I'm interested in upgrading my alternator but haven't found many products. The pre '88 3.8s have the old school mounting brackets that don't work with standard 3G cases.
(http://www.pa-performance.com/images/items/83.jpg) (http://www.knology.net/~belchja/3goutput.bmp)
Above is a 95A model from PA-Performance. Link (http://www.pa-performance.com/display.asp?sku=83&rP=searching,cat@Alternator+Kits,rqSku@,rqPartNO@,rqDesc@,rqOrder@). Anyone else have any ideas?
there is a ford taurus version that bolts on,,,,,
Tom? help me out here cause i forgot which years you called out...
This might help
http://store.summitracing.com/default.asp?target=partdetail.asp&part=PWM%2D8%2D57140&SearchType=Engine&N=4294908331+4294889096+4294840126&Nao=20&autoview=sku
It says it's a 2g style case alternator. Which, if i remember correctly, is the stock style for our cars.
You can get a 3G with offset tabs, I forget which vehicles it came from, though...
it works on the 88. but you may need to gring on the case to get it to work. and you need to do some work to the bottom of the alt bracket to make it sit corectly. i know i did it if i knew it was that hard i wouldnt have done it with a drill i would have bought a dremal and had it way beter. i i did get iot to work
What works on the '88? I believe the '88 3.8 has mounting points 180 degrees apart. The pre '88 alternators have a mounting point at 12 o'clock and ~5 o'clock.
[Slight hijack] I'm doing this so I can put a Mark VIII fan in. No doubt the 60/65 amp alternator I have now can't handle it, even with a DC Control (http://www.dccontrol.com/) unit.
oh my bad
I did some looking around and compiled a list of alternators with the offset mounting. Ford part GL-469 is probably my best bet. It is a 95A. It came on:
89-90 Taurus/Sable w/2.5L
91 Tempo/Topaz w/2.3L
91-93 Thunderbird/Cougar w/5.0L
There are also some 95A/130A alternators that can be found on E/F series trucks. The complete list is here (http://knology.net/~belchja/alternator.xls)
What changes would have to be made to run one of those 130A alternators out of an E/F? I think the alt on my '86 is pin' out on me. This might be my next project, if I ever get that 351 sold.
Is your '86 externally (1G) or internally (2G) regulated? I think it could be either in '86. If it is a 1G model, the easiest way is to use a PA-Performance (http://www.pa-performance.com/display.asp?sku=29&rP=searching,jumpPage@QuickPage,jumpNum@2,cat@Plugs+and+Wire+Kits,backNum@1,nextNum@2) kit. They also sell kits to swap over 2G systems. The 2G/3G conversion has been covered on this board a good bit.
I don't know, to be honest. I saw a little rusty box somewhat similar to that PA Performance item down below the air inlet.
That rusty box is the regulator.
Well poop.
OK, that PA Performance item says something about retaining use of stock ammeter (which I don't have anyway) and warning light. What if I don't really care if I lose both of those? Can it be done differently to avoid needing to buy that adapter?
I have a voltmeter in that car, which I'll probably run a direct wire to from the battery (as was discussed many many moons ago) or whatever when I do this.. so I get a more accurate reading. (right now the voltmeter reads right around 1-1.1v lower than whatever my digital tester shows) Shouldn't that be sufficient to monitor the system?
The 3G swap into a non-internally regulated car should be very simple, and no swap-kit is required. You just don't use the external regulator. The 3G requires only a constant 12V power source (on the yellow/white wire in the regulator harness, which may be looped directly to the alternator's output stud), a sense wire (which goes from the regulator plug to the small single terminal on the alternator, a white/black stripe wire) and an ignition (switched) wire on the light green/red wire at the regulator plug. This wire can be taken directly from the "I" wire on your existing regulator and will enable the factory idiot light to work as well. Then you run a 4-gauge power wire from the alternator's output stud to the battery. You can also connect your factory black/orange stripe output wires to this stud as I did, but it's not necessary if you have that 4-gauge wire.
