SureShot

Any other factors? - Underdrive pully? - Idle below 700?

Black13B

iTrader: (1)

no underdrive.. essentially bone stock other than the extra grounds and stuff i have added

ahh well the car has been having an idle issue.. the new alternator essentially solved it.. WOAH - maybe the power the new alt is putting out is being eaten up by (insert component name here) to keep the idles up good.. leaving not enough to charge the battery enough?

anywhere below 1k rpm, the volts drop..

BTW: tested a NEW battery from work, NO CHANGE.

Enthu

iTrader: (1)

I have an additional 4awg wire off the + alternator output directly to my battery +. When I have my lights on, fan on max, and brake laights on, my voltage can drop below 10v. but once I tap the gas I get 14 no matter the load.

My battery isn't charging, as it's always at about 9-10v nearly all startups.

I've got soem work to do to figure out this problems cause...

SOIA

I call ye post back from the dead!
anyone figure it out cause my charging prob is becoming an issue as I can't run my lights, defrosters and wipers at the same time or it'll die, wich is bad for rainy/snowy weather

Icemark

dead alt...

as covered earlier in this thread what is your voltage??

WAYNE88N/A

First things first...the alt HAS to turn at a particular rpm (somewhere around 1500) to generate an output...Below that, and the voltage regulator will kill the output, because as the voltage drops, the amps kick up (ohm's law), and the alt goes into "self-preservation" mode via the regulator...It doesn't matter if you have a 500 amp alt on the car, if it's not turning fast enough to generate an output under load, you're getting nothing...Your idle needs to be at least 750 rpms, in other words...

Check the battery voltage at the back 2-pin plug (backprobe if you can, otherwise pull the plug off). The top terminal of that plug (S4's) is the one you want. Ignition switch on, if the voltage there is less than the battery voltage, then you have a wiring problem, and your output will suffer...

Now probe the bottom terminal, at the alt itself, voltage to ground, ignition switch on (make sure the big wire is connected at the top of the alt)...Should get 1-3 volts...This is your field excitation voltage, and without it, or if it's low, your output will suffer...

The big cable at the alt can be run directly to the battery post. But it shouldn't be, since the headlights are the "power mongers" on our cars, Mazda decided to run that wire to the headlight circuit, through the 30A fuse (according to the schematics, haven't torn the wiring apart in the fuse box area to verify this), before any charging to the battery is accomplished...

Also make sure that the alt is mounted with clean, tight hardware. And that the mounting "pads" on the brackets/housing are clean...This is how the alt grounds itself, not through an external wire...

If you have any aftermarket equipment on the car (deck, foglights, etc...) and the circuit is not fused, please install a load matched fuse for protection. If an unprotected circuit does decide to short to ground, instead of blowing a fuse, you're going to start an electrical fire, after you've fried the poor alt (even the 115A jobs)...

SOIA

It varies under minimal load it reads normal, with headlights and any acessory like wipers will sit at about 10 if you add wipers it drops even more.

I figure dead alt as well, but don't want to get one unless I'm positve that is the prob as I am extremely poor, and I thought I read in the post that a new alt was tryed but didn't solve the prob? maybe I'm crazy


edit: prob became worse after alt belt broke a few months back while I was driving on the highway and didn't notice really untill I got to town, after I replaced the belt I began to have charging issues and the battery would die when it sat for a few hours, the battery tested good.

WAYNE88N/A

If you've done the alt input & output tests I listed earlier, you'd know for sure whether it is the alt or not. They are variations of tests right out of the FSM. Enjoy...

Black13B

iTrader: (1)

Wow this thread is ridiculously old and then I saw it was bumped a few months ago. It's albeit a silly thread....



To anyone wondering


I have since totally stripped the car and done alot of rewiring


The stock starting and charging system wiring had alot of corrosion and I didn't consider it reliable by any means after I pulled the motor out. That car had alot of problems (that have since been fixed).

Also the FD alternator I had installed on it wasn't wired properly, I learned later that because of the model year difference it requires a steady 12v source, rather than ignition switched 12v (as shown in the diagram by hailers, the S4 has an ignition switched wire going to the alternator).

Also my dual pulley is a slightly larger diameter than the OEM pulley which would reduce voltage output slightly when below ~1400 RPM.

