ok, my poor xj isnt charging right and need to see if one of ya'll have had the same problem. It will charge at 14.0 plus volts with no load, and above 1100 rpm. I have checked this at the battery with my volt meter, the gauge constantly reads low. My ground side voltage drop is .02, the power wire from the back of the alternator to the battery is .3. Now I was going to replace the wire from the alternator, but it gets hard to trace, it runs to the inside of the jeep and I havent hard traced it completely. Has anyone else?

 

forgot to mention i put new brushes in the alternator today

 

anyone know where that stupid wire goes?

 

Battery cables

 

all new and low voltage drop. My highest voltage drop is from the back of the alternator to positive of battery. Problem is that wire runs into the cabin, and I havent had time to chase is,its the only one I didn't replace. I think its a dying alternator even tough it has the new brushes.

 

You did clean the wires at the battery and all the main grounds right. Plus battery terminals and ensure copper is clean before you were gonna change the wire. Plus the wire from the battery goes to the alternator and iirc jumps to the starter. Ground to engine chassis. Ground to fender wall. Engine ground to fire wall. And either alternator or battery to distribution center under hood

 

All cables but one from alternator to ??? is new, grounds cleaned that I didnt replace i.e. all the small ones. The alternator wire DOES NOT go to the battery, it goes into the cab.

 

Ok, well if I have any energy left after work I will try to trace down my issues on this thing. And just out of curiosity run down that wire. If it ends up being my ECM, has anyone wired in an external regulator? Or am I better off going to arenix era alternator with the internal regulator? Keep in mine my end goal is no EFI, but propane and HEI... So I do not care about codes.

 

why does the alternator wire run into the cab? Big no-no to have hi-amp wiring running into the cab

It should run to the distribution center - either to a connector on the side (black wire w/ white stripe that sends it though the MAXI fuses) or a separate fuse and a ring terminal to the front, then to the battery

 

this is what I did. Alternator to circuit breaker to distribution center to battery

 

dukie, the distribution center power comes from battery. The alt wire runs into the cab. It was this way factory, I can tell from the aged tape and all I had to cut to hard run it. I know it goes all the way to the drivers side, have not gone from there.

 

mine is the same year and spec as yours. It should not be different and did not come that way from the factory - see if you can track down where the wire goes.

Here's the diagrams from the 1995 FSM

 

yes and every diagram I have looked at isnt how this one is. I very seriously doubt someone went through the trouble of un looming the main harness, and getting this wire in there, then re loomed and taped it all. It would have taken hours. I will try, but I have 8 days to finish 4 projects before vacation...

 

Ok I'm an idiot again. Finally had a chance to peek at it. The main charge wire runs from the alt to a split where it's sepirated into two wires. Then it runs into the underside of the distribution block. With only a .2/3 volt drop on it, it's still good. I double checked all ,y other wires, all very low drop. Then I checked for key on power to the field coil and that's battery voltage as should, and the Ecm is grounding the alternator. But it's not charging at idle only above 1200 rpm. I put new brushes in it , but I guess it must have a bad stator or winding etc in the alernator.