Plug in to alternator replacement/fix ?

[JIMJAM]

Bat light was flashing during accel suspected loose belt. Tightened it and noticed bat light no loner on when key in ign and V was very low. Went to look at the belt again and saw a loose wire hanging tan/white iirc. All the wiring looks bad but this I suspect went into a plug that goes into one of John's alts. I dug out all the black silcon I could to expose a very old looking thingamajig and a broken off connector.

I really did not stare at the loose wire so I do not know how many conductors are in it. The rough looking thingamajig that I suspect the wire broke off of looks like its just one.

So questions are can and where can I find that plug that goes into the alternator and b, should I just resolder the wire back to it and refill it.

Btw- I have always had wonky alt issues,voltage fluctuations etc so I just assume replace it. Any help,advice welcomed and Thanks ahead of time. Jim

[dn010]

Yep, happened to me too. The wire broke down in the silicone, there is a resister or similar component he solders down in there. I had to pay up another $13 or $15 for another plug....

[JIMJAM]

Is it just one wire? I could easily,well Delorean easy, resolder the wire to it and fill it back in. But if its 2 or more wires and I have no clue what goes to what then I will cough up the money.

[DMCMW Dave]

You only need the one wire, the replacement you buy will have all 4. Just cut the rest off, don't worry about the resistor mod.

Universal GM alternator plug, Autozone/Oreilly/NAPA will have it.

[JIMJAM]

Hey Dave long time.:D So just solder the wire back to where it broke off/refill?
The good ol fixing one problem leads to another. I did my best by myself to tighten the belt. Let me get it back the way it was and try again. Least I hope its a loose belt. I have noticed the voltage readout being a little low. Also the bat is showing less than 11 so it has not been charging.
This is one of those sealed expensive batteries and I have never had to trickle charge it or ran it down.

[dn010]

Yes just solder the wire back from where it broke. Unfortunately I didn't know about not needing any resistor, the leg broke off of mine so I couldn't solder- so I paid up. Once you're done fill it back up with RTV and plug it back in.

As far as the belt, are you hearing noise when accelerating? I can tell you that all my D### alternators from specialT have chatter from what I'm guessing are the magnets inside, it squeals really loud and the voltage drops until the engine gets warm. When the noise happens the volts go down, when the noise is gone it charges. It isn't the belt, I've visually confirmed that and I've complained about this numerous times with no fix just replacements... Maybe you've got the same problem...

[JIMJAM]

All of a sudden I noticed the v needle was not charging or straight across but slight discharging. Then I noticed it dipping into "oh crap" territory. I do not trust that gauge at all so I payed it no real panic level attention. Then on one of the rare times I have driven the car in rain I noticed last week the battery light flickering. Wet belt slipping no biggie. Yesterday after being dry for 3 days I could rev it up and it would come on and go off when I released the pedal. Ok,I am convinced slipping belt. Well I tried to tighten it and I then noticed the wire after starting the car and seeing a almost zero V charge and no bat light with the ign on. Thats when i noticed the broken wire.
I have never just fixed one issue so there is no telling what I may run into. I am going to solder it back on,attempt to tighten the belt again and see what happens.

I spent a small fortune with special T when I got the car but have not bought anything from him in 2 years. Are things about the same as they always were there? I have been out of the loop for a few years and have not kept up with whats been going on in the Delorean world.

[dn010]

I've ordered odds and ends from John in the past few months with no issues. I think it was cooling hoses and a rack boot kit.

In order to confirm a slipping belt I actually stood there at the engine revving it by hand and saw the belt wasn't slipping with the noise. I seem to be odd man out with the issue so maybe my car has some kind of oddity in its charging system.

Fix the wire, check your belt tension and give it a test run, see what happens.

