delco remy alternator arching and glowing

The best and safest method to use when going from an older style alternator to a new Leece Neville alternator, is to have whomever you purchase it from do the mounting and installation. It is too expensive an item to gamble that you are going to get it right the first time, and there is no second chance if you mess up the wiring.
Also, your car appears to be a combination car, so it wouldn't have the Delco large alternator, but it would have had an externally regulated standard Delco passenger car alternator. Once again, if you are not familiar with the electrical circuitry of the vehicle, leave it for the professional. The best people to do this work, are the people that do the electrical work for your local utility or municipality.
 
True but all you got to do is look. is it the size of a one pound coffee can or a little bigger than a three pound one.

From the mouth of a man with a lot of experience. Don't buy stuff you don't need it really slowes down your restoration. bought enough stuff i can't use for this pontiac to have paid for the new glass I still don't have.
 
John ED Renstrom said:
the combo should have the standard GM alternator on it.
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Thats quite a relief. I currently have a standard and assumed it was wrongly put on in ignorance. My GEN light was on last time I drove, going to have it tested for free at oreillys tomorrow and see what the verdict is, or if it was a fluke
 
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Blake Sherwin said:
Thats quite a relief. I currently have a standard and assumed it was wrongly put on in ignorance. My GEN light was on last time I drove, going to have it tested for free at oreillys tomorrow and see what the verdict is, or if it was a fluke
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On the alternator, there is a 7 digit number, along with a 2 digit number and the letter A after that. The 7 digit number will determine if the alternator that you presently have, is original to the car, and the 2 digit number ending with the A will tell you the amperage of the alternator. If the light is glowing, that could mean that a diode or more has burned out, or it could indicate that the stator is burned out. Rotors rarely go bad, but you never know, until you delve into them. You might even have a bad regulator that has damaged the alternator. If you remove the alternator, O'Reilys can give you a good or bad determination, but they will not know exactly why it isn't working. If the alternator is good, then there is a chance that it is the regulator, and I would suggest changing it. The other possibility, is that the fuse has blown out. I only mention this, because I recently ran into a burned out fuse on a 1965 Cadillac Limo, that gave me a red light. I replaced the fuse, but in the end, it was the alternator stator that had failed. This was a result of a defective regulator. Replacing the stator and the regulator put the system back in working order.
If you should purchase a replacement alternator, keep the original core, since it is original to your car, and it could be repaired by a competent shop that has the knowledge to work on alternators.
 
Good to know. Unfortunately I know this isnt original. The previous owner had replaced it shortly before selling the car.

I will take all this into account when I have it checked out, thanks
 
Quick question. Do i really have to remove the fan shroud to get the alternator off? Appears that way. The lower bolt doesnt clear the fan guard.

First test said bad regulator. Replaced that. Gen still on, tested again and it said the alt was at fault.
 
I will tell you working on a caddy is never fun. But to answer the question one really has to be working on it. A lot of times you can back it out enough to clear the hole and lift it out with the alternator. Sometime you need to slide the shroud over enough to clear things.
 
John ED Renstrom said:
I will tell you working on a caddy is never fun. But to answer the question one really has to be working on it. A lot of times you can back it out enough to clear the hole and lift it out with the alternator. Sometime you need to slide the shroud over enough to clear things.
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You wete dead on, removed 2 screws and slid it over slightly. That long lower bolt and spacer cylinder were a massive pain.

Ended up replacing the alternator and the regulator
 
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