Upgrading alternator to CS130

[Dustmaker65]

This last truck I bought already has a CS130 alternator with serpentine belt acc. There is no wiring on truck, so I am building harnesses for it.

I need a resistor(85 ohm, 5 watt) for my wire going to my gauge. Does anyone know where to get one? I have searched everywhere locally for one.

Thanks!
Jimmy

[Ewr101]

Got mine on Amazon. It was a pigtail made to plug into the alt and had the resistor already installed, taped up and cover by loom protector. All I had to do was splice the one end, solder and shrink. Went from factory alt with external voltage regulator and full gauges to the CS130 and had no issues at all.

[VetteVet]

Originally Posted by Dustmaker65

This last truck I bought already has a CS130 alternator with serpentine belt acc. There is no wiring on truck, so I am building harnesses for it.

I need a resistor(85 ohm, 5 watt) for my wire going to my gauge. Does anyone know where to get one? I have searched everywhere locally for one.

Thanks!
Jimmy

That is the resistor that Painless wiring recommends for the conversion, but you can use any value over 50 ohms and 1/2 watt up to 300 ohms 1/2 watt. You can get a plug at any junkyard that fits the CS 130 and has the right terminals on it I.E. P l I S or F S L P to match your alternator.

Use this diagram to wire it up and use an 8 gauge wire on the output lug for the charging wire. If you have the battery gauge and you wish to use it you will have to run the wires like the diagram or the gauge won't work.



I used a 12 gauge wire in this diagram but it was for a stock truck without many accessories.

[Dustmaker65]

Hmm...so no one has an in-line resistor?

I have already ran the wires in loom across the engine, and would like to put resistor in line to bulk head.

Thanks for diagram VV. And I used 10 ga. I will not have acc. either.

[VetteVet]

Originally Posted by Dustmaker65

Hmm...so no one has an in-line resistor?

I have already ran the wires in loom across the engine, and would like to put resistor in line to bulk head.

Thanks for diagram VV. And I used 10 ga. I will not have acc. either.

Have you tried radio shack?

[Dustmaker65]

Originally Posted by VetteVet

Have you tried radio shack?

I am not sure what everyone elses Radio Shack looks like now a days, but mine really sucks! I think Walmart carries more than R.S. Been there twice in last week... two young girls sitting on counters eating! Both times they have told me -hope you know what you are looking for- LOL

So, yes I have looked there, Grainger, and local electrical supply stores with no luck.

[VetteVet]

Originally Posted by Dustmaker65

I am not sure what everyone elses Radio Shack looks like now a days, but mine really sucks! I think Walmart carries more than R.S. Been there twice in last week... two young girls sitting on counters eating! Both times they have told me -hope you know what you are looking for- LOL

So, yes I have looked there, Grainger, and local electrical supply stores with no luck.

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourcei...att%20resistor

[gmachinz]

I don't believe that particular resistor is one RS or anybody normally carries-guessing Painless wants you to think it's some magical resistor you have to use. As VV said, you can use other ratings-there isn't just "one" resistor that will work. I use 75-100 ohm/1 watt silicon resistors with no problems-and those are about $2-3 a pair at RS.

[Dustmaker65]

Looking at the diagram that VV posted...
Do any of you gentlemen know what size fuse goes in the 18ga. black wire and 18ga. blk/wh wire?

Also, on the fuseable link 18ga. blk wire that goes to battery, can that be a fuse? If so, what size?

Thanks!
Jimmy

[VetteVet]

Those are the wires that go to the battery gauge and they use 4 amp fast blow fuses.

Notice the wiring routes one begins at the battery positive and one begins at the alternator junction. This allows the battery gauge to measure the difference between the battery charge and the alternator output. It won't tell you what the voltage is but it will indicate charge or discharge on the battery.

Fusible links are recommended to be four sizes smaller than the wire that they fuse. In other words a 12 gauge wire would use a 16 gauge fusible link. However the fuse rating recommended for our trucks is 30 amps.