[JIMJAM]

Its been a loooong time but I originally had his super dooper high amp alternator that was defective. I see now where he suggest its for highway use :rolleyes1: If you have that one I would get rid of it. I just saw where dmc wants $700 plus for the original alts. I gave 2 of them away. One that the orig owner had as part of his old parts and the one that was still on it. First thing I did was get rid of the orig Duc alt and got one of johns. Gave away the other 2 relics rather than carry them back from Atlanta.
The D is a electrical nightmare and I have pretty much well replaced everything on the car that either electricity flows though or gas does. Seriously. After 8-9 yrs i still have not gotten rid of all the bugs. The alt regardless of whats in there has always been flakey. Same with the ignition. I have never ran a battery down or been standed but seeing a discharge is like watching a high temp or oil light. It just bothers you like a thorn in your foot. I have all the mods but still with all the acc on, fans,high beams,AC etc, the V needle sags enough to make you get nervous. The further away from home or the darker it is the more it irks me.

I have had 3 back surgeries and a 4th in the next 3 months. If I cannot tighten or replace a alt belt its time to sell the car. Its getting harder and harder to lay on the floor and even worse when these 30 minute jobs go on for 3 hours if not a week if you need parts.

[JIMJAM]

BTW- I guess its a good time to ask what is this gizmo and what happens if it is bad or acting up? I have seen what happens when it is not hooked up. But what about if its going bad? I would rather not do this 2 or 3x which has usually been how things end up being done with this car.

[dn010]

I've had 3 of his D-### alternators in the past, and right now I have 2 of them still. I have the D-140 installed in my D and I put the other alternator (I think it's a D120) in my '57 Cadillac to get rid of the generator. The one in the Cadillac is fine but the one in my D is noisy, so I don't know. My D is definitely not used on highways so that is good to know about the alternator - thanks. I do have the original Motorola alternator somewhere among my parts stack in New York but it's got a fried regulator.

Try to fix the wire in the plug - I do not know why there is an electrical component [I'm suspecting a resistor] soldered in there - I guess that is a question for John. My guess is you had a weak or damaged connection/wire giving you the flashing light and it finally just broke away. Once you fix the plug drive it over to a shop to have them adjust the belt tension if you can't get under the car.

I've heard horror stories of electrical issues from some owners, and none from others. I've gone through all my wiring, installed a main ground bus going from the front of the car to the back, routinely made sure all my connections are clean, tight and I've not had any major problems so I guess I'm lucky. If you've got bad grounds, dirty bulkhead plugs etc then you'll have multiple problems. These connections and components are old, they really need to be looked at from time to time. I knew someone in NY who had multiple engine problems. I took one bulkhead connection off and nothing but green dust came out with it. Cleaned all the plugs and then the engine ran like a champ.

If you were closer to Tampa I'd offer to help you out with fixing your D up, maybe there is someone closer who is willing...

- Dan B.

[JIMJAM]

I have a good friend N of ATL in the mountains who I usually visit every few years and spend a week or so. I usually wait until its to cold or to hot and put it off another 6 months. He live on top of a mountain with the last 17 miles having some 100+ turns so when the car is acting up I get nervous about going up there. Basically excuses for me not going up there.
I am tempted to order another because if a issue is still there I will always wonder about this part. But with John my experience is to flip a coin. It could be here in a week or 3 months. Call and you could get nice informative john who will talk your head off or "I am the only one here" and you keep bothering me, I am trying to work stressed out John.

I am not a electronics expert but do build quad copters and been in rc helicopters for 30 yrs. The pill looking resistor or whatever inside the silicon looks chalky white. Could be normal or but it just does not look good especially to be buried in silicon and not exposed to the elements. Guess it will not hurt to see what happens so I may do so and go ahead and order one.

I really appreciate the offer to help. There is only one other D owner and mech in my area but he was told by his wife she was sick of him spending so much time with the Delorean and so now he only maintains his.

[JIMJAM]

How many amps are running through this wire?
I tried to put a crimp on it and the end piece where he had solder to it snapped off. I am left with just a small wire just barely enough to either get a barrel crimp on or solder a wire to it. But if its got some juice running through it I do not trust just wire to wire solder. Not enough wire to wrap and solder. I wanna put a small barrel crimp on it and then run another wire to the existing one from the car.

