So, in my 521 the old alternator went to crap. I had it checked at Autozone by one of their machines that tests alternators. And the new one didn't work after installing it. After checking the wiring diagram from the original owners manual, and following wires I came to the conclusion that the voltage regulator was bad. After unbolting it from the engine compartment and grinding the rivets away, i found that it was, indeed, burnt out (a resistor had blown). So I ordered a new regulator and I'll have it in two days.
But all this got me thinking...
Do I really need the voltage regulator? My truck still runs without it. All the accessories work properly. But, unfortunately, with the way it's currently wired, the battery wont be charged by the alternator without it.
This led me to researching about alternators, which led to the differences between one- and three-wire alternators. After some investigation, I came across schematics for the internal wiring. I already knew that alternators rectified three-phase AC into DC to charge the battery; I just didn't know how the rest of it worked. So, after learning all these things I come to you guys. If I changed the setup of the alternator to work without the voltage regulator, say by wiring the exciter wire to a relay attached to a button in the cab and got rid of the voltage regulator would I be better off? Or, Is there something I'm missing in the bigger picture?