up here. It had no wiring harness when I bought it, so I can do just about anything needed. I would like a simple single wire hookup, makes things a bit easier I guess. No fuel injection in the plans right now. Eventually want to do a diesel swap though, but not for a while.

 

[Torxhead]

Doing a little research a "One wire" alternator does not seem to charge well at a low rpm which is not a good thing when cruising in the dirt&rocks. The Delco Remy SI series is not that great either, but its what the mid to late CJs and early YJs came with. You could obtain a wiring diagram for a CJ with whatever alternator you want if you need to.

 

[Hedgehog]

Yeah, I read the charging at low RPM thing. Mine essentially doesn't charge at starting idle speed, blip the engine once to 1200 rpms and the thing starts to charge @ +14 volts and does not quite, no matter what the RPMs are until you shut it off. Tell me who doesn't blip their engine when starting. As a matter of fact I've been told exactly the opposite, single wire alternators were/are popular on tractors and heavy equipment that rely on low RPM operation.

 

[ThisGuyUKnow]

I pretty much started from the ground up here. It had no wiring harness when I bought it, so I can do just about anything needed. I would like a simple single wire hookup, makes things a bit easier I guess. No fuel injection in the plans right now. Eventually want to do a diesel swap though, but not for a while.

If you do a 4.0 fuel injection swap I have been selling modified harnesses for that. I run the alternator (3 wire ) through the fi harness. Is very clean. I can show you how to do it when the time comes to do so. Our you I can make a harness for you

 

[Torxhead]

If you do a 4.0 fuel injection swap I have been selling modified harnesses for that. I run the alternator (3 wire ) through the fi harness. Is very clean. I can show you how to do it when the time comes to do so. Our you I can make a harness for you

My oem charging system got a lot of help by running the alternator "Sense" wire to the instrument cluster. This prevents the loss of voltage as it passes thru the fusebox. On a cold start up I will get 15 volts throughout the system and it backs down to 14.5 as it warms up.

 

[ThisGuyUKnow]

Doing a little research a "One wire" alternator does not seem to charge well at a low rpm which is not a good thing when cruising in the dirt&rocks. The Delco Remy SI series is not that great either, but its what the mid to late CJs and early YJs came with. You could obtain a wiring diagram for a CJ with whatever alternator you want if you need to.

If you want good charging capabilities at low rpms you should look into a cs style alternator. Alot of people us the cs144 but I prefer the cs133 because it is very close to the oem alternator in size and fits the old bracket alot better.

 

[mstar]

The OP does not give much info or pictures so I will take the liberty to assume he has a stock alternator mount on the 225 Dauntless Buick 225 V6 V-6.The delco 10si alternator is a direct bolt on replacement to the Motorola unit.Discard the regulator and related wiring and hookup the large red wire to the output term. on the delco.You may use either 1 wire or 3 wire depending on if you have a stock indicator charge light or a volt gauge.The 10si is available in 63 amp which is a big improvement over the Motorola.
I have performed this swap on both of my V-6 engines. mike

 

[ThisGuyUKnow]

The OP does not give much info or pictures so I will take the liberty to assume he has a stock alternator mount on the 225 Dauntless Buick 225 V6 V-6.The delco 10si alternator is a direct bolt on replacement to the Motorola unit.Discard the regulator and related wiring and hookup the large red wire to the output term. on the delco.You may use either 1 wire or 3 wire depending on if you have a stock indicator charge light or a volt gauge.The 10si is available in 63 amp which is a big improvement over the Motorola.
I have performed this swap on both of my V-6 engines. mike

It is actually recomended that you run that line to the stud on the solenoid that your battery wire is hooked up to. The reason is that there can be a voltage drop between the output stud on the alternator and the solenoid (the system). That is how it is wired stock if you have an unmolested harness. If someone blew the fusible link then they may have cut it up and just wired it to the back of the alt.

Op I just remembered I have a delco unit sitting in my shop i pulled from my 360. I am pretty sure its the same size as the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l alternator. It is yours if you want it just cover the shipping.

 

[Hamilton172]

The OP does not give much info or pictures so I will take the liberty to assume he has a stock alternator mount on the 225 Dauntless Buick 225 V6 V-6.The delco 10si alternator is a direct bolt on replacement to the Motorola unit.Discard the regulator and related wiring and hookup the large red wire to the output term. on the delco.You may use either 1 wire or 3 wire depending on if you have a stock indicator charge light or a volt gauge.The 10si is available in 63 amp which is a big improvement over the Motorola.
I have performed this swap on both of my V-6 engines. mike

PERFECT! That is the info I was looking for. I do have the stock mount on the engine.

 

[mstar]

It is actually recomended that you run that line to the stud on the solenoid that your battery wire is hooked up to. The reason is that there can be a voltage drop between the output stud on the alternator and the solenoid (the system). That is how it is wired stock if you have an unmolested harness. If someone blew the fusible link then they may have cut it up and just wired it to the back of the alt.

Op I just remembered I have a delco unit sitting in my shop i pulled from my 360. I am pretty sure its the same size as the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l alternator. It is yours if you want it just cover the shipping.

I guess you interpreted my directions wrong.What I said was to use the existing wire that is the factory wire that goes from the alt. output to the battery term on the solenoid that is mounted on the starter motor.The OP has a Dauntless Buick 225 V6 V-6 if you didn't happen to notice. mike

 

[Hamilton172]

Well I have no wiring harness in it right now, but will be able to do what is needed when it comes time to wire everything up.. I will have a few questions that's for sure. I have a wiring diagram in my manual, and the wires are marked on the harness itself. So hopefully it won't confuse me too much... I have wired motorcycles before but that is only a couple of circuits. Never wired a car from scratch, Should be fun! Thanks for the help thus far all!