Charging Issue

Guys Ive put a new alternator in my truck... I checked it and the alternator was trashed so I went for it. The alternator light has gone off. BUT if I pull the hot side off of the battery the engine shuts off. Which leads me to assume its wiring. Is there any way I can run a wire from the alternator directly to the battery to skip running back through the solenoid? If so which spot on the alternator is the right one. If thats not an safe option which wire should I look at replacing? I assume its the thicker black wire coming from the alternator that hooks up on the battery side of the solenoid? Thanks!

You are not running back to the solenoid, that is electrically the same as the battery terminal as long as both the alternator and battery are hooked to the same point. That is the normal place for them to connect as well as any other circuit that is supposed to be hot at all times. You need to use a volt meter to verify the alternator is putting out, measure across the battery terminals with the engine running. If the alternator is putting out, you should get at least 13.5 volts. If not the alternator is not working. Make sure that the green with red stripe wire is connected to the voltage regulator, without that the alternator will not work. . What alternator do you have?

Good luck,



Attached is a typical alternator hookup.

Thanks for the input. I'll take a look at the voltage. Where should the green and red wire be connecting on the other end?

bvteachey said:

Thanks for the input. I'll take a look at the voltage. Where should the green and red wire be connecting on the other end?

Click to expand...

I don't have a wiring diagram for your truck so I'm not sure where it goes in your truck, but it should go to a source that is only hot with the ignition switch in Start or Run. On my truck it goes here.