Ducellier Alternator Wiring Question

[bluespecial]

My Ducellier alternator starting acting up so I took it to get repaired locally, apparently the regulator had gone bad. When I was removing it two wires broke off (a brown wire and a brown/yellow wire). Since they broke off at the base of the alternator I was unable to figure out which wire went where. I am a little confused by the wiring schematic and I want to make sure I re-install it correctly. Can some someone tell which wire goes where? There is a "L" and a "R+", so one wire plugs into the "L" and the other wire plugs into the "R+" I would appreciate any help, I searched the previous posts but all I can find is info on the Motarola alternator wiring, which I guess is different than the Ducellier.

[Ron]

The NY (Brown/Yellow) wire goes to the "L" (see Workshop Manual, M:18:07)

[David T]

You should not waste any time or money repairing the Ducey alternator. It is undercapacity and will only continue to cause you problems. Upgrade it. There are several options depending on your favorite vender.
David Teitelbaum

[LEVY]

You should not waste any time or money repairing the Ducey alternator. It is undercapacity and will only continue to cause you problems. Upgrade it. There are several options depending on your favorite vender.
David Teitelbaum

He already had his alternator repaired, just in case you don't know, this alternator can be upgraded for higher output.

LEVY

[David T]

The Ducey has a known history of failure. Even if you can upgrade it I doubt it can ever be considered reliable. This advice was not just for the OP but for anyone who reads this thread. When it fails again (probably soon) the OP should not try to repair it. There was a reason DMC very early in production, dumped the Ducey. They quickly realized it was not up to the task.
David Teitelbaum

[LEVY]

The Ducey has a known history of failure. Even if you can upgrade it I doubt it can ever be considered reliable. This advice was not just for the OP but for anyone who reads this thread. When it fails again (probably soon) the OP should not try to repair it. There was a reason DMC very early in production, dumped the Ducey. They quickly realized it was not up to the task.
David Teitelbaum

You are wrong this time!

LEVY

[stevedmc]

Well I agree with him and everyone knows how cheap I am. Replace that thing with a 1991 Saturn S series alternator from Autozone.

[LEVY]

Well I agree with him and everyone knows how cheap I am. Replace that thing with a 1991 Saturn S series alternator from Autozone.

I'm starting to believe that you are an Autozone investor! :hihi:

LEVY

[stevedmc]

I'm starting to believe that you are an Autozone investor! :hihi:

LEVY

No, I just like the nationwide lifetime warranty. I am planning to drive over 2,000 miles during the next 6 days and should my alternator fail, I don't want to wait for a vendor to ship me a part.

13970

[David T]

If you doubt my opinion on the Ducey talk to any rebuilder or any of the Delorean venders. It is a general consensus that if you have a Ducey (even if it is working) you should remove it. Just like if you have the original right, upper muffler bracket you should replace it before it cracks (and it WILL crack!) with an improved one. There are many known defects on a Delorean, the Ducey is just one of them. Go find the article on what happened to Johnny Carson.
David Teitelbaum

[LEVY]

If you doubt my opinion on the Ducey talk to any rebuilder or any of the Delorean venders. It is a general consensus that if you have a Ducey (even if it is working) you should remove it. Just like if you have the original right, upper muffler bracket you should replace it before it cracks (and it WILL crack!) with an improved one. There are many known defects on a Delorean, the Ducey is just one of them. Go find the article on what happened to Johnny Carson.
David Teitelbaum

I do know the problem with this alternator, but I also know it can be improved, I also know you can never accept you are wrong.

David,David, I can assure you, I can upgrade this alternator to produce at least 105 amps. and probably more but more than 105 is not necessary.

LEVY

[Bitsyncmaster]

I would think the current output of an alternator is limited by the wire gauge it was wound with. Now maybe if you rewind it with silver wire you can boost that current.

[LEVY]

I would think the current output of an alternator is limited by the wire gauge it was wound with. Now maybe if you rewind it with silver wire you can boost that current.

You are on the right track, but copper is good enough for this application.

LEVY

[David T]

"I may not always be right but I am NEVER wrong"! Anon

Can a Ducey be customized and made better? Probably, but for most of us it just isn't worth it. About the only reason anyone would want to do it is for originality and Concours judging. It is much cheaper, easier, faster to just upgrade to something else. If the Ducey is so good how come you never hear of anyone removing the Motorola (or anything else for that matter) so they can have a Ducey!
David Teitelbaum

[LEVY]

If you doubt my opinion on the Ducey talk to any rebuilder or any of the Delorean venders. It is a general consensus that if you have a Ducey (even if it is working) you should remove it. Just like if you have the original right, upper muffler bracket you should replace it before it cracks (and it WILL crack!) with an improved one. There are many known defects on a Delorean, the Ducey is just one of them. Go find the article on what happened to Johnny Carson.
David Teitelbaum

If you have a working alternator, why replace it? Unless you want to upgrade with a higher amp. alternator, it would make no sense!

I understand that if your Ducellier alternator failed, you better off replacing it with a Motorola, but replacing a good alternator just because David T said so, I don't think so.


"I may not always be right but I am NEVER wrong"! Anon

Can a Ducey be customized and made better? Probably, but for most of us it just isn't worth it. About the only reason anyone would want to do it is for originality and Concours judging. It is much cheaper, easier, faster to just upgrade to something else. If the Ducey is so good how come you never hear of anyone removing the Motorola (or anything else for that matter) so they can have a Ducey!
David Teitelbaum

Yes, it might not be worth it for you but it can be done, show me how much power your current alternator is producing and I bet I can make a Ducellier alternator beat yours!

Is it much cheaper, easier or faster to upgrade to something else? Probably.


LEVY

[bluespecial]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Well I specifically asked about the wiring because when I received my Ducellier alternator (with new regulator) back I could not get it to work, so I thought I must have have screwed up the wiring. However I did re-wire it correctly. I returned it to my local shop and a week later they still can't get it working so now I have to buy a new one.

I have seen the instructions to install the Motorola 90 amp in the service bulletin book, would the Motorola 140 amp be installed the same way? If I were to buy a Motorola I would also need to buy bracket #110102 as well, correct? Would the alternator from Special T Auto be easier to install?

I wish I would not have messed with trying to get the Ducellier repaired but I was under some pressure from my family to keep the cost down and it was so tempting to have an alternator that would need no modifications, but I guess it wasn't meant to be.

[stevedmc]

If you're trying to keep your costs down the cheapest alternator is an xRef'ed unit from a parts house, which typically comes with a lifetime free replacement warranty.

[David T]

Call your favorite vendor. Yes, you do have to replace some bracketry and you will need to modify the wiring slightly. I think the belt also has to be replaced. The 90 may be all you need. Have the battery load-tested and fully charged before you install the new alternator. If the battery is over 5 years old just replace it. Going to an X-Ref part from a place like AutoZone is a cheaper way to do it but they can't help you with the bracketry or the wiring. If you know what you are doing and can fab up some simple parts it is cheaper but if you need support patronize one of the Delorean venders.
David Teitelbaum

[bluespecial]

Thanks for the heads up on replacing the belt also. The battery is less than two years old and is fully charged. I don't have the skills to be be making major modifications to the alternator, so buying one with the least amount of wiring and bracket changing would be best.

I don't think I need the additional amps of the the 140 but to buy the 90 amp at delorean.com the website says I need to have a core, and I don't have a Motorola 90 amp to send back.