Topic: GM Alt install problems - 83 toy

[83Toyota88]

Alright guys I am having problems with the cs 144 alt  install I did my 83 pickup and really need some help. The truck starts fine and hits high/warm-up idle but it never quits when the engine temp gets warm. The charge light and brake light are both staying on and the battery has less voltage after the truck is started. Im pretty certain the alternator is wired up correctly. From the voltage regulator harness I used the red for ignition and yellow for the charge light circuit. And for the "sense" I ran it straight to the battery post. Triple-checked all this in my FSM and seems right. Now when the key is turned to the ignition position but no engine on I get voltage on the sense and ignition wires but none on the charge wire. I would chalk all this up to a bad battery or bad alt but the idle thing makes me wonder otherwise. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[steveco.]

you removed the voltage reg right?  and your doing a 3 wire install?  cause the extra white wire is the sense. then wire up a seperate 4ga wire with a 150-175 amp fuse. that should be carrying the charge from the alt. to the bat. 

[83Toyota88 [OP]]

you removed the voltage reg right?  and your doing a 3 wire install?  cause the extra white wire is the sense. then wire up a seperate 4ga wire with a 150-175 amp fuse. that should be carrying the charge from the alt. to the bat.

Yes I removed the voltage regualtor and its a 3-wire alt. I seem to have it working now. I had to wire the red wire (ignition) from the voltage regulator harness to the "L" terminal. I found a note in a paper that says the alt will not excite without voltage present on "L". I thought that the "F" terminal was the excite terminal but apparently its not. I have the "S" terminal still to the battery and nothing on the "F" and "P" terminals. Still have to wire my charge circuit into this to make the batt and brake dash lights go off.

[83Toyota88 [OP]]

Got a new problem now. None of the back lighting in the dash works and the red part of the tail lights isnt working... Reverse lights and turn signals still work though.

[steveco.]

fuse? or blown bulbs

[mudmaster]

I'm working on this now except I'm using a GM 10SI. Did you get it figured out?

[83Toyota88 [OP]]

As far as the charge light circuit I keep a switched 12V to it to keep the light off. Still keeps the brake lights functional with the parking brake.

The problem with dash and tail lights was I removed the 10 gauge white wire that was on the battery because I thought it came straight from the alternator to the battery, but it actually feeds power to other stuff so I re-connected it.