Here, I did up a quick diagram. Since you have a 1G you'll need to buy a regulator plug (about $2 at an auto parts store).
Kool, thanks. That looks much more promising.
Now to dig up the cash to get an alternator. Might need to see what the local junkyards have around. Even a 95A would seem to be a significant upgrade.
OK, I have a possibility of picking up a 130A truck/van alternator on the cheap. One thing I was wondering, though: Should I consider putting in some sort of protection on this? Like maybe a high-amp fuse or circuit breaker on the big line? (and leaving the black/orange wire disconnected, so it didn't take a huge spike if the fuse went) According to that chart up above, that thing will be cranking out some serious amps. I have my concerns about hooking that up to an 18 year old electrical system. (yes, I am very paranoid at times)
To be 100% safe you could put an inline 20-amp fuse in the yellow/white wire (the one going from the regulator plug to the bat terminal) - this would protect the regulator in case of a short in the rotor. You could also put a large fuse inline with the battery wire (you can get high-amp inline fuses designed for car stereo installations) as well. You're safe in leaving the black/orange wire connected, though, because it's already protected by a fusible link.
Remember, the alt will only crank out the amps required of it. Unless you install some serious stereo gear or police lights you'll likely never hit anything near 130 amps. The main point in using the heavy gauge wire is that because the alternator is capable of it you have to be prepared that it might. The reason you want to do the swap is that it's better to run a 130 amp alternator at 50% duty cycle than it is to run a 70-amp alternator at 100%.
Is it worth it to put in the 20-amp inline? Based on what you're saying, I'm guessing I probably won't put in a high-amp on the main line to the battery unless I ever put in a much more powerful stereo.. so that just leaves the question of whether or not the 20A is worth buying/installing.
OK, quick update. I decided to poke around Ebay for a few days.. ugh. Found one guy with a truck/van 130A alternator listed on JeremyB's spreadsheet.. was selling for a good price, but did not answer my questions to him about it and someone else got to the auction. In his auction, he said that the picture he had listed may not be the actual item since it was one of the parts dealers on there, so I wasn't about to jump on it without asking. Found another guy last night who was selling this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7962556356&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT
A Contour 170A alternator with the offset mounting. Price was over double what the first guy wanted, ($139.95 starting bid, $149.95 BIN) but hey.. I had hit some sales yesterday of my own and had enough money to where I could pay for the majority of it and get the rest covered with a loan from a family member, so I asked about it. He didn't tell me if it would work, even after I provided the bolt-to-bolt distance I was looking for. (roughly 6", if my measurement of the alternator last night was correct) He tried to sell me a 200A alternator "made just for my 1986 Thunderbird!" for $169.95 plus $15 shipping. Well, yes, I've seen alternator prices, and that is still within what I would consider reasonable. However, it would require me to borrow even more from that family member, and I'd like to keep that to a minimum.. (every $10 more I have to borrow is like pulling another tooth with that family member.. and I still have to get a 4-gauge wire and alt plug, and ideally I'd like to change the belt and idler pulley) so I had to pass for now. Maybe I'll call around to the junkyards and see what happens.. or transfer my PayPal money (takes 3-4 days, it) to the bank and go hit one of the U-Pull-Its in the next county. Figured I'd drop the update, though, in case anyone was looking for other possible alternator sources than what's listed.
Meh.
The voltmeter I installed has always read about 1 to 1.1 volts lower than a test at the battery with my digital meter. Well, today I was sitting at a light with the radio barely on (almost inaudible) and just my foot on the brake.. nothing else drawing power.. and even when I put it in neutral, I was getting around 10.5v reading. (so 11.5-11.6 actual) I know that battery can't be fully charged.. haven't slapped the charger on it since the last time I drove it. But I got no spikes to 14v (or even above 12v) when I first drove it today.
