Voltage Regulator Location

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marlinh
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My tercel:: 'Everett' Blue 87 4WD Wagon (Rocky 86, recently retired)
Location: Kootenays

Voltage Regulator Location

Post by marlinh »

HI everyone,
Alternator isn't charging on my 84 SR5, US model. It is supposed to have an external regulator. I can't find it. Does anyone know where it is located and can post a photo? Thanks.
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: Voltage Regulator Location

Post by Petros »

it is behind the battery, between the battery and the inner fender. black metal box about 2.5" square with several heavy wires going to it. You sure you have the external regulator?

I have had several '84s, all were internal to the alternator. and I have had several '83, all but one was internal regulator. all of the ones I have had or worked on '85 and on were internal regulators, and had a new style, smaller alternator that had more output.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
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marlinh
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My tercel:: 'Everett' Blue 87 4WD Wagon (Rocky 86, recently retired)
Location: Kootenays

Re: Voltage Regulator Location

Post by marlinh »

Thanks Petros. The alternator turned out to be internally regulated but I wanted to be sure. Got it running again.
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marlinh
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My tercel:: 'Everett' Blue 87 4WD Wagon (Rocky 86, recently retired)
Location: Kootenays

Re: Voltage Regulator Location

Post by marlinh »

Hi Petros. Do you know if alternators are interchangeable from the different years?
xirdneh
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My tercel:: 87 tercel 4x4 wagon w/reringed engine, 83 tercel 4x4 wagon w/salvaged engine and 4.1 Diff's
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Re: Voltage Regulator Location

Post by xirdneh »

83-84 and maybe 85 are different from later models. The early years have physically larger sized one
Love those Tercell 4x4 wagons but they sure suffer from road noise.
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
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Re: Voltage Regulator Location

Post by Petros »

I have managed to change alternator types, early and late, and internal reg and not. from the early to late style, I swapped out the mount, and made a connector adaptor (or you can cut off the old connector and splice in the later style). Replacing the interal reg from an external one, you have to rewire it.

when you have a project tercel with a bad alternator, and you happen to have a spare one of the wrong type, you figure out a way to get it to work rather than buying another one. it just takes a bit of cleaver modifications, and you can make anything work.

I have converted my '84 daily driver from the early internal reg to the later style because the later ones are smaller/lighter, and put out more power. that one I had to swap out the bracket, which I also had, and change the connector on the wire (as I recall, the original had a three prong round connector, and the later one had a three prong square connector).
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
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