[Bitsyncmaster]

How many amps are running through this wire?
I tried to put a crimp on it and the end piece where he had solder to it snapped off. I am left with just a small wire just barely enough to either get a barrel crimp on or solder a wire to it. But if its got some juice running through it I do not trust just wire to wire solder. Not enough wire to wrap and solder. I wanna put a small barrel crimp on it and then run another wire to the existing one from the car.

Very little current runs in that wire. Less than 1 amp so any connection should be fine since you will "pot" it with something that holds the wire from breaking if pulled.

[dn010]

The best thing to do is to remove the whole metal connector from the plastic plug and work on it that way. Otherwise if you don't want to mess with it, take it out and go to a parts store and ask them for a new pigtail connector, GM as Dave mentioned earlier. Compare it to what you have and you'll be set, bring it home, splice it in and be done with it.

I believe the most amps the alternator provides goes through the main, large power wire at the back of the alternator - not the plug.

[JIMJAM]

Hey old friend! :smile: Wondering when you would chime in. I just made the connectors and put some solder in them.Together with crimping these suckers aint coming off. While I am numbed up and down there I am going to go ahead and look over the connections.
I am hoping the belt was slipping so once I gt this back on and tighten the belt I hope it solves it. Back with the results later.

[WelmoedJ]

Reading you having a lot of electrical gremlins tormenting you, I wonder if you ever have taken the time to check all ground connections.
Not only those for the battery, but also those in the relay compartment and all other places devices are having a lead to ground (even not close to the device).

Using info from Dave M I have been able to get a rock solid Voltage meter reading in the 13.8 to 14.2 Volts.
Involved in this were the grounds of the Inertia Switch (new thicker ground wire), the ground wires in the relay compartment.
Cleaned all the contacts of the connectors in the engine bay (near the coil and of all of the engine bay wiring).

I only have not yet done the battery wiring, but what I noticed on John H's website, his ground wire lost contact with the connector due to breaking soldering.

Perhaps this may help you find at least one of the gremlins.

Good luck,

Welmoed.

[JIMJAM]

Well add this to the 3 ft thick book of things to check on your malfunctioning Delorean. On the SpecialT alts if that wire is broken,loose it can have symptoms like a loose belt.This wire breaking. IMO it was already loose at the solder and probably being hidden and held together by the black silicon he packs it with. The wires were breaking contact when I reved it up. When I tried to tighten the belt,I did not break it but simply finished the job. Had it not fell out and been so obvious, it would have driven us crazy troubleshooting it.


Bat light ON with ign on. Strong + charge on the gauge. Something rarely seen. And "knock on huge solid thick piece of real wood,not particle board" the bat light is not flashing when I rev it up.
True test later when I take the D out for a spin.

Welmoed. I am the clean the grounds KING :evilgrin: I am going to have CLEAN THE GROUNDS tattooed across my forehead. On the prevous dmctalk I guestimated "clean the grounds were mentioned in 400+ post of mine. My problem is everytime I poke around the relays and fuses something stops working or acts up so I do not dare venture near it unless the car is doa. Thats my advice to the Delorean newbie. If its working do NOT mess with it. Do not do preventive maintenance unless you are prepared to have the car down for a month and a few grand laying around. Like digging though your gf or wife's diary you might not like what you find and probably will. Same with the D. I know that goes against what most say but drive the car when you can.
My main issue that the best of the best have not solved is I have a ign issue that pops up from time to time. You turn the key. Nothing.. Then its no % or 2nd or 3rd but it ALWAYS will start you just do not know when. By start I mean the ign is dead. No buzzz, no nothing. Then you turn the key and it starts. Never left me stranded but more of a pita and a embarassment. The larger the crowd the greater the chance it will act up.

