Hey guys,
I think I got this thing working! I finished fitting the new belt yesterday and wired the alternator into the system. The tractor started right up (although it would, given the new battery I had to buy), and there were no sparks, explosions, or shrapnel. Furthermore, there was a steady 15 volts across the battery terminals (most of the time - see below).
A few final questions:
- The pulley that came with the alternator was for a belt that was too narrow. So I pulled the pulley off the generator that was being replaced and adapted it to fit the alternator. However, that pulley was quite a bit larger in diameter than the pulley that was originally on the alternator, which means the alternator spins a bit more slowly than it would otherwise. And when the tractor is at a dead idle, there's only 12.5 volts across the battery leads. When I give it a bit of gas the voltage jumps to 15 and stays there. Does anybody think that's going to be a long-term problem?
- I'm not 100% convinced I got the wiring exactly right. The alternator "BAT" terminal goes directly to the positive battery terminal. According to the wiring diagram that came with the alternator, terminal "2" is also supposed to go directly to the positive battery terminal, so I wired "2" and "BAT" together. Terminal "1" is supposed to go to the output of the indicator lamp, which it does (although the indicator lamp itself is clearly busted - ordered a new one but it won't come in until later this week). There is no ground wire; I assume the alternator is grounded through its housing. Does the wiring sound right?
Thanks for all the help!