The vehicle battery supplies excitation to the field coil through the regulator and brushes in order to create a magnetic field around the rotor and through the stator. When the rotor is set in motion, the moving magnetic field induces an alternating current (AC) in the stator windings. The output current increases with the speed of the rotor.

The AC produced in the stator is converted to DC by the positive and negative rectifier assemblies. The rectifier assemblies are connected to the alternator output terminals in order to provide DC output for charging the batteries and in order to satisfy the vehicle electrical loads.

The regulator monitors the output voltage through sensing leads which are connected to the positive and negative rectifier assemblies. When the output voltage deviates from the set voltage, the regulator takes corrective action in order to maintain the output voltage at the proper level.

The cranking circuit consists of the battery, the starter motor, the engine control switch, the starter motor relay and related electrical wiring. The starter motors on both models are case-grounded. They have built-in solenoids for engaging the drive gear with the engine flywheel. Each vehicle has either one or two batteries rated at 1125 cold cranking amps. This much power is required in order to ensure that the engines will crank under even very cold weather conditions.

Additional ground straps are used in order to connect the body and the frame to the engine and the transmission. Always connect all the ground straps to ensure a good ground path to the battery from all the electrical components.