ok, as per the advice of my electrical engineer, i did the tap test as he said bad relay/connection not the alt. come to find out it was the regulator, a little brass box in the driver corner of the bay up by the windshield. what can i use to fix this? we unplugged it and the car runs fine at the moment (minus other problems that are non-related). i don't want to damage it long term and not know that i'm damaging it.

 

Swap alternators, and go with an 80+ one. They all have internal regulators, and you could throw away that little box. Doesn't that Parts car have one?

 

yeh, but the weird thing is that i have what dave says is a second gen alt. shouldn't it have an internal regulator? something is really wack here. here is a pic of my alt. if it has an internal regulator then i should be able to bridge the connections and forget about this regulator box right? how can i tell if its internally regulated? arghhhhhhhh, dammit, i just want to go race.........

 

If the alternator wasn't regulated, then it would put out varying voltage at varying rpm... IE higher voltage w/higher rpm... If your alternator has an internal regulator (It will for sure it is a 2ng gen alt) then you don't need the one on the firewall (or whereever the other one is). You have a 79 or 80 then right? I'm pretty sure they were the only one's with externally regulated alternators.

 

OK, fast recap. i have a 79. the alternator looks as if it has been previously been replaced with a second gen alt. i need someone to look at the pic, tell me if that is a second gen alt WITH internal regulator, and if i can bypass the box on the firewall.

 

That is a second gen alt? It looks just like the one I have in my '83 GSL. As far as I know it's still the original which didn't have a regulator, correct?

 

well we put the one out of the se beside it and its twice as long and uses a different connector.

 

what kind of voltage are u reading on the battery terms with the car running, i belive its 13-14v output , correct me if im wrong.

 

2nd Generation RX-7? - No. Those have internal cooling fans.

2nd Generation alternator (80-83), it may be. I don't know from this distance if it is or isn't.
EDIT: 84+ have internal cooling fans

Post the part number(s) online to see if someone else with an 80-83 have the same part number to find out if it is internally regulated or not.


If it IS internally regulated, then you can bypass the external regulator altogether. Do a search, there is a thread on that specifically here.

 

thanks guys. i'll have to start on it once off of work.

 

For RX-7s, only the '79 had an external regulator. The '80 had an internal regulated 45A unit. Later 55/65a units from FBs are a direct swap into an '80, just unbolt, unplug, plug in, and bolt in. '79 requires a bit of rewiring...

If it has an internal regulator, it should say so on the back of the alternator. (Something like "IC Reg" or "IC Regulated" or "Internal Regulated" or something like that...) If so, then the external regulator doesn't belong there, and someone really did a half-*** job of swapping. (Like I always say, never buy a modded car...)

 

yeah, I had to swap my alternator also, when I swapped the harness from my 80, into my 79...... So.... I guess you need a 79 alternator, or do some rewiring LOL