I'm wondering if I should spend the money on the bigger alternator, or maybe use it toward getting my dark blue Bird on the road.. or just get by until I can afford to do things right without having to borrow.
A word of caution when you're trying to "get by" when it comes to charging systems: Carry booster cables. Better yet, carry a fully charged spare battery so you can swap and drive home...
I have one of those sets of jumper cables that store in a little box and you roll them up with a crank on the side of the box. One of the few good things left over from my boat, aside from the "GET IN, SIT DOWN, SHUT UP, HOLD ON" floating keychain.
Caution: I do not believe there is a 130A offset mount alternator. Partsamerica.com shows the 130A alternators with 180-degree mounts. That means GL-502RM is NOT offset. I will amend the spreadsheet when I get home this afternoon. Looks like 95A is the best there is.
Bird351 - I don't think the Contour alternators will fit. The mount is offset, but looks to be a different offset.
So should I try to jump on this guy's offer of a 200A that would fit my Bird for $169.95 plus $15 shipping? (it's the guy I linked to above.. has over 4000+ positive feedback on eBay, with only like 2 negative) I still need to try to have some money available for a new belt and a new idler pulley, plus the alt plug and the 4-gauge wire. I have $118 in PayPal right now, plus $11 in the bank. The rest would be borrowed unless sales pick up. (and I have a pair of billings coming out at the start of next month that I need to have about $30 in the bank for, total)
My other options are to A) leave it as-is and slap the 2A/6A charger on it every other day, B) buy a py replacement alternator from AutoHole for under $50, C) hit up the junkyards looking for something compatible, D) assess what I need to get my dark blue car on the road, and just do that and say fuggit to the alternator for now. Unless my 351 sells this week, money's tight.
Oh yeah.. does this seem fishy to any of you, as well?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7962361134&category=33573
I've got two votes for "fishy" so far.
Ding ding ding. Methinks there was a reason Ford never made a 2G alternator over 75A.
Personally, I would buy a 95A alternator from a junkyard with a 30-day warranty. There is also PA-Performance. There just aren't any reliable options over 95A.
So you're saying that this other guy's "200A alternator just for your 1986 Thunderbird!" is probably also a crock? I'd be *slightly* less inclined to believe that guy's BSin', given that he has a much bigger positive rep than the guy selling the 140A.. but I don't know for sure. (could he be offering a 6G small-case alternator with the right mounting?)
Hell, going to AutoHole and picking up a cheap 1G for under $50 to make do for now is sounding better and better, at least until I get some more cash available.. just so I'm reasonably sure I'll get SOME charge.
Speaking of charge, time to go rig up the 2A to run all night under the hood, before it rains. I've become pretty good at stashing it in the engine bay to keep the rain off it. Gotta go out tomorrow for awhile, probably.
I'm going to Email the guy with the 4000+ feedback again.. see what else he might have that would fit the bill. It takes 3-4 days for PayPal to transfer money to my bank, (which me off) so I'd like to try one more time before I tie that money up for almost the entire (business) week.
Yes. There are two kinds of 3G cases; large and small. The small cases go up to 95A. The large cases go up to 200A. Pictorial (http://www.alternatorparts.com/Ford_3G.htm). I don't believe Ford made a large 3G case with the offset mount. If they had, I would think you'd be seeing 130A+ alternators.
I bet the 200A alternator is a 180-degree case.
OK, I blew the guy off after his latest response. Asked him if he had anything else available at a lower price.. like even a 95A.. and he ignored the question and tried to steer me back to a 200A. So in his desire to get one big sale, he ruined his chances at a more likely smaller sale.
Anyway, I'm thinking I'll either hit up the junkyards for a 95A that'll fit, or I'll pick up the absolute cheapest replacement I can get and eat the core charge, and keep the old alternator. I see rebuild kits listed, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to learn how to rebuild these if it's within my ability. I'll throw the rest of that money at my front suspension or something.. try to kill that rattle that's probably swaybar bushings. If anything's left over, I'll pick up some vacuum line for my '88.
