Okay, so today I go and change the wiring to exactly like the diagram shows in the thread below. Everything's fine, the alternator's charging 13+ volts, then I try to shut the car off......nope, keeps right on running with the ignition switch off, so I unplug the plug from the alternator that now houses the blue wire and the jumper to the red wire and it cuts the car off instantly.

Let me throw a little history that I wasn't gonna bore you guys with. The car's got an LS7 crate motor and an MSD 6AL box. It was in this configuration when I bought it several months back. It's been this way for several years and the previous owner didn't have battery problems, although it has no volt meter or working idiot light (which is going to change as soon as Summit can get me one here). The car seemed to function fine. Previous owner had a buddy stick an AutoMeter monster tach in, wired per instruction sheet. The car wouldn't shut off. He took it to a local automotive electician and when he got it back it seemed to function properly, assuming it was charging, again, he had no dead battery symptoms, but no way to monitor. I bought the car in this configuration. I unwired the tach and removed it from the car. All of the connections had been done with the blue 3M box connectors, with no wires spliced, so it was simple to remove it without unwiring/rewiring anything. First night out, the charging system isn't putting out and I lose the battery. Instead of diagnosing, I blindly throw a new alternator at it. No help. Get old and new alternator bench tested, both test okay. After the post last night on the conversion thread below, I wire the alternator and regulator plug just like the diagram. The car is charging but won't shut off.

One other thing that confuses me is that if I tickle the alternator with a jumper and make it charge, then disconnect the jumper, the alternator keeps charging, but the car will switch off by the ignition switch. I can't find anywhere in the harness under the dash that appears to have been butchered or spliced, and I'm at a total loss as to where to go next. It obviously seems like the MSD box is getting it's power from a source that the ignition switch doesn't interupt when the alternator is charging, but it seems like if that were the case, the "tickled but jumper wire disconnected and still charging" alternator would keep it from switching off also.

Help......they're coming to take me away haha, hoho, hehe.

Im not sure which diagram your referring to
but if were talking about internally regulated altenator and you cant get the car to die you need a diode in the circuit..That will take care of the problem. This is a common problem and easily remedied with a diode.

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best regards
Importtech

I'm talking about the thread below that I started last night. John refered me to a diagram in the tech archives. Here's a link to the thread:
http://www.chevelles.com/forum/Forum22/HTML/002263.html

If a diode will fix it and you can talk an idiot (me when it comes to electronics) through how to do it, I'll sure give it a shot.

[This message has been edited by 2BlueLS6's (edited 08-08-2002).]

The diode sounds like an idea with the MSD. Try this.
Click on www.msdignition.com (http://www.msdignition.com)
Go to INSTRUCTION DOWNLOAD
Click on that
Click on MSD 6 SERIES
Download that file. The diode instructions (I think) are on page 8.

Thanks again John, for the link to MSD. I finally got it fixed and here's how for anybody else that has a similar problem. First of all, I couldn't see why the drawing in the tech archives specified disabling the white wire at the alternator plug and running a jumper from the red alternator wire into the plug position previously holding the white wire. It also specifies disabling the wire at the other end on the voltage regulator plug. It seemed to me that instead of messing with anything on the alternator end, connecting the brown and blue and the orange and white at the voltage reg. plug would have the same effect. (1 & 4 and 2 & 3 connected) I tried it and it did. I've since found out that Lectric Ltd's harness to change from external to internal alternators does exactly that.

The problem that I encountered was that in either configuration, with the MSD system the car wouldn't cut off. MSD refers to this condition as "run on" and addresses it on their website as you pointed out. Not understanding exactly the instructions, since they don't directly address the alternator conversion issue itself, I thought I'd just try a diode in the 1 to 4 connection at the volt reg. plug, instead of the jumper wire. Daggum if that didn't fix it. It's taken two links from you and a call to Lectric Limited and MSD to kinda understand how the system works, but I think I've got a handle on it now.

The help is much appreciated.

ImportTech, your suggestion also got me headed in that direction. Being severly electrically challenged I never knew what a diode does. Now I do. I wonder if it's possible to stick one on a woman's brain waves, makin' em take incoming information only and not lettin' any flow out???????

[This message has been edited by 2BlueLS6's (edited 08-09-2002).]

"Thanks again John, for the link to MSD. I finally got it fixed and here's how for anybody else that has a similar problem. First of all, I couldn't see why the drawing in the tech archives specified disabling the white wire at the alternator plug and running a jumper from the red alternator wire into the plug position previously holding the white wire."

Because you already had an internal regulator plug. You need to change the alternator plug when you do the conversion. The connectors are different. One way to tell an internal from an external alternator. The white wire has a different purpose on an internal regulator. It now needs to directly see the alternator output.

"It also specifies disabling the wire at the other end on the voltage regulator plug. It seemed to me that instead of messing with anything on the alternator end, connecting the brown and blue and the orange and white at the voltage reg. plug would have the same effect."

Since you have to mess with the plug anyway, why not do it at the alternator end. Most of the time the white sense line works best when it is connected directly or closest to the alternator output.

"(1 & 4 and 2 & 3 connected) I tried it and it did. I've since found out that Lectric Ltd's harness to change from external to internal alternators does exactly that."

Agree, but you still have to change the connector and you are out $15.00. My links were free.

"The problem that I encountered was that in either configuration, with the MSD system the car wouldn't cut off. MSD refers to this condition as "run on" and addresses it on their website as you pointed out. Not understanding exactly the instructions, since they don't directly address the alternator conversion issue itself, I thought I'd just try a diode in the 1 to 4 connection at the volt reg. plug, instead of the jumper wire."

Of course it will. You do have the old regulator unplugged? The tech ref link is for standard wiring. It was the instalation of the MSD box that caused the run on.

"Daggum if that didn't fix it. It's taken two links from you and a call to Lectric Limited and MSD to kinda understand how the system works, but I think I've got a handle on it now."

Great. From what I read whoever did the original wiring and whatever shop "fixed" it for him messed the job up. Have to say for a guy who claims he doesn't understand electrical, you seemed to do fine. Have a beer. You are probably ahead by $100. or more getting a decent shop to straighten this out.

Couldn't have done it without you buddy. Thanks again.