alternator wiring

Usually black is ground, and red is positive, so that is why the question is being asked. If this is just a representative photo from the web sight your ordering from, then who knows what is what. Now to answer your question, the fusible link is a separate wire, and where the alternator wire ties into. Reason being, if the alternator fails in wide open charge mode, it can blow up the battery, fry the wiring going to the battery ECT. I had this happen on my truck several years ago. Before it burnt the fusible link, it burnt through the aluminum coolant line just behind the alternator, burning a hole through it. I ahd to replace it when I replaced the alternator, and had to get a new fusible link because it fried too.

eran tomer said:

You must be registered for see images attach

i bought this cable for the alternator according to gm part number.
is the thin wire with yellow end the so called fusible link?

Click to expand...

By appearance, that would be a ground cable. The exposed lug is bolted to the engine block. The small gauge wire is a body ground wire. The yellow part is a crappy, exposed to the weather, butt connector to attach an extension wire, if needed, to reach to the fender mounted stud/self tapping screw

can someone shoot a photo of how this fusible link looks on an alternator cable?

It's a little hard to tell on mine, so you really need to zoom in to trace it back. I have the big 3 up grade, but on mine, it's actually a big 5, as I added extra ground leads. Also as you can see, I have a bunch of other stuff hooked up to the battery.

Here is a zoomed in pic. The fusible link has electrical tape on it leading back to the battery. I had to get this at the junkyard. I couldn't find one local.

kennythewelder said:

Here is a zoomed in pic. The fusible link has electrical tape on it leading back to the battery. I had to get this at the junkyard. I couldn't find one local.

Click to expand...

So one end of it connects to the battery and the other end to the alternator cable itself?

eran tomer said:

So one end of it connects to the battery and the other end to the alternator cable itself?

Click to expand...

Yes

so none of the acdelco cables have them.

454cid said:

No, I'm talking 1960's 10DN applications being retrofitted with a 12SI. Your point is exactly what I find to be interesting. In the 60's voltage was an issue that needed to be solved, but later in the 90's and early 2000's it either wasn't an issue, or was solved differently. It could be the machanical regulators of the 60's were the issue, as I don't know when the wiring changed from the horn relay being the main distribution point. It might have been in the 70's with the introduction of the 10SI that was internally regulated.

Click to expand...

454cid said:

No, I'm talking 1960's 10DN applications being retrofitted with a 12SI. Your point is exactly what I find to be interesting. In the 60's voltage was an issue that needed to be solved, but later in the 90's and early 2000's it either wasn't an issue, or was solved differently. It could be the machanical regulators of the 60's were the issue, as I don't know when the wiring changed from the horn relay being the main distribution point. It might have been in the 70's with the introduction of the 10SI that was internally regulated.

Click to expand...

its kinda funny because voltage became an issue again. all these high load accessories, big alternators, it was getting to the point of cooking batteries with output and underhood temps(smaller area) so you saw the 2 pin AD series and the charge sensors that are on the positive and negative cables, as well as BCM and PCM parameters to control charging (PWM, on/off according to life criterias of many kind) and having to program batteries to a car etc.

I have 2 10dns, one is on a 1950s massey harris 12 volt conversion and the other is on a 283 from 67 from an impala. still has the powerglide too

kennythewelder said:

It's a little hard to tell on mine, so you really need to zoom in to trace it back. I have the big 3 up grade, but on mine, it's actually a big 5, as I added extra ground leads. Also as you can see, I have a bunch of other stuff hooked up to the battery.

Click to expand...

I like your shiny stuff
I have a thing for shiny and chrome stuff, im like a raccoon.

Also, is your alternator an upgraded kind because it looks like a stock cs130d or ad230 just curious

Also you brought up a good point.

Grounding the alternator case especially for a high amp unit. The factory mounting points often corrode over time and people dont think to clean aluminum oxide off cases before mounting them, because they usually almost always are meant to ground through the case onto the mounting pads or brackets. If those grounds get comproimised you have a grounding problem and hell could freeze over or nothing happens, weird stuff. A external ground wire to battery negative or to a un-used ground path elsewhere such as frame or chassis(frame preferable Id think to that) then make sure that ground to the battery is also good. Old battery cables make good ground cables(gm ones at least)

Also not just the rubber part, grind down the indents that "Lock" onto the side post so its flat.