[lindbergh]

For those of you with the original Ducy alternator: My tip is if you ever replace it with a one-wire alternator, do not cut the old Ducy plug off. Instead connect the one wire from the new alternator to the old plug yellow/brown wire via a spade connector in the old plug (this goes to the 'alt light' part of the circuit). Then use a 1k resistor (.25 watt is fine) with another spade connector on the brown wire of the old plug to bridge the two wires. This will allow the alternator to charge if the light bulb ever burns out (just like the Ducy now). Replace the bulb at your convenience, as opposed to when the battery goes dead.

[David T]

For those of you with the original Ducy alternator: My tip is if you ever replace it with a one-wire alternator, do not cut the old Ducy plug off. Instead connect the one wire from the new alternator to the old plug yellow/brown wire via a spade connector in the old plug (this goes to the 'alt light' part of the circuit). Then use a 1k resistor (.25 watt is fine) with another spade connector on the brown wire of the old plug to bridge the two wires. This will allow the alternator to charge if the light bulb ever burns out (just like the Ducy now). Replace the bulb at your convenience, as opposed to when the battery goes dead.

On cars (not just Deloreans) that have a lot of problems with alternators, more often than not, the problem is the car, not the alternators. You have to make sure the alternator is lined up straight and square so the belt runs true, the mounts and hardware firmly secure the alternator, all of the wiring is secure and you have good, clean, solid connections. Of course all of the wiring has to be correctly hooked up and working. Same goes for the battery. It has to be good and all of the connections must be clean and tight. A bad battery can make a good alternator look bad and can even kill a good alternator. Anyone still using the Ducey should seriously consider removing it and getting something better. Another tip that can help prolong the life of the battery AND the alternator is to use a Battery Tender to keep the battery fully charged. That way the alternator doesn't have to work so hard charging a chronically low battery. When a car is not used regularly the battery is usually undercharged.

[JIMJAM]

These problems still exist today. How long has Ford been making cars? I gave in down back in 2006 and bought a brand new 2006 GT with all the fixins as a impulse buy. Fun,fast and I liked its retro looks. Problem is every 3-5 days if I do not drive it the battery runs slap to zero. I have killed 2 batteries doing this. Its only got 10 thousand miles on it so you can see i rarely drive it.
Anyways went online and others with my same year and model,GT Premium have this issue. The forums were full of maybe this ,maybe that,alarm leak,stereo leak,basically anything electrical was suspect. So I emailed Ford and after a few weeks was surprised to see a email from Ford's head of the division that deals with electrical issues. THE guy who probably designed or at least had a large influence in its design. His response to my battery running down after sitting for only a few days?
"Drive the car more often."

And while you are here. Problems come in bunches. My trusty 20 yr old charger bought from when Sears had good stuff died. I need a good quality charger with a good trickle capability. No aerospace digital readouts and a dozen menus but just a good old fashion well made charger that I can leave hooked up to keep the batteries peaked.
Any suggestions?

[David T]

These problems still exist today. How long has Ford been making cars? I gave in down back in 2006 and bought a brand new 2006 GT with all the fixins as a impulse buy. Fun,fast and I liked its retro looks. Problem is every 3-5 days if I do not drive it the battery runs slap to zero. I have killed 2 batteries doing this. Its only got 10 thousand miles on it so you can see i rarely drive it.
Anyways went online and others with my same year and model,GT Premium have this issue. The forums were full of maybe this ,maybe that,alarm leak,stereo leak,basically anything electrical was suspect. So I emailed Ford and after a few weeks was surprised to see a email from Ford's head of the division that deals with electrical issues. THE guy who probably designed or at least had a large influence in its design. His response to my battery running down after sitting for only a few days?
"Drive the car more often."

And while you are here. Problems come in bunches. My trusty 20 yr old charger bought from when Sears had good stuff died. I need a good quality charger with a good trickle capability. No aerospace digital readouts and a dozen menus but just a good old fashion well made charger that I can leave hooked up to keep the batteries peaked.
Any suggestions?

