new alternator, no tach

C

Clint3240

Cadet
Joined
May 19, 2008
Messages
29
i put in a alternator last year in my merc 260, its about an early 80s....well the new alternator is short a few connections...it only has the power and the ground wires....no room for the other 3 that came off the old one.. is there a tachometer out there that i can buy for this alternator?
 
I

IVAZ

Master Chief Petty Officer
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Jan 6, 2009
Messages
816
Re: new alternator, no tach

You should be able to hook up the tach to your coil.
 
C

Clint3240

Cadet
Joined
May 19, 2008
Messages
29
Re: new alternator, no tach

do you know how? i beleive there are 3 wires left behind from the old alternator just hanging there
 
I

IVAZ

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
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Messages
816
Re: new alternator, no tach

Im not sure about the alternator wires. The tachs I have hooked up had a red wire that went to positive terminal on the battery, black wire that was a ground, green wire that went to the negative terminal on the coil, and a white one that went to the light switch (if the tach had a light). Some tachs hook up to a tachometer wire on the distributer (the green wire I believe).
 
Don S

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
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Messages
62,321
Re: new alternator, no tach

The tachometers have never hooked to the alternator, the wires you have left over from your alternator change did not go to the tach, they go to the regulator on the back of the alternator. Since you don't have a regulator on the back of your alternator, those other wires aren't needed.
Your tach get's it's signal from the - terminal on the coil, and is a gray wire.
 
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