A maxi-amp slow blow fuse can be used, rated at 30 or 40 amps. opinions may vary on using them. Painless wiring uses one on their harnesses. You can get them at Walmart or any of the auto parts stores. A fuse holder might be hard to find since they are so much larger than the regular holders.
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourcei...%20maxi%20fuse

[crossfire84]

try american auto wire .com they sell what your looking for i think. here is the part # 500539

[Daze57]

This is just a simple shout out to vettevet !
Thank you very much for your sevice and for helping in electrical questions that we have on this forum --you advice is extreamly helpful --------thats it!!!!!


also sir can you tell me what the dark circle is at the bottom of your diagram
it where the s and p wire from the alternator goes into along with the fuse from the fuse block
is that a junction block also ? or a guage ----- just not sure what it is

thank you

[VetteVet]

Originally Posted by Daze57

This is just a simple shout out to vettevet !
Thank you very much for your sevice and for helping in electrical questions that we have on this forum --you advice is extreamly helpful --------thats it!!!!!

You're welcome on both points and I enjoy helping when I can.


also sir can you tell me what the dark circle is at the bottom of your diagram
it where the s and p wire from the alternator goes into along with the fuse from the fuse block
is that a junction block also ? or a guage ----- just not sure what it is

That is a junction block for all the power wires in the truck. On the stock trucks from the factory it is just a soldered joint of the four wires, and the small 18 gauge wire with the fuse in it. That wire is one side of the battery gauge for the gauge dashes. It's partner is on the upper right from the battery fusible link with a fuse in it also. Both fuses are 4 amps to protect the battery gauge from current surges.

thank you

This is my truck junction. It doesn't have the small wire because I have the charging light dash not the battery gauge.



This is the small wire with the fuse on the battery side.

[Dustmaker65]

Originally Posted by VetteVet

Attachment 1580729

Couple questions...

On this diagram, the Blk 18ga. wire goes from fuse block to junction block. And the Blk/Wht 18ga. wire goes to soldiered splice. How can a gauge read any difference wired that way compared to ALL wires being joined at the junction block??? Or all at the soldiered splice???

I am not an electrician and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn last night

[VetteVet]

Originally Posted by Dustmaker65

Couple questions...

On this diagram, the Blk 18ga. wire goes from fuse block to junction block. And the Blk/Wht 18ga. wire goes to soldiered splice. How can a gauge read any difference wired that way compared to ALL wires being joined at the junction block??? Or all at the soldiered splice???

I am not an electrician and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn last night

I had a hunch that a followup question on this subject would come up, but I didn't expand on it because it was late.

In your post I quoted above, you answered your own question.
Here it is.

On this diagram, the Blk 18ga. wire goes from fuse block to junction block.

The black ammeter wire does not go to the fuse block, in fact both the black wire and the black/white wires go directly to the gauge. Or rather they go to the dash cluster plug to pins 1 and 12, and from there they go directly to the gauge.




I always advise anyone who asks about the alternator conversion to wire the alternator output wire to the main junction block, and not directly to the battery like so many of the experts show. If you do that then you will have bypassed the ammeter shunt. and hooked the alternator and battery directly together as you pointed out, when you said you couldn't understand how the gauge could work if all positive wires were joined together.

So now you're saying " what the heck is a Shunt", and the short answer is, it is a connection between two devices usually electrical, that passes current back and forth between them. If you look at the diagram, you will notice the large red wire on the left edge, that runs between the alternator and battery junctions. The battery gauge wires are connected at these points and enables the gauge to tell what the voltage potential is between them.

In simple terms the gauge reads the device with the highest voltage. If it reads "charge" then the alternator has the highest voltage, and if it reads "discharge" then the alternator is not working and the battery has the highest voltage. Clear as Mud huh.

[toolboxchev]

A DVOM, Member VV and this site anything can be figured out. Electrical issues can be a pain with out understanding.

I read through everything on this site and then I understood it all:http://www.madelectrical.com/electrical-tech.shtml

That should help you along a bit!

[DieselSJ]

Run it through an indicator lamp. The lamp will light if the alternator stops charging and the load of the bulb replaces the resistor. I have done several CS conversions and this has worked perfectly.