Tripoli

I'm having some trouble with my '82, and I could use some advice.

I have a brand new Interstate battery and a brand new alternator, both have just been tested and are good. Power is not getting from the alternator to the battery. The alternator is putting out plenty of power, but when I test at the battery terminals, none of it is getting there.

Any ideas where I should start looking? Everything I can see from under the hood and in the battery compartment looks fine.

myk7

At the battery + terminal there is of course to big cable that goes to the starter, but there should be another wire that's not as big, but still pretty good sized. Test it for voltage about an inch from the connector. If it has more voltage when running and the battery does not, the connector is bad. Test the voltage at the alternator when running (big wire), does it have more voltage running than when not?

lionelhutz

My guess would be the fusible link for the charging wire from the alternator to the solenoid. You'll find it making the connection between the big battery post on the solenoid and the wire that continues to the alternator.

worship79

GEN light comes on when you turn the key to ign?

1969Corvette

More than likely a fusable link. I am not sure on yours of the location but either at the starter selenoid pinkish/red insulation or some cars had a second small wire off the battery + cable at the battery just tug on it and the insulation wil break if it's blown.

Freddy76

I had the same problem. I checked the ground wire from the starter to the frame. Sure enough I just touched the wire and she started right up. It might work for you.

7t9l82

check your battery to frame ground too.

diehrd

You should have a main feed wire going from back of alt . through frame and into the battery box .. Check that wire for battery voltage with car off by connecting your tester to the connection out at the alt. If you do not read battery voltage that wire is borked ..

78tunedport

The gen warning bulb must be in and work for the alternator to start charging... My 2 cents...

Tripoli

I finally bought a jack that's low enough to get this damn car up off the ground. I took a look under there and I still couldn't really see anything that looked like a problem. Admittedly, I know very little about this car, and electrical work isn't my forte.

Any further help with locating these wires would be much appreciated. Photos, especially.

7t9l82

the ground cable is copper clad aluminum, a known problem area.

Tripoli

We checked that and it was fine. The charging wire when it gets to the battery is dead while the car is running. The alt is putting out power fine, but it just doesn't make it to the battery. The car will start and run fine, but the battery just never charges, so it does dead after a few starts.

AT-82Collectors

I had the same problem with my 82 after the BATT terminal on the alternator shorted to the case of the alternator. The BATT wire from the alternator runs to the battery, not the BATT post on the starter like most. That wire has a fusible <sp?> link which blew on mine when it shorted. I just ran a new wire of the same gauge with a fusible link to the BATT post on the starter and that fixed my problem. Could be the same on yours if the alternator wire has been shorted.

Hope that helps

7t9l82

not exactly sure how you checked that ground cable?

Tripoli

A mechanic checked the ground wire with a multimeter, or so I believe. If it wasn't grounded, wouldn't the alternator fail to put out power? It definitely is, it just isn't making it to the battery. The car starts and runs fine, but the battery just dies after a few starts, presumably because starting drains it pretty quickly.

7t9l82

that cable can carry a load to test with a meter but will not carry enough to function properly. it can also work intermittently. take a good jumper cable hooked to the negative battery cable and run it to a good ground and see if the problem goes away.

mrvette

Somewhere in the later 70's-early 80's in the wiring harness near the A/C coil is a white plastic connector that picks the wiring from the starter section to the rest of the car.....it's a white cube with about 6-8 wires in it....IF it is brown in color, you have a bad connection and you need disconnect the battery, and cut/splice/SOLDER the wires together....

the type of connector is known as a MOLEX and is a famous POS in the electronic/electrical industry for over 40 years now....

the ONLY way is to replace it with a solid soldered wire, and fuggetaboutit.....

Peterbuilt

Is this fusible link good?

Tripoli

That's exactly what I'm trying to locate. I have the same diagram, I just don't know the physical location of that link in the car. When I was under there earlier, I thought I saw something that looked like a fusible link attached to the starter, but I'm pretty sure that's not the blue one the diagram shows. That's the only place I've seen something like it, but I really don't know where to look.

My1991

82 .. The charge wire goes from back of alternator then inside frame rail to a junction block in the battery box. When I cut up my 82 I saw no fusible links on this wire. Check the junction block. Or alternator just isn't working

Test for voltage at charge wire lug on back of alternator, if it is charging above 12.5 volts then only thing it can be is the charge wire or that junction block.