Rebuilding a 2G is as easy as hell, if your rotor and stator are good. A set of brushes, a new bridge, and some bearings (all included in a rebuild kit) and you're good to go. Hell, if you're planning on replacing it soon anyway, don't even bother with the bearings.
Wouldn't external reg be a 1G?
Also thought about getting one of these:
http://www.realgoods.com/shop/shop6.cfm/dp/606/ts/1011563
Anyone remember offhand how much the clock drains on key-off? (I know it's going to be miniscule, but it adds up.. 5-6 months of it has killed the battery in my 88.. oops)
Actually, you're right, external regulator is 1G. Still very easy to rebuild, though (I did it in my old '85).
The local mounties swear by those solar chargers. All the police equipment in the cars places a big drain on the battery (Motorola radio, computer, cell phone, flashlight, plus clock and am/fm memory).
And just think, the sun's much closer to straight overhead down here in south Florida vs. up there in popsicle-land. :p
I might wire in a second cig plug, which I was thinking of doing anyway, (inverter for laptop, CD/MP3 player power plug.. although I do have a cig plug splitter adapter) and use that for the solar panel. This would be as an aside to the alternator upgrade.. I'll probably do that whether I have a panel or not.. but it's something I might buy now and just wait until I can afford to do the swap right. (proper alternator, new belt, new pulley, 4G wire, finally do the smog pump delete, etc.)
Here's an installation of the PA performace 95 Amp alternator: http://www.mustangmonthly.com/howto/26599/
And here's one for a 130 AMP from a 94-95 Mustang into an earlier Fox: http://www.corral.net/tech/maintenance/130a-tech.html
I'm sure you could find the 130 Amp model for less than the $219.99 these guys did.
There is no 130A alternator for the pre '88 3.8 mounting setup.
The following vehicles came with the 130 Amp model from the factory:
(1994-95) Ford Mustang 5.0L
(1994-00) Ford Mustang 3.8L
(1994-97) Ford Thunderbird, Mercury Cougar 3.8L
(1990-95) Ford Taurus, Mercury Sable 3.8L
(1993-99) Ford Taurus, Mercury Sable 3.0L
(1995-98) Ford Windstar 3.8L & 3.0L
(1991-94) Lincoln Continental 3.8L
(1992-97) Ford F Series Pickup
(1992-96) Ford E Series Van
This quote is from Ford Fule injection.com
By early I guess they mean 88-up? This pick was with the quote....
I would guess that with all the different vehicles (including trucks) some of these might have different mount points and you could make it work. I'm gonna do some research.
EDIT: Why won't this work?http://www.pa-performance.com/mustang.asp The 130 AMP I mean....
Have you read
any of this thread?
I
did do research. All those 130A 3G alternators you listed have mounts 180 degrees apart. Look at my spreadsheet for alternators with the offset mounting.
Yes I did. Did I say they would bolt right up? It's been a while since I worked on an older 3.8. I did not know that ALL of those had the same mounts. THATS WHY I SAID I WAS GONNA DO SOME RESEARCH! RELAX!!!!
Actually, you are correct; all of those alternators you mentioned do not have 180 degree mounts. None of them have the correct offset mount though.
My response wasn't meant to be taken with an angry tone, but rather one of exasperation. I spent a sizable chunk of time finding out alternator interchanges only to have someone say a month later, "I wonder what alternators interchange with the pre '88 mount?. Let me find out." ;)
Ok I apologize ;)
The research comment wasn't a stab at ya.
I am curious if the Mustang listing for a 83-86 from PA performance will work or not.... were those V-belt or Serpentine?
Hmm, it seems PA-Performance thinks the 83-86 3.8 Mustangs had straight mount alternators. Motorcraft.com shows those Mustangs to have the same part# (GL-211RM) as 82-86 Thunderbirds. GL-211RM is definitely an offset 1G. I believe those are serpentine.
