Bobcat 632 alternator creating 4.5A drain

[Bobcat632]

Short question:
Does anyone know if an alternator for a 71/72 Pinto is a drop in replacement? It is a Ford 1.6L Kent motor.
EDIT: BTW I should add that it is a 3 wire alternator? 2 wires in a 3-pos plug and the Batt terminal on the back.

Long story:
A few weeks back i purchased a 632. Runs pretty good, but didn't like only having the dummy light for engine temp. Considering there isn't much in the way of parts for this dinosaur. So i bought a coolant temp gauge for it. Wired it up.

Previous owner had a toggle switch to turn the ignition on then use the key to start it. He said that the battery would drain if I left the switch on. I knew it wasn't right, but the machine ran good and I just put that off as a project for a rainy day.

Well i hooked my gauge up to work with the toggle switch on, but as soon as I would turn the key on, my gauge would go blank. So I started digging into the wiring. Did you know that the dye they used in the wiring for a 40 year old Bobcat disappears, so now every wire is a white wire, yay! And then to top it off someone had cut out the plugs of the wiring harness between the rops and frame.

So after probably 8-10 hrs I traced all of the wiring out trying to figure out why my gauge would go blank and why did they have a toggle switch to stop the battery from draining. I don't know if the switch was faulty but the acc side of it would only work with the ignition off and the key turned to acc only. So I replaced it. Gauge worked but still had the battery drain. I ended up finding that the "batt" terminal on the alternator is creating a 4.5A drain. Now if I can just find a replacement that doesn't cost $175. The autozone near me can get an alternator for a 71/72 Pinto. Just don't know if it is a drop in replacement.

 

[Bgtony]

I have a similar issue with my 632 I bought a few years ago. I came with a bad alternator.(not charging) I got a replacement at Napa and it fixed that issue but the system has a draw so I been just disconnecting the battery when not using it. It's been too low on the priority list to look at. I'm very curious to see what you come up with.

Tony

 

[foton]

power drains can come in different packages, so I think your best bet is to use a volt meter with a amp setting and see where the drain is. It might be easiest to pull of the hot cable at the battery and measure the drain there, when you have that go to the fuses pull one at a time and measure across the pins on the block and find the drain,once you know where it is going it will make finding it easier to pin point. I bought a boat and the guy complained that his batterys would go dead in a coupla weeks if he did not have the permantly connected battery charger plugged in, well the battery charger unplugged was the drain so I took it out ,problem gone. OBTW that drain was only .014 amps but at 24/7/365 it would kill and really ruin a good battery in short order.

 

[ZekeSkyree]

I would go down to the auto parts store, ask for the pinto alternator and match them up. My 642 has the Kent motor and I've done that more than once.

Also, Foton has good troubleshooting advice in finding the drain.

And yes, all my wires are white now too. What a pain!!!

 

[dfb]

Just for reference, in the automotive world, any parasitic draw over .05 amps is considered excessive. A 4.5 amp draw is a lot. Can you locate a shop that rebuilds starters and alternators in your area? I have better luck with local rebuilders than over the counter "rotating electrical" components. HTH.

 

[oiu789]

Take the alt to a auto parts store most of them will test run it for you for free.

 

[oiu789]

Take the alt to a auto parts store most of them will test run it for you for free.

They should be able to find a replacement. Or the parts to fix yours like the diode bridge, regulator brushes and alike. I would put in new brushes if they are short while you have it out and apart. Not sure if your alt has a internal reg but when they test they will know ask them if it does.