• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Tuff Stuff One Wire (1-wire) Alternator: Install Help Please

watermelon

Well-Known Member
Local time
4:03 PM
Joined
Sep 7, 2010
Messages
1,507
Reaction score
2,060
Location
main street, usa
Hi All,

I have a Tuff Stuff 9509REDP one wire 130amp alternator coming in soon.

I see that the new one wire alt only has a connection to ground and one to the battery. That sounds simple enough.

My current setup has a connection to the FLD side on my voltage regulator going to one side of the Alt. What happens to this wire and the voltage regulator?

Any help is appreciated.


watermelon

View attachment 602047 2B137CF2-9EAD-4581-A189-47252E830154.jpeg A3FCC4BD-6DD2-4F21-82F7-2DBD002D6554.jpeg View attachment 602050 494DAA60-F4E1-41E4-A20F-660A21E55855.jpeg 0AE5286E-8534-4DB9-9A7F-1F969B282664.jpeg
 
A one wire alternator has it's own built in regulator so the voltage regulator is no longer needed along with any extra wires to the alternator. You will need to bump up the wire size for the alternator to handle the 130 amps as well. I rewired my whole car with an aftermarket harness so I'd have to look deeper into it to know exactly what else will need done but I don't think you'll want that 130 amps running threw the a ammeter either plus I'm sure there will be some redirecting that's needed. Myself, I'd run the alt wire to the battery and use a voltmeter. If nobody chimes in I'll look into it.
 
Last edited:
the REAL ONLY difference on the "one wire" alts using the stock look unit is the Regulator was moved from the firewall and mounted on alt housing ( the square piece visible on pic attached to it ). That's all. those regulators are available around to become your existant alt also on a "one wire" setup. They are based on dual field alts though.

with this mounted on regulator, you'll simply will be not using any of the wires arriving to the firewall regulator, allong with the green wire arriving to the alt on existant harness. the blue wire arriving to stock reg needs to be isolated since is a key source. The green wire can be left there since once is disconnected from regulator doesn't get any signal throught
 
Last edited:
thanks for the replies all

i did ohm out the wire on the left side of the firewall voltage reg to the alt just to be sure i know where both ends are - i will disconnect at both ends

for the two wires on the right side of the firewall voltage reg, do i just unhook the black connector and call it done?

fyi - i am running an MSD distributor, MSD box, MSD coil on a 440c.u., MSD Atomic Efi - i am using the Atomic for battery voltages, ammeter was bypassed (i know how Nacho feels about bypassing ammeters from reading various thread )

i have a heavy gauge positive battery wire to run directly from battery to new alt when it comes in



thanks again,

watermelon

09FF3327-F1B9-4893-99E7-F358F38C7CEA.jpeg
 
This is the regulator used on the "one wire alt" conversion. Is just a reg mounted on the same stock kind alt. Getting this piece can be used on any setup to be "converted" on one wire alt. Can't talk about quality and performance thought.

https://store.alternatorparts.com/partnod7018.aspx

As mentioned, wires arriving to firewall reg won't hurt. The blue wire becomes on a keyed positive source ( which already is from factory ) that can be hanging around since its isolated with the plug. The green wire is the reg output to alt field. Being the reg dissabled, will be simple a wire hanging around without any kind of signal. Tape it to the harness o remove it if you want.


About the amm bypass, nothing to say.

Don't remove the black wire running through bulkhead. If you are gonna make the straight path between alt and batt, you are done with that. If you remove the stock black wire at bulkhead will be a big mistake, because that is the source to feed all the car at main splice inside the cab. Check for terminals conditions thought.
 
Last edited:
ok. thanks. i will probably remove output wire of firewall reg to the original alt. i’ll leave the rest as is on the firewall reg.

thanks again.


watermelon
 
installed n wired up. getting 14.2ish at battery when engine running. that should keep the Optima happy.

thanks again.


watermelon
 
Tagging onto this post in hopes that someone picks it up again. I have a similar issue in that I am using an aftermarket harness and a GM 1-wire alternator on my dodge sweptline. What I am trying to figure out is how to wire the GM alternator with the existing starter relay, Megafuse block (came with the wire harness) and the starter. Admittedly, I am not an auto electric guy. I need a 3rd graders drawing or a detailed description of how all this is connected and I really don't want to burn up anything. I guess I really just need to know where I drop the starter relay back into the loop? Any help is much appreciated! Reference the diagram form the aftermarket harness below. Thank You!

