Wiring issues galore

My '59 CJ 5 progresses. I fixed the YF carb, runs much better, decided to see what is up with the no charge electrical system. First there is a wiring harness all balled up under the dash and hood and wire tied up out of the way. These are plastic covered wires, not cloth. They look to be in good shape, so why the disconnect and stashed out of the way? The generator was frozen. I just paid too much for a rebuild. I bought a new voltage regulator. The box says it is a Standard Auto # VR4. I was told by another shop that I needed a Standard # VR15. OK, so the PO wired some temp wiring to work the charging system, lights, tail lights and brake lights...nothing more.
The thing started up but discharged the battery. I polarized the regulator. It would run without the battery after starting, but it absolutely killed the battery down to no charge.
Can anyone help with the following questions?
1) did my Jeep come with plastic wiring or cloth?
2) What model number is the proper voltage regulator for my 12 V Jeep?
3) Could this possibly be a 6 volt regulator? Any way to tell?
4) What would running the Jeep on a 6 volt regulator do? Did I fry my new genny?
Help! Thanks kelmbaker

 

Unfortunately I can't help a lot since I came in with roughly the same problem. My suggestion would be to buy a wiring harness if you can swing it. If you can't there are some wiring diagrams on line here that you can use to build your own.

I'd ditch the voltage regulator and generator and replace it with a single wire late model alternator (with built in regulator). Easier to wire and one less thing under the hood to fight with. It will also make troubleshooting easier.

You should be able to take the new generator back to the FLAPS and ask them to check it.

...and if you decide to build your own wiring harness go buy the right colors of wire for the diagrams. It will make your life easier later. ...and buy a good voltmeter and learn how to use it.

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go to the SEARCH area and input "Voltage Regulator". There are a LOT of threads of people with similar problems (and their solutions). Here's one for entertainment.... http://www.earlycj5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57181&highlight=voltage+regulator
More Links:
http://www.earlycj5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60752&highlight=voltage+regulator
http://www.earlycj5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60781&highlight=voltage+regulator
http://www.earlycj5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58126&highlight=voltage+regulator

Also need to verify which engine you have (most likely a F4-134 unless someone swapped it for you).. ...here's a link to the wiring diagrams on this site. http://www.earlycj5.com/tech/electrical/index.php
Here's a link for a compatible Alternator with built in regulator: http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/delcoremy.shtml

 

I have a 3 wire GM 10 alternator for another project. The problem is mounting to the generator mount and lining up the pulleys and the wide belt Willy's used. The GM has a narrow pulley. I had the generator rebuilt to save time and effort, but what a pain! I've researched all over the web. It appears the VR is a 12 volt (6 volt = all 3 connections on one side, 12v= 2 on one side, one on the other). The thing just has a dead short somewhere. When I put the voltage gauge on the battery terminals is indicated 11.46v...much too low, but if I disconnected the battery the thing still ran, very strange. I finally found a wiring schematic that shows the color of the wires, the shop manual doesn't.
Here is the list of the proper voltage regulators for a 12v generator set up:
NAPA UR-206
AC/Delco:C-630
Standard: VR-15 (hte one I bought is a VR-4)
Pep Boys (Borg/Warner) R 185
Still would like any observations, and yes I've searched the web and it seems many others have tread this ground before...
KM

 

There's also some REAL good diagrams of Alternator brackets so you can build your own.

..and I added some links to the earlier post for wiring diagrams, conversion links, ....

Enjoy.

 

Alternator Bracket link. One link takes you to a version that you can purchase then there is the one that you can fabricate (welder required).

http://www.earlycj5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57299&highlight=alternator+bracket

 

My 59 CJ5 came with cloth wiring. I replaced it with a plastic wiring harness from discountjeepparts.com. It's a decent product, everything fit well and worked. If I did it over again, I'd go for a painless or some kind that used a fused distribution block. The wiring on these is ridiculously simple, and there's plenty of diagrams to help figure it out. This is all assuming that you have the stock F134 motor and that the replacement plastic harness in there is for the correct application.

 

When I bought my jeep (55 CJ5)I assumed that finding parts would be like buying parts for any normal vehicle. The problem was that the PO made modifications that I did not know of (swapped the F4-134 for a L4-134) so I got the wrong parts several times. Looking back I laugh but the best advice I have for a new jeep owner is to make SURE that you know what engine is in your vehicle BEFORE you start buying parts. I live a mile from the FLAPS so it's not a big issue to run back and forth but it is frustrating. Now that I know about the PO engine swap I watch the parts a lot closer.

Since the jeep isn't original I'm also not as worried about modifying it either.