|
The small red wire is the exciter voltage to the alternator. It guarantees the alternator has the field current to start charging.
Can the alternator charge without it...most of the time. Search self-excite on this website and you find my explanation. I feel like a Viagra commercial explaining it, though.
Be warned, if you have another charging issue, suspect the ground wire and its connections. All failure modes for this item are hidden but it is a problem that baffles normal mechanics by its intermittent nature, the fact that most cars do not have an alternator ground and that the wire "looks just fine" when it is not.
Mike
|