Wire connections are very straightforward because the alternator is well-marked.
Alternator Conversion
This wasn't hard at all. After I got the fan conversion done, I drove the car about 150 miles before the battery gave up. I didn't realize it because I hadn't driven it much since I first bought it, and rarely drove it at night. But this time I noticed a feeble orange light glowing sporadically from the dash, and realized that the alternator system just wasn't operating correctly.
I read the messages on alternators in the vSAAB newsgroup on Yahoo, and a couple of notes from Chip Lamb indicated that an alternator from a 1981-83 SAAB 900 was virtually a drop-in replacement. So I hooked up with a rebuilt unit and as soon as I got home from my 2 weeks Army Reserve active duty stint, I went to work.
About an hour later, I had the conversion complete. When I fired it up, the lamp glowed for about a second and then went off. Apparent success!!!
Just a quick reiteration of Chip's instructions:
DISCONNECT THE BATTERY!!!
1. Remove wiring from old alternator
2. Remove old alternator
3. Remove the harness that leads from the regulator to the alternator
(mine had a separate red wire [D+] plugged into the harness itself - so I just
unhooked this wire from the harness. This is the one that plugs into the
new alternator D+ spade)
4. Install new alternator (mine was an exact fit!)
5. Plug the old red wire into the D+ spade on the new alternator
6. Attach the positive wires to the B+ post
7. Attach the ground wire to a screw on the alternator
8. Reconnect the battery
Check all connections, and fire it up!
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Wire connections are very straightforward because the alternator is well-marked. |