Well, I guess I can forget any changes after all. Someone screwed us over on a bunch of Ebay sales.. lost close to $100, and mine's the type of sale that I really can't get back.
That sucks... I know all about non-paying bidders
Well this guy paid.. close to $100 on Saturday.. then put a hold on all those funds last night. Did it to another credit-seller too. It's not something that's going to be recoverable, most likely.
I get the feeling that it's some kid who swiped his mom's credit card and went on a credit shopping spree to buy in-game stuff.. then his mom found out about it and put a hold on it.
I'm dredging up this thread because A) it's useful, and B) I'm finally about to buy one of these alternators. $35 plus shipping from a yard in GA. Looks to be what is listed as GL-469RM on the spreadsheet. (95A)
How sure are you that this will fit? Have you had one in your hands and measured it and found it to be the same as a 3.8's alt? Or is this mainly just parts cross-checking on a bunch of different websites? I have to be 100% sure this will work.. I still can't afford to be wrong. (not for a couple weeks, anyway.. if all goes well) Has any of this info changed since this thread went inactive?
I did it by crosschecking a bunch of different websites. I bought an alternator out of a '90 5.0 Tbrid (GL-469). I haven't installed it yet. One thing I did notice is the top mounting pad will need to be ground down, it is too thick. Other than that, it
should fit. If you can hold off for a few days, I will install it this weekend and notify you of any problems I encounter.
How much grinding are we talking here? I'm having trouble finding my Dremel.. and I think I'm low on supplies for it anyway. All that leaves me with is a few old files and some sandpaper.
The junkyard hasn't Emailed me back yet. I'll have to hold off until it arrives, assuming they'll ship it.. but once I have it I need to get it in the car as soon as possible. Might have to start making longer drives every day, and for two people in the house and not just one. It's looking like I'll be slapping the car on the charger every evening until I can get this alternator thing solved.
That junkyard still hasn't responded.. what about this?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7966234254&category=33573&sspagename=WD1V
$64.99 plus $19.99 shipping. Rebuilt.
I installed the alternator this afternoon. The mounting pad
doesn't need to be machined. The whole thing is a direct fit. The alternator I bought has a pulley about 10% larger than the one that came stock with my car. I didn't do any before readings....but after the install, bright lights/radio (stock)/rear defroster/blower on high and the the alternator was putting out 14.42V, it was 14.69V w/no load.
Hot ! I'll have to pick one up as soon as possible, then. That Ebay link above sound like a good deal? The junkyard never responded.
So did you run a thicker wire just like any other 3G swap? I had planned on picking up the extra wire.. is mounting it to where the battery cable connects to the solenoid acceptable? (vs. trying to mount it to the battery connector) I don't see why not.. but it never hurts to ask, unless the person asking is IGAH. :p
I connected the two 10ga. wires up to the alternator, no 4ga. yet. I will put in the 4ga. when I install my MN-12 elec. fan. The power wire is protected by a fusible link, so theoretically the 10ga. wires should be fine.
I don't know if mounting to the solenoid is ok.
IT! NO ONE in town has the equivalent of GL-469RM in stock, and I'm desperate for a replacement alternator. (I've even asked about the stock replacement, that's also order-only) My mother's car is in the shop for almost another week, and this weather has been brutal on my battery. (over 9 inches of rain in 4 days.. lights, wipers, A/C, etc.. all on a gimped stock alt) 6A charging a few times a day now, plus 2A overnight charges.. seems like the battery is taking a beating from it.
I'm asking this guy on Ebay if he would ship it faster. I'd buy from PA-Performance, but they don't say on their website (from what I can see) where they are.. and it may be too late to try to get them to ship one out tonight if they even would.
EDIT: Ahh screw it.. I went to another Advance nearby that was a bit more helpful. Had them order one in from out of town.. will be here tomorrow by noon. $108 plus core. Guy on Ebay only mails USPS Priority Mail.. and the Ford dealer wants an arm and a leg for an alt.