relay_wiring.JPG
 
I like the one wire Alt my son bought for his Dart. Its from Power Master and it has no regulator outside or bolted on the back of it. Its an internal regulator and its a 100 amp alt. It works great on his car. I don't remember what he paid but I think it was between $120 to $160. We also ran a new larger charge wire from the Alt to the battery but one thing to remember is even if you put a 200 amp alt on your car if you change nothing else the alt is only going to put out the amps to feed the electrical units on the car and keep the battery charged. So if the draw on your car is say 20 amps and then maybe 40 amps with headlites on high and heater/AC blower on high that 200 amp alt will only put the 20 to 40 amps out to supply the cars electrical system since it draws no more and with a good battery it will put maybe 5 amps into battery to keep it charged. The only time it may put out more then your old alt did is if the battery goes dead and you hot shot the car then it will put out more to charge the battery or if you added any electrical options to the car. So if you have not added any options to your car you don't have to rewire the whole car. The only effected wires will be the charging back to the battery with a low battery and if its a stock old muscle car that will do that through the firewall and the amp gauge which you can change so that causes no problems. The alt no matter how much it can put out will only put out what the car and battery will need. Ron

414256028.jpg
 
Tagging onto this post in hopes that someone picks it up again. I have a similar issue in that I am using an aftermarket harness and a GM 1-wire alternator on my dodge sweptline. What I am trying to figure out is how to wire the GM alternator with the existing starter relay, Megafuse block (came with the wire harness) and the starter. Admittedly, I am not an auto electric guy. I need a 3rd graders drawing or a detailed description of how all this is connected and I really don't want to burn up anything. I guess I really just need to know where I drop the starter relay back into the loop? Any help is much appreciated! Reference the diagram form the aftermarket harness below. Thank You!

View attachment 896270


You don't have to change anything with the one wire alt. Just run the right size wire from the alt output to the battery. If you run a voltmeter in the car or truck then all you do is the one wire from the alt to the battery. You don't have to change anything to do with the starter or anything else unless you feel you need to update some wiring. Ron
 
Internal regulator into the old case? I’d like to see that some day!


Your looking at it. I will get a better pic of the back today as the eng is out of the car and the alt is on the bench so I can get a good pic of it today. Ron

414256028.jpg
 
Here is a few more pics of the one wire with internal regulator Mopar Alt. Ron
414376424.jpg
 
This is sort of similar to GM's alternator with the internal regulator except the brush connections are visible. In GM's system, rotor power was derived from the internal diode trio via the internal connections to the brush holders. The output of the diode trio went to the internal regulator module. The diode trio was totally independent of the 3 phase full wave bridge assembly which is the main DC output supply source. The intetnal regulator controls the rotor's field DC voltage which inturn controls the alternators output VOLTAGE. CURRENT is limited by the field windings IMPEDANCE (AC resistance) and the capacity of the 3 phase diode bridge. Just thought you might like to know how it works...
BOB RENTON
 
This is sort of similar to GM's alternator with the internal regulator except the brush connections are visible. In GM's system, rotor power was derived from the internal diode trio via the internal connections to the brush holders. The output of the diode trio went to the internal regulator module. The diode trio was totally independent of the 3 phase full wave bridge assembly which is the main DC output supply source. The intetnal regulator controls the rotor's field DC voltage which inturn controls the alternators output VOLTAGE. CURRENT is limited by the field windings IMPEDANCE (AC resistance) and the capacity of the 3 phase diode bridge. Just thought you might like to know how it works...
BOB RENTON


Yes that's right as I do know how it works as back in the 70's around 1975 I got an Oldsmobile service manual which has a great breakdown of just how it works and it even explains which transisters do what in the internal reg and the diode trio on the GM style with internal reg also turned the dash alt lite out as once it started charging as it put battery volts on one side of the alt lite so that both sides of the alt lite in the dash had battery volts to it when running and it put the alt lite out. Thanks , Ron
 
well I can see wires inside. So it must be just like the mounted on regulator but fitted SOMEHOW inside ? would be great to know how is fitted inside. ( don't part out your unit LOL, but thinking out loud )
 
well I can see wires inside. So it must be just like the mounted on regulator but fitted SOMEHOW inside ? would be great to know how is fitted inside. ( don't part out your unit LOL, but thinking out loud )
If you're curious as to visualization of how it is constructed, perhaps you should consider purchasing one (alternator) and disassemble it. Modern micro electronics has reduced the physical size if the regulator to enable it to be put inside the case. The GM 10SI and 12SI unuts are larger, ftont to back dimensions, to accomodate the voltage regulator and brush holder sssembly.
BOB RENTON
 
I'm outside USA, so would be expensive for me. Sure I'd like to.

Anyway that case is wider than the stock correct date alt for couple of milimeters, ( I have one like that one and had to trim the rear spacer and get longer belts ) and want to get someday a correct one for my 74. Tuff Stuff make them. I don't care the fact of the inner regulator or 1 wire, preffer the exterior stock unit in fact. But definitelly I'm curious about it.
 
well I can see wires inside. So it must be just like the mounted on regulator but fitted SOMEHOW inside ? would be great to know how is fitted inside. ( don't part out your unit LOL, but thinking out loud )


I am curious as to who makes the reg they use in it. So far it has worked great and I may get one myself for my 63. Its a Power Master unit. I know it is not the smaller alt of the 60's as it has the look of the larger one they used later but I don't remember what year Mopar started using it but at least it still looks like a factory Mopar alt if that's what some want. Ron
 
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top