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Alternator...time to upgrade?

A

AtlantaSteve

Active Member
So I have started rewiring my mustang...Wasn't planning on it, but I got a decent deal on an EZ-21, and have so many wiring issues that I figured this would be a fun, cheap project. BTW, I love auto-electrics. I'm no midlife, for sure, but I've always enjoyed designing and testing circuits and stuff, so I'm definitely excited about this.


In removing all the old harness, it came time to deal with the hodge-podge ridiculousness that was the alternator wiring. At some point in the past, some Friends "stole" my car, and did some much needed upgrades for me. One of those upgrades was upgrading to a 2G alternator. The way they did it was so ghettofabulous, but it was more than what I'd done, so beggers can't be choosers.

Now that I'm redoing everything, one of the things I plan on fixing is the alternator problem. The 2G was wired horribly, with stray wires going everywhere, and then all balled up and wrapped in e-Tape, and for SOME reason, still wired into the stock regulator.

It also uses the "double lead" power cables that some light reading last night suggested might be a fire hazard.

So my options are:
1) Upgrade to a 3G Alternator. I'm taking everything apart anyway, so while it's out why not get the 130Amp big-boy and do it right?
2) Leave in the 2G, and just wire everything back in properly, getting the 1 lead plug.
3)Just get a 1 wire alternator

I'm definitely leaning toward item #1. The big thing for me is finding a 3G alternator. I don't want to drop the 180 (plus or minus) at AutoZone, and have seen that Junkyard sell them in the 30 dollar range. Should I consider getting a salvage unit, or should I just suck it up and go to the zone?

And if I decide to go to a Junkyard, which 3Gs should I be looking at? I'm currently using the monstrous bracket setup that they used on the mustangs with the (currently unused) idler pulley floating up in space...but I'm going to be switching to something like this:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/MCH-1465/

so the alternator would need to bolt into that.

OK so there's my situation...what do I need to do to get this worked out?
 
Def go with the 3G. Mine kicks out so many amps at idle that I can run the heater fan, lights and the two cooling fans on high and still maintain 13.8 volts (runs 14.2 with no load, 14.2 regardless above 2000 rpm). Can't really help you with the bracket issue. I used the stock bracket, and the large case 3G from a tarus. To 'make' it fit, I simply loosened the water pump bolt holding the lower bracket (the slide part) and moved it down a half inch or so. My existing pulley setup switched over just fine.

If you get one from a yard, take it to autozone and get it tested for free anyway.
 
I usually use the autoparts store website to look this stuff up or rockauto.com, I looked up a '98 Taurus w/130A alt. and clicked on the part # and it tells you what years/cars it came on = Taurus/Sable ~'96-2001.
Agree with getting it from the JY and taking it to be tested, just get an agreement with the JY that if it tests bad you can bring it back and swap it for another one from another car until you find a good one or money back if it's bad and the only one they have.
No core charge at the JY and you save $150..
I found my alt. on fleabay still in the NAPA box, took a chance, bought it and it tested fine luckily. No core charge either.
Jon
 
A better place to get a used alternator is from the WallyWorld parking lot. Just open up the appropriate car's hood and grab it. The alternator has to be in working condition...how else would the car get there?
 
Mark would most likely pick the one car that broke down last week and has not moved since then......dead battery because of a bad alternator.
 
"Midlife" said:
A better place to get a used alternator is from the WallyWorld parking lot. Just open up the appropriate car's hood and grab it. The alternator has to be in working condition...how else would the car get there?
Click to expand...

when we were living in fl, my dad had the tailgate off of his dealer demo stolen at walmart.

mid, if your through with it, we would like to have it back.... :craz
 
OK so I keep researching this but not getting exactly what I'm looking for.

I'm trying to figure out exactly which 3Gs are easy to bolt into. I keep running into refereences to "large case" vs. "small case" and differences in pulley offsets and things...doesn't seem anyone out there has a good list of "This car has this alternator" and that's sorta what I'm looking for.

OR...

Am I just overthinking this whole thing? I just don't want to get one that's not going to bolt in.

I want one that will either bolt in using the stock bracketry (modifying the swing arm a bit to get it to reach better is fine) OR that will bolt in with that March kit I posted a link to in my first post. Either option is fine. There aren't a lot of yards around here, so I'll probably end up doing the eBay thing...which means I need to make sure I know exactly what I'm getting...some of the alternators are 3G but they don't have the correct mounting tabs.

Looks like my best bet is a 94-95 Mustang, but I'd like to know what other cars might be best fits.

Thanks.
 
Take your alt. into Auto Zone and have them bring out the one/ones you think might fit. Then you can compare all the bits and pieces. Then tell them you still have to do some deciding on which way to go. Then order the one you need from e-bay.
 
"AzPete" said:
Take your alt. into Auto Zone and have them bring out the one/ones you think might fit. Then you can compare all the bits and pieces. Then tell them you still have to do some deciding on which way to go. Then order the one you need from e-bay.
Click to expand...

I think I'm going to do exactly that. Thanks!
 
Tauruses (Taurii?) ~1989-1995 and some of the newer Tauruses had conventional 3G/4G alts and could be ordered with 130a units. Mustangs 94-20xx also had 3Gs. These are the ones you want. Windystars will also work...those and Mustangs had an alt wiring harness that is pretty easy to unplug. The output rating is somewhat conspicuously stamped into the case. The retarded ones that are regulated by the computer have a different color plastic pack and are strictly newer model crap. :lol

RJM Injection, or whatever in the heck his name is wrote a novel on newer Ford alts. It's worth reading, but the bottom line is, if its the right alt and has the conventional 2 ears, it will 99.9% for sure bolt in, no matter if it has the small, or large housing.
 
Yeah the 94-95 mustangs had the small case, which would have the same distance between the mounting holes as the 1G/2G. The large case is about an inch wider IIRC. I have the large case on my 351w and I didn't have to extend the alternator adjustment arm, but when adjusted it is close to the end of the slot. A fix for that would be to buy a shorter V-belt. I've read that the small case alternators have cooling issues, as it has the same amperage output but a smaller fan and cooling surface area.
 
"AtlantaSteve" said:
OK so I keep researching this but not getting exactly what I'm looking for.

I'm trying to figure out exactly which 3Gs are easy to bolt into. I keep running into refereences to "large case" vs. "small case" and differences in pulley offsets and things...doesn't seem anyone out there has a good list of "This car has this alternator" and that's sorta what I'm looking for.

OR...

Am I just overthinking this whole thing? I just don't want to get one that's not going to bolt in.

I want one that will either bolt in using the stock bracketry (modifying the swing arm a bit to get it to reach better is fine) OR that will bolt in with that March kit I posted a link to in my first post. Either option is fine. There aren't a lot of yards around here, so I'll probably end up doing the eBay thing...which means I need to make sure I know exactly what I'm getting...some of the alternators are 3G but they don't have the correct mounting tabs.

Looks like my best bet is a 94-95 Mustang, but I'd like to know what other cars might be best fits.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Perhaps overthinking it. Miine was from a '94 Tarus, large case 130A unit. I used the pulley from my old alt(it was shot). Fit just fine Ford did not change the pulley mounting until after the 3G.
 
Yup, I reused my stock pulley as well but had to use a washer to space the pulley out a bit, as the back of the pulley was rubbing the alternator case.
 
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