So what, exactly, is this plug I need? Regulator plug? Stator plug? The guy at Advance had NO idea what I was talking about. Also, anyone else have any feedback on the plan to run this wire to the battery side of the solenoid? I picked up a 2' long 4-ga. cable with two of the ends with the bolt holes in 'em. I'm hoping to get all this clarified so I can pick up what I need tomorrow and do the swap all in one shot.. 'cause if I don't, I have no way of getting out of the house to pick up other parts unless I call a friend for a ride or do the swap at his place.
So a high-performance 3.8 alternator swap solution has been found? If this is the case I'll bump this on over into the "Greatest Hits" section. LMK, Jeremy...
Well he's the first verification on this, and I should be the 2nd one tomorrow. I put in the order for a '93 T-bird 5.0 95A alternator. Just need the verification on the plug I need, and if this wiring solution is acceptable.
Guess I'll take a stab at it tomorrow, and hope that whomever I run into at Advance knows what plug I'm looking for. I made a crude paper copy of the alternator diagram, and I'll have the other one in hand.. hope that's enough.
I'm attempting this with no backup vehicle to take me to a parts store in case I miss a part, and my friend (only one who could drive me around on short notice) won't get out of work until 2-3 hours after I get the alt.
Success! Only major hangup was that this alt had a smaller top bolt hole than the original. I'm pulling 14.1-14.2v at idle w/ no load, but this was tested about 2 minutes after first startup.. I don't know how much recharging the battery affected it. (we were not able to recharge it before the swap.. it was at 12.77v before the first startup) I still got 13.99v @ idle w/ the high beams on, A/C on max, and rear defroster on.
The ends on the 4 ga. wire I bought were way too big, so I decided to buy a roll of 10 ga. wire and some 5/16" eye terminals, or whatever the hell ya call 'em. I'm using the original power wire plus one foot of 10 ga. wire and a terminal hooked right to the battery terminal connector. If anyone thinks that's insufficient, I could always run a second one.
Thought I smelled warm electrical stuff, but is that just running the alternator for the first time? Nothing was cooking or acting funny.
Oh yeah.. the store I went to no longer had that regulator plug in stock.. had to drive all the way across town and then some to another Advance to pick one up. Fortunately, that other store is only about 2 miles away from my friend's house, and he was home at the time.. so I stopped and did the swap there.
EDIT: Here are a couple pics. First off, I went back and added another 10 ga. wire of equal length. Second, I'm sure that mounting solution is not ideal. Third, I cleaned the battery terminals and connections, but I should probably clean the contacts on the solenoid. Fourth, if the wiring going into the battery looks a little odd, it's because it has to clear the air intake pipe.. which is removed for the picture. Lastly, the engine ground wire is very cracked and brittle.. so I'll be looking to replace that shortly. The voltage pictured below is at idle, with only the radio on but no sound.
it, I forgot one very important thing:
THREE CHEERS FOR JEREMY!
Without whom this would most likely not have happened.
Cheers for the input from everyone else, but extra credit to the thread creator and spreadsheet maker. :D
Right - looks like a greatest hit to me...
I forgot you CFI 3.8 guys have the battery on the wrong side of the car - us 5.0 guys have the alt on the right side and the battery on the left, so we need a longer wire
I have more 5.0s than 3.8s. :p
Why couldn't you use the front half of the case off the 3.8 alt and bolt it on to the newer style 3g alt. I 've got an 88 3,8 cougar that had that same alt. If I remeber right It looks to be the same. Also I have looked into the 3g swap for my 84 T/c and I found threre are 2 alt that are the 130 amp. At oreilly I believe the numbers are 01-0200, 01-0201. one of them is cheaper. Also with my older style v-belt set up I sont have to do any grinding like all the write ups i've seen
I forgot to mention that because I took the bolt that came with the alternator I pulled from the salvage yard. The factory setup had a third mount that went into the back of the alternator, which is why the top bolt is smaller. I'm going to do some calculations to see what bolt strength is needed to get back to factory specs. Probably a 12.9. The other option is to tap/helicoil a larger bolt. You could also leave it alone and it might never break, but I have bad luck with leaving things "good enough".
