Re: alternator and gold box question

[jlandry@domain.elided (John A. Landry)]

On Tue, 16 Dec 1997 00:02:00 -0700 (MST), Mark A Pepe <mpepe@domain.elided>
wrote:

>	Anyway, I have a 76 traveler that a previous owner did some funky
>wiring on. The gold box on the firewall is not hooked up. I 've been
>driving it for some time now and have had no problems. The alternator
>looks new so my question is: Does the gold box function as a regulator and
>is it likely that this newer alternator has an internal reg and thus the
>previous owner decided to just unhook the gold box? what would happen if
>two regulators were in the same system?

As Tom mentioned, the gold box is the amplifier for the original Holley
electronic ignition system and has nothing to do with the alternator.  If
your gold box is not connected (and a hidden second one isn't hooked up
somewhere else), then someone must have replaced the electronic Holley
distributor with something else.  They could have done any of the
following... installed a plain IH point distributor (Holley or Prestolite);
installed the former but with a Pertronix electronic module (to eliminate
the points); installed a later IH self contained electronic distributor (no
gold box needed); or maybe you might even have an aftermarket ignition
system using a point distributor as the trigger.  You'll have to pull the
cap off the distributor and tell us what you see in there!

>	Also.. My Fuel guage isn't working and while trying to find the
>problem I noticed that wire #36 (Fuel) is  on the lower right receptacle
>of the quick disconnect where the wiring schematic shows it being on the
>lower left (this is as you would look at it facing the dash) It looks like
>it came that way from the factory, was it just an oversight that a change
>was left out of the manual or is it possible someone switched it by
>accident ? comments? 

Could be that you might simply be looking at the pinouts on the connector
backwards... I mean, the pin might be in the right place and you are just
looking at the wrong side.  It's always possible that someone removed the
pin and reinserted it in the wrong hole, but this is unlikely because
without the proper tool, the pins are almost impossible to remove without
completely destroying them.  Rather, your gauge is probably not working for
one of the more common reasons like corroded contacts in the wiring harness
or simply a broken wire.

Happy holidays,

John

------------------------------------------------------------------------
jlandry@domain.elided             |
Conservative Libertarian        |  Scout(R) the America others pass by
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Commercial Helicopter - Inst.   | 1976 Scout Traveler, V345A, 727, 3.54
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