natemoore
Master Chief Petty Officer
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2009
- Messages
- 844
In one of my other posts regarding my alternator not charging, someone mentioned that during cold starts, an extra amount of voltage is sent to the coil so the spark is nice and hot.
I'm not sure if my wiring is correctly installed (clipped and capped off wires) or if my electric choke is even working. I don't even know how the electric choke is supposed to work.
Firstly, there is 12V going to the choke when the ignition is on. Verified that with a voltmeter. Does this voltage heat up the coiled metal tape inside the choke housing and cause the choke to open up? Is it a bi-metallic strip? Wouldn't the heat coming off the engine cause the bi-metallic strip to do its thing and open the choke plate? Does the choke also control the "extra voltage" going to the coil during cold starts? Which side of the coil should it go to, (+) or (-)? The black wire coming from the alternator goes to the (+) terminal on the coil, as does a resistance wire. How should all this stuff work? Please tootle me or point me to a good discussion.
Specific questions: Is the battery sense (red) wire coming from my 3-wire alt the way the alternator measures battery voltage and thus regulates the output voltage, or is it how the battery excites the stator coils (since from my reading on the internet, the three wire isn't self-exciting)? Or does it do both?
An online retailer of my alternator labeled the black wire as "ignition switch wire +12V with engine running." Is this an input or output? I'm assuming an output since this is the wire that is hooked up to the (+) side of the coil.
Sorry for bombarding you all with questions, but I feel like I don't quite know enough to even ask the right questions.
Thanks.
I'm not sure if my wiring is correctly installed (clipped and capped off wires) or if my electric choke is even working. I don't even know how the electric choke is supposed to work.
Firstly, there is 12V going to the choke when the ignition is on. Verified that with a voltmeter. Does this voltage heat up the coiled metal tape inside the choke housing and cause the choke to open up? Is it a bi-metallic strip? Wouldn't the heat coming off the engine cause the bi-metallic strip to do its thing and open the choke plate? Does the choke also control the "extra voltage" going to the coil during cold starts? Which side of the coil should it go to, (+) or (-)? The black wire coming from the alternator goes to the (+) terminal on the coil, as does a resistance wire. How should all this stuff work? Please tootle me or point me to a good discussion.
Specific questions: Is the battery sense (red) wire coming from my 3-wire alt the way the alternator measures battery voltage and thus regulates the output voltage, or is it how the battery excites the stator coils (since from my reading on the internet, the three wire isn't self-exciting)? Or does it do both?
An online retailer of my alternator labeled the black wire as "ignition switch wire +12V with engine running." Is this an input or output? I'm assuming an output since this is the wire that is hooked up to the (+) side of the coil.
Sorry for bombarding you all with questions, but I feel like I don't quite know enough to even ask the right questions.
Thanks.