Hey "Zonker" or Bob Brown.

[Red Bull 78]

I "THINK" I did your BWM just like you showed us. Last night, I blew the 30 Amp Fuse in my Supply line. I have a 2nd Terminal for later, Wiper, Horn & Headlight Mods, way up under the dash, where it's normally "safe". I bumped it with my Drop Light while searching for the source of Monday night's little wisp of smoke, from under there.
To my way of thinking, without that power going to the Relay, everything on that Blue/Black wire shouldn't work with a blown fuse, but everything in that car did work. Even drove it across town the get another fuse.
While I've got your attention: What does it mean when the 'Little Red" Alternator Light won't go out. Meter shows 12-14 Volts, but light is still "on" only Dim.

 

[lookforjoe]

Alt cluster light on, full or dim, means circuit is grounding through alternator. Circuit is wired so that key on = current flow from cluster to alternator - to ground (in alternator). Engine running (alternator charging), current flows from alt out along same wire. Since there is no longer a difference in potential (no path to ground), the light must go out.

So, must be a problem with it. There are rectifiers and diodes that govern this, so even though your meter shows a charging state, it is likely not actually charging properly.

 

[Red Bull 78]

Alt cluster light on, full or dim, means circuit is grounding through alternator. Circuit is wired so that key on = current flow from cluster to alternator - to ground (in alternator). Engine running (alternator charging), current flows from alt out along same wire. Since there is no longer a difference in potential (no path to ground), the light must go out.

So, must be a problem with it. There are rectifiers and diodes that govern this, so even though your meter shows a charging state, it is likely not actually charging properly.

So? Bypassing the OEM Ignition Switch with a Brown Wire Mod Relay defeats this aspect of the OEM wiring?
The Battery must be charging, because this car takes a bit of cranking after sitting just a few minutes.

 

[lookforjoe]

So? Bypassing the OEM Ignition Switch with a Brown Wire Mod Relay defeats this aspect of the OEM wiring?
The Battery must be charging, because this car takes a bit of cranking after sitting just a few minutes.

I can’t speak to the BWM - I don’t know what or how you performed it. Pics of what you did, perhaps?

Regardless, that should have no bearing on the cluster to alternator wiring, that is a separate circuit as far as I’m aware.

 

[bbrown]

Red, I can't speak for what you are doing with bypassing any wires, but as Joe said, you should be looking at grounds.
1. Ground from Battery to chassis
2. Ground from transmission case to chassis (in rear, under trans)

The brown wire mod I have historically recommended simple adds an 8Ga wire from the battery to the fuse block (or junction) IN PARALLEL with the existing 8Ga brown wire.
No fuses involved. Changing out the cheapie 6Ga Ground wire from the battery to chassis with a 4Ga ground wire improves the grounds overall as well.

Suggestion: Undo whatever you did if it blows a fuse.

 

[Red Bull 78]

Thanks Bob & Joe. I performed the Brown Wire Mod, as described here by "Zonker", using a Relay AND Bob's wire to the Fuse Block, 2 years ago and everything worked just fine. However it was too late to save the OEM Ignition switch, which I just finished replacing along with the turn signal/wiper switch unit.
The ground wires were one of the first things I did, but that was 5 years ago. I will check them 1st thing tomorrow. There is no change in the lights or performance, whether the light is Bright, Dim or Eventually goes out and the Battery remains charged, so I don't know where to look. I was just wondering if the External Regulator (last replaced in 2007), might be the problem. The only reason the 30 AMP Fuse in my Supply Line Blew is I touched an exposed terminal I added to Bob's Line to the fuse box, for future use, way up under the dash, that is normally safe from contact.

 

[bbrown]

Red, pull the + Battery terminal any time you're working with a brown wire. Should be a best practice thing.
Stay safe. -Bob

 

[Dr.Jeff]

It sounds like maybe two different topics being discussed at the same time; the BWM, and the "charge light" remaining on. I don't see any relation between them if I understand everything correctly (not everything stated initially was clear to me). Perhaps restate your problem and specify exactly what your question is, so we can offer better suggestions.

 

[Red Bull 78]

It sounds like maybe two different topics being discussed at the same time; the BWM, and the "charge light" remaining on. I don't see any relation between them if I understand everything correctly (not everything stated initially was clear to me). Perhaps restate your problem and specify exactly what your question is, so we can offer better suggestions.

Yes! Starting at, "To my way of thinking" is question #1. "While I've got your attention", is 2nd question. The original Issue was what caused a wisp of smoke to come from under the dash, when everything I'd just installed seemed to be working fine?

 

[Red Bull 78]

Red, pull the + Battery terminal any time you're working with a brown wire. Should be a best practice thing.
Stay safe. -Bob

The original problem was what caused a wisp of SMOKE to come from under the dash.
I was expecting to find a wire, pinched in the Steering Column mounting, when I bumped the terminal. The blown Fuse in my Supply Line should have negated the Relay BWM, but everything on the car still worked.

 

[lookforjoe]

The smoke indicates an overheated circuit, which means bad connection/ bad ground / partial short somewhere. The location of the smoke would indicate where to look.

BWM doesn’t remove existing fuse box feed, so no loss of current would occur, unless you wired it differently, which doesn’t seem to be the case here

 

[Red Bull 78]

Thanks Joe. Grounds are Clean & Tight. Light still "On". Battery fully charged. I know just enough about electricity to get me into trouble. I needed someone like "Zonker" to show me Step by Step. Hope this pic gets past the censors. I keep forgetting I take BIG pix, just so I can pull up fine details, like this. Original pic is 625 kb, this crop job is only 130 kb. This BWM intercepts the Blue/Black wire from the Ignition Switch to Fuse #1(A) for Many Accessories. This also serves the Ignition Coil via the Pink wire that piggybacks on the Bl/B wire at the connector.
I also have a direct, unswitched line, running to fuse #9(I) which serves the Exterior Lighting, which are now LEDs except Front Signals.
Making sense, so far?

 

[Red Bull 78]

Bob Brown! Back to your Ground Wire suggestions. Haven't solved that issue, but in the process of doing a Timing Belt I discovered the Alternator mounting blots were both Loose. Not "Wiggly" loose, but I barely had to pull on my 1/4 " Rachet. Could that be the "Grounding Problem? Waiting on parts to finish timing belt, next week, so can't start the car to test anything.

 

[bbrown]

Surely that could have something to do with it, especially if there was a lot of oxidation at the mount.
Though I haven't seen problems with grounding the case of the alternator to be a problem because there are 2 solid mounting points,
but anything's possible I guess. Those other grounds we've mentioned are critical though.

 

[Red Bull 78]

I'll Clean up the mounting points I can reach with a Wire brush in my Moto Tool before I tighten it back up. Then cover the areas with something to seal them. Maybe Undercoat. Then, hope the light goes out.

 

[lookforjoe]

Have you checked the alternator voltage output with a meter?
I'd still look at the cluster connections, since as I said, unless you verify the trigger wire through the idiot light has battery voltage with key on, and that the alternator end is feeding charging voltage back once running, you may still have a wiring problem. The fact you haven't resolved the source of the smoke leaves this open ended.