What do the other 2 alternator wires do? (1 Viewer)

[kevinmrowland]

EDIT, PLEASE SEE MORE EDUCATED POST #5


I think I know the basic; ignition signal of some sort and some kind of charge lamp thingy.
Thats all I can get from the wiring diagram, what I don't get is the how.

What is the little black fuse thing that comes off of the charge lamp wire before the main fuse? Is it a voltage sensor of some kind? If so what is the circuit that feeds/draws from it?

How does the ignition circuit feed to the alt? Is it just a signal to tell the alternator that the engine is on?

Is the charge lamp stuff vital to the operation of the alternator? I assume, yes, if the little black thing is the voltage sensor, past that the rest seems to be just for the lamp.

If anybody more electrically inclined could enlighten me I would appreciate it. I am tired of giving myself headaches.

Thanks.

 

[kevinmrowland]

Either I said something stupid, or nobody knows.

How about a good tutorial for understanding wiring diagrams?

 

[kevinmrowland]

This is interesting info for anyone who cares.

http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/ToyEWB.pdf

 

[NocalFJ60]

This is a question about theory. Not something people want to explain. I would suggest you google it.

Here is a cut and paste:

How it works: The part that rotates is called the field, or rotor. The stationary part is called the armature, or stator. (This is the reverse of the little DC motors we had in electric train sets when we were young, and is the source of endless confusion.)

The field makes magnetism - it is just a big electromagnet. Since it rotates (driven by a pulley), we use brushes and slip rings to get power to the field. This power is supplied by the voltage regulator.

Remember that moving a magnet past a wire induces a current in the wire. (Works the other way, too: You can move the wire past the magnet and get the same result.) The faster you move the magnet, the higher the current in the wire. Also, the stronger the magnet, the more current you get. This is why we need a regulator: At 5,500 RPM the alternator would be putting out 1,000 volts and promptly fry our expensive eurolights and trick stereos. (And climate controls and window motors and trip computers . . . )

(And yes, I am using the words "current" and "voltage" interchangeably here - this is not correct, but will work for the purposes of this discussion.)

The regulator functions by sensing the output voltage of the alternator - now listen carefully - and *reducing* the power to the field (less power equals less magnetism equals less alternator output) as required to keep the alternator output DOWN to the required 13.2 to 14 (approximately) volts.

The armature is the part that makes the electricity. Armatures are nothing more than three coils of wire. They are connected together in two ways: in a "wye" or in a "delta". The wye looks like a letter "Y", and the delta looks like a triangle. This is only important when we start troubleshooting - stay tuned.

The output of the armature is alternating current, but we require direct current to charge the battery and run all the goodies. Alternating current is converted to direct current by a rectifier, which is simply an array of six diodes.

There are no more electrical parts (except sometimes a noise supressor which is nothing more than a capacitor). The only mechanical wear-item parts besides the brushes are a pair of ball bearings. These are usually sealed and require no lubrication. They are cheap, and should be replaced whenever you have the alternator open. (There are some mechanical differences - some alternators have an unsealed needle bearing at the brush end - same difference.) A bad ball bearing in the alternator will whine - or grind, if it is very bad.

 

[kevinmrowland]

Thanks for the response, I was beginning to think I was just talking to myself.
There is a lot of great information online about how charging systems and alternators work in general, but my question does not pertain to the alternator or how it is internally regulated.

My question refers to how it integrates into the Land Cruiser system.

There are 3 wires:

Big white one sends the power out.
Black and yellow, seems to tell the alternator that the engine is on(can be wired to any of the black and yellow wires in the system?)
White and yellow operates the charge lamp.

The White and yellow one has me confused. The charge lamp does not seem necessary to the operation of the alternator except for the fact that the alternator needs to monitor the state of the electrical system so it can regulate what it produces.
By process of elimination it would seem that the charge lamp circuit accomplishes this. How?
My best guess is that it is through the mystery diode I attempted to explain in my first post.
This diode is located behind the glove box and is wired into the charge lamp wire before it heads off to the charge fuse. The mystery is why the other side of the diode is attached to a red and white wire. What is that circuit? And how does it affect the alternator? None of the Toyota wiring diagrams seem to show that diode being connected to anything else.
Here is a picture of the diode.
Does anybody know what it does?

 

[wptangen]

Morning, Kevin. Your dad flagged me down over on the 3FE list, and I'd like you to know that thanks to you I am now a registered MUDder!

Anyway, the alternator does not use the charge lamp wire to monitor the electrical system. All it (the alternator) cares about as far as the system goes is that the voltage it generates is in the correct range, and it does this by monitoring the big white wire.

The yellow/white wire only turns on the charge lamp, pure and simple... almost. It also, in my 62, turns on the brake warning and tranny temperature lamps for that wonderful Christmas Tree effect. But in my 62 the connection into those circuits comes after the charge fuse (after the charge light relay, actually). It appears that in your 60 the diode you mention ties into the brake warning lamp circuit; in my 62, this is a red-white wire also connected through a diode. The reason for the diode is that you don't want your charge lamp coming on when you pull the e-brake!

By the way, you are right that the black-yellow wire provides power to the regulator in the alternator. I believe it only receives power when the ignition is on to keep the regulator from draining the battery. I do not know if all yellow-black wires connect into this same circuit or not.

If you'd like to discuss this further hop on over to the 3FE list (I almost said to "hop on over to 3FE" but I know you'll never do that!) as I do not read this forum regularly.

Wayne

 

[kevinmrowland]

Thanks Wayne!!!!

What do you think of this? Will it work or will it burn down my truck?