Alternator/ Generator?????????????????

[brianhouchins]

I have a 65 dodge coronet I was toldthat I had an generator on it I thought it was an alternator. How doyou tell and if it is an generator is there any thing special I needto do to change it to an alternator charging system?

 

[Meep-Meep]

Does it look like this? If so it's an alternator.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1964-Mopar-...edere-Chrysler-64-65-PN-2038830-/261086900121

 

[theman440]

Chrysler Corp. started putting alternators on cars in 1960, you have an alternator.

http://www.allpar.com/eek/alternators.html

 

[440roadrunner]

Mopars came stock with alternators a LOT earlier than 65, 60?

All generators are "long and skinny"

Mopar alternator:

 

[Hemi Rebel]

Actually, its both. An alternator is an ac generator. As opposed to the earlier dc generators. And yes, you have an alternator.

 

[brianhouchins]

Thank you to all

That is exactly what I thought. But I did not feel like debateing it with the guy.

 

[440roadrunner]

Actually in some parts of the world/ some brands of cars (and I can't remember what) they alternators are actually referred to as generators.

And alternator is a "poor word" as alternator is normally (in the AC power world) a device which outputs AC, not DC. I'm sure the name became a marketing gimmick to differentiate between the old generators.

And of course the "course is muddied" by things like the Ferds/ Lincolns with their three phase AC powered rear defrosters. In this case the AC 3 phase of the alternator IS used externally, only for the rear defroster, while "normal" diodes provide the traditional DC charging output.

To FURTHER muddy the water, even power generation devices such as emergency generators (isn't that interesting??) are not alternators anymore, except "internally" as the alternator / rectification section of the device feeds an INVERTER which actually produces the output!!!

 

[brianhouchins]

so true so true

I have never thought of it that way.

 

[Hemi Rebel]

Actually in some parts of the world/ some brands of cars (and I can't remember what) they alternators are actually referred to as generators.

And alternator is a "poor word" as alternator is normally (in the AC power world) a device which outputs AC, not DC. I'm sure the name became a marketing gimmick to differentiate between the old generators.

And of course the "course is muddied" by things like the Ferds/ Lincolns with their three phase AC powered rear defrosters. In this case the AC 3 phase of the alternator IS used externally, only for the rear defroster, while "normal" diodes provide the traditional DC charging output.

To FURTHER muddy the water, even power generation devices such as emergency generators (isn't that interesting??) are not alternators anymore, except "internally" as the alternator / rectification section of the device feeds an INVERTER which actually produces the output!!!

chrysler refers to them as generators believe it or not.

this is straight from the service manual for a 2012 challenger 6.4 liter
08 - Electrical/8F - Engine Systems/Charging/GENERATOR/Removal

6.4L

Labor Operations: Click to display a list of Labor Operations associated with this procedure

​

WARNING:Disconnect the negative battery cable before removing the battery output wire (B+ wire) from the generator. Failure to do so can result in injury or damage the electrical system.

 

[440roadrunner]

There ya go!!! We've completely "revolved"!!!

 

[theman440]

Actually in some parts of the world/ some brands of cars (and I can't remember what) they alternators are actually referred to as generators.

And alternator is a "poor word" as alternator is normally (in the AC power world) a device which outputs AC, not DC. I'm sure the name became a marketing gimmick to differentiate between the old generators.

And of course the "course is muddied" by things like the Ferds/ Lincolns with their three phase AC powered rear defrosters. In this case the AC 3 phase of the alternator IS used externally, only for the rear defroster, while "normal" diodes provide the traditional DC charging output.

To FURTHER muddy the water, even power generation devices such as emergency generators (isn't that interesting??) are not alternators anymore, except "internally" as the alternator / rectification section of the device feeds an INVERTER which actually produces the output!!!

An "Alternator" does in-fact produce A/C current. The doide trio inside the case converts the A/C current to DC.

 

[440roadrunner]

An "Alternator" does in-fact produce A/C current. The doide trio inside the case converts the A/C current to DC.

When I made that statement I was referring to the actual output, not the internal workings. But to be correct, it is not the "diode trio" that produces the output DC

Traditional Mopar alternators don't even HAVE a diode trio. They have a set of three positive and a set of three negative diodes in a 3 phase full wave rectifier. In the squareback/ later ones, they were integrated into a bracket, but on the earlier alternators were discrete diodes, so you had to be careful not to interchange them pos/ for neg.

This actually happened on an engine powered welder I was trying to troubleshoot, which came out of a flooded mine. We could NOT get it to operate. Turns out someone had replaced at least one or two diodes with the opposite polarity, so you had 2 pos, 5 neg, or vice versa. This is part of the reason I have some grey hairs.

Diode trios are used in such alternators as GM to operate the regulator circuit. This is why on the traditional Delco integral (not one wire) you MUST have a lamp, or resistor, or isolation diode in series with the no1 excitation lead, because under certain conditions, the diode trio -- which is very delicate -- will attempt to become the OUTPUT device.

This happens, for example, on shutdown. As the circuit dies, and RPM falls off, you reach a point where the only thing active is the trio. (You may have noticed on some older GM's that on shutdown, the warning lamp glows on shutdown) This IS the trio attempting to "be" the output device. If you simply excite the older style regulators with switched 12V, and no isolation, EVENTUALLY the trio will fail.