We just dug around in my friend's bolt collection until we found something that fit and fit snug. Don't know how well it will hold up.
The original bolt is a 3/8" fine threaded grade 5.1. The bolt that goes with the 3G case is an 8mm fine threaded 9.8.
Going from my machine design book, the new bolt needs to be 44.5% stronger than the old one to keep the same safety factor. A 10.9 bolt gets you most of the way there (98%). An 8.8 bolt gets you 71% of the required proof load. A 9.8 gets you 77% of the way there. A 12.9 gets you 115% of the load.
In reality, this application requires somewhere between a grade 2 and grade 5.1 bolt. I'll leave y'all to decide what is appropriate. I am going to throw a 10.9 in mine.
Wish I had a bunch of good bolts laying around. Unfortunately, I have nothing in that department. Not even sure if I should be looking at a hardware store or auto parts store for one.
Yeah I would think that a good hardend bolt should do the job as long as you don't strip things out.
Two little things I thought I'd list in the thread.
One, I finally looked at what the bolt was that I was using. It's a Grade 5, I think.. the one with three lines on the head. I'll have to look for the correct (and stronger) bolt when I can get to a parts store again. Best off going to a hardware store or an auto parts store for a stronger bolt? Also, it's possible that this bolt isn't quite right for the application.. like the threads may have been a little bit off. (I didn't put it in, the friend that helped me did it while I was cleaning up the work area, if I recall) Is there anything I can possibly do to ease the load on this bolt in the meantime, or if a proper replacement isn't found anytime soon?
Second.. if the picture in this link is accurate, is this another possible alternator for this application? You had 300 I6 parts listed on your spreadsheet.. and this came up in a search for 4.9L stuff:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7933640016&fromMakeTrack=true
Uh, the alternator uses a metric bolt. ;) No wonder the threads aren't right. I'd just pick up something from Lower/HD and call it a day.
Yeah, if that e-bay link is showing an accurate picture...that is a viable alternator.
Well, our only source for a bolt that day was my friend's spare hardware collection.. so we're lucky to have even found a grade 5. Had it been at my house, I would've been without a new alternator.. because I don't have any bolts like that at all unless I happened to find one on some other part of one of the two project cars.. and at the time, that was the only car available to us.
Bringing back the dead. I want to upgrade my alternator on my 86 t-bird which is a 3.8, external reg so I guess it's a 1G. According to that spreadsheet I only see 3 models that have a 95 amp alternator. I had wanted to go with a 130 amp orignally, but I guess there isn't anything out there. So I was wondering if there were anymore models that I can look for at a local wrecker for an alternator that is at least 95 amps? Thanks
Jason
The models in the spreadsheet are the only ones I know of.
None of the local wreckers had any alts in. I'm not in a rush so I will just wait till they do. I was wondering if you wire up the alrernator plug like on page 2 with one of these alternators the same? Thanks
Jason
The great research in this thread certainly helps me know what to do to replace my alternator. I do not know enough to understand if you guys are doing it to get a performance gain or simply because a new alternator is needed and you are looking for compatible replacement. Thx.
yeah uh just thought I would throw this out,.... How did you get an alt for a 5.0 1990 tbird?
I did it mainly for a performance gain. The factory 2G alternator is rubbish. The headlights, MVAC fan, and the radio would max out the 2G at idle. I don't have that problem with the 3G.
I pulled the alternator from a local junkyard. [My posts says a '90 T-bird, but it was actually a '91] You can use car-part.com to get one too.
I had mine upgraded a few months ago on my 87 3.8 T-Bird. Cold start performance seems to be much better. No stalling at idle like it used to.