With the miswired alternator and not-so-reliable charging system wiring, I consider this thread moot.

Heres what happened to the engine bay of that car....

http://members.rogers.com/rx7/engbay50.jpg

Icemark

That is radically incorrect.

There are two small leads on the alt, the input/regulator and the output/operation.

One needs voltage in to feed the regulator circuit, the other provides 12 volts out when the alt is running.

Neither should be wired constant 12 volts. The output feeds the CPU or Idiot light cluster (dependent on series - 4-6), and the input is the referance voltage from the ignition circuit in the car.



here is the S5/FD alt wire up.

Note the Wht/Black in the picture is coming from the idiot lights, and will have 12 volts on it with the key on. With the alt running that 12 volts (switched ignition) will not be able to go to ground. With the the alt not running, the circuit can complete to ground and the bulbs at the clock/warning panel will light.

As for the input (the White/Blue-W/L) the other end of that wire is switched ignition. Not having switched ignition would turn the alt on all the time and your batter would drain.

Black13B

iTrader: (1)

What are you talking about.

Have you read any posted threads about converting S4 to S6?

Harness plug and wiring is different.

Switched 12v to the regulator made my battery die after a week. So should I switch it back? Have my battery die again?

Keep in mind the battery never died before I switched the alternator and there was no other electrical mods done to the car.

Icemark

You had the wires backwards if your battery was dieing.

Man how many times do I need to post this????

And half the threads on converting a S4 system to a S5 or S6 alt are wrong and have some funky relay needed (which is basicly the crack smokers way of fixing the problem).

read this thread.... it is the correct way. The 90% of the bogus BS that people have been posting about wiring up the FD alt is way way wrong:
http://www.teamfc3s.org/forum/showth...5&pagenumber=2

BTW, the S5 Non Turbo Alt is wired exactly the same as a FD alt including the same bloody plugs.

Black13B

iTrader: (1)

I DONT CARE, LOCK THIS THANKS

Key my car on and the idiots light all light up until you start the car. Run the car? Idiot lights don't come on. No battery drain with car sitting for extended period. Shut the motor down and leave the key on and the idiot lights all come on.

Car is running right now without a problem, but apparently it's "backwards"

The point it when I started this thread it was INCORRECT and it's now CORRECT

Icemark

Not if it is wired constant voltage on either the input or output leads it is not!

Amur_

Still busy making friends? Great attitude.

Black13B

iTrader: (1)

It's OK amur

Autographs are later

Black13B

iTrader: (1)

Icemark have you read the entire thread you referenced yourself at team? KYPREO's information? Tested anything on your own as well? Noticed battery draw differences?

Thanks

Icemark

I have S5 alts (which are the same as FD alts) on both my 88's as well as have done countless conversions, so yes I have tested.

And yes I have tested more cars for draw than you have ever looked under the hoods of, so I don't know what point you are making. And yes, I even have a 200 amp ammeter sitting in my tool box, so I can even check the outputs of an alt.

And as far as Kypreos posts, they are correct if the alt has already been damaged because of an idiot wiring up.

See there is no current draw at all on that circuit, IF THE INTERNAL DIODE HAS NOT BEEN BLOWN BY AN IDIOT HOOKING THE ALT UP WRONG , which again I personally do not understand how they could in the first place if they even looked at a wiring diagram for the car. Anyway, the only way there could be current draw is if thet diode is blown or the alt is wired incorrectly. Do you see the diode in the alt on the White/Blue in A05??? That diode prevents the any draw/voltage/amperage/mA from escaping. This is in esscense a one way electrical valve. Only allowing voltage into the alt. Wired to constant, it switchs the alt on all the time, actually increasing the draw (go measure it yourself if you do not believe me) when the car is not running. Granted that additional draw is only two transistors... but any extra draw is too much in my book.

Perhaps you should look at the diagram of an alt. Right there it shows the whole thing.

I mean this is so basic I just don't get why anyone does not understand it.

HAILERS

I've seen this same thread on another site. Seems all but one name has been changed. (humor)

If the internal diode is blown on the W/L circuit.......sing *We shall overcome* three times and then go buy a diode from RadioShack for about a buck fifty, and install it inline b/t the alt and the W/L wire.........or cut the W/L and splice it inline. Cheap fix for us DUMMIES (or is it dummys?)