This problem of standby drain has become a big issue on modern cars. With all of the computers running even when the car is "off", if the car is not used regularly the starting battery can be drained so much that the car won't start. My parents bought a Jaguar, drove it home and went on a 2 week trip. When they got home the car was so flat the dealer had to tow the car back, put a new battery in it and reprogram everything to get it to work again. You can't leave your new car in long-term parking at the airport and expect it to work when you get back. One of the better chargers is the Battery Tender but there are several on the market, many with just 1 or 2 LED's to tell you what it is doing. They are MUCH better than the older technology because they will adjust themselves, reducing the charging current as the battery gets fully charged. I do not recommend leaving them connected continuously. If there is ANY AC leakage it is disastrous. One day every 2 weeks is plenty to keep things charged enough. For a Delorean 1 day every month is enough. I recently bought a Porsche for my wife. The dealer offered to sell me a charger to use if we travel a lot. Guess what, all the cars in the showroom had a trickle charger on them! I wonder why!

[Bitsyncmaster]

The part in John's alternator plug is a 6.8 ohm resistor. Looks like a one watt resistor. I am guessing John puts that resistor into the plug to limit the current if someone connects the wire to 12 volts without a light bulb to limit current. My plug also had another pin on the end position but was not connected to anything. Looks like a red wire was crimped into that extra pin but was cut off.

I just cut off John's plug and installed the DMCH plug supplied with the new alternator. I will cover the back side of that new plug with RTV to keep water out of the connector.

[DeLorean937]

I'm having the same issue with my car as well. The securing clip that holds the harness/plug broke on my old connector so I went and purchased the GM connector that was mentioned earlier in this post. But I'm confused on which of the 4 wires to connect to the car. It seems the like the system is charging around 14.2v when idling, but no battery light comes on when turning the key to the second position then to on. I have the instrument cluster out and replaced the battery bulb with the correct replacement. Still no light. When I meter it out on the printed circuit, it meters between 10.1v-12v on both sides of the battery light socket. ?

[Ron]

When I meter it out on the printed circuit, it meters between 10.1v-12v on both sides of the battery light socket. ?Sounds like you have the NY (Brown/Yellow) wire connected to the wrong place -- It goes on the alternator terminal marked "L". (Then one side of the bulb's socket will show ground). If there is no "L", it goes on the one marked "F"...all depends on the type of alternator.

[DeLorean937]

I have DAP D120 alternator. Tried switching between L and F on the plug and the result is the same, system charges no light. When I pull the lead out the car drop in voltage and wants to die.


Sounds like you have the NY (Brown/Yellow) wire connected to the wrong place -- It goes on the alternator terminal marked "L". (Then one side of the bulb's socket will show ground). If there is no "L", it goes on the one marked "F"...all depends on the type of alternator.

[Ron]

Can you still get to the Batt Light to measure the two socket connections??

You can test the light circuit by turning the key to "Run", unplugging the N/Y wire and grounding it. This should make the light come on. (Just in case- LED bulbs do not work here). But I don't suggest you try it yet since you say you have 12V on both sides of the bulb socket...something is wrong!

If you can still get to the socket, unplug the N/Y wire at the alternator, remove the bulb, turn the key to "Run" and see if you still have voltage on both sides. If so, note one side of the socket goes to the Oil, Fuel, Brake and lights, and, the Oil Gauge. This side should have power now. The other side should not have power. It should be connected to the N/Y wire only (via trace #7). It is somehow connected to a power source which needs to be removed.

Once you find and repair the short/miswire/??, replace the bulb and perform the other test above. If now OK, turn the key to "OFF", plug the N/Y wire back in and see if the light comes on with the key and goes out after starting the engine.

You might want to get another pigtail from John -- IIRC he has a resistor/diode to help protect the alternator/regulator.....

Be very careful working with the light socket -- The printed circuit is not very forgiving. You can burn a trace out in an instant!

Let us know.....