2G alternator wiring repair (and aero-airbox install)

[gadget73]

100 amp on the police models, and yes thats the difference.

[1987LTDmasta]

i would never trust that.

that 2nd connector on the driverside fenderwell is a nice hotspot.

Peter, you would have been better off with a 3G with all your extra acessories. its putting a nice load on your alt.

once i get some money, i want a 3G. the alt connector is fine, but that one by the fenderwell worries me. doesnt look too safe.

[gadget73]

The connector on mine at the fender actually has no current on it anymore, which is a good thing. The connector is cracked and stuff. There are definitely not the best, and usually they're just as bad as the one at the alternator itself. There is 1 wire in that harness that I'm still using, I think its the green one for the idiot light. Either that or its the oil level sender wire, I forget which is where. I've been meaning to axe the big nasty connector and install some nice smaller single wire connector in it's place. I'd also like to remove the entire length of wire running across the header panel since its not doing anything.

[1987cp]

If you trace the wires out, you'll find the two big black wires and I think the yellow one all meet downstream. When I wired my 2G after eliminating the stock EFI harness, I ran those three to a big wire (not sure of the gauge, but it's a little smaller than my battery cables) and ran that straight to the starter solenoid. I have a high-current fuse I'll put in before I really drive it much again. The field coil wires I ran to a long loop of wire that will run the idiot light once I put that in again. If I remember correctly, I reused the replacement alternator plugs I'd spliced in a few years back. So I think the whole shebang is a little stouter than stock, and the wiring is all less than 5 years old and even looks decent.

[gabegt90]

installing a 3g really isn't that hard

[Lincolnmania]

yea the 3ag upgrade is easy........anybody within driving distance to me, i can hook u up

[85crownHPP]

Peter, you would have been better off with a 3G with all your extra acessories. its putting a nice load on your alt.

I dont have any acessories in the 91 silly :p

[gadget73]

If you trace the wires out, you'll find the two big black wires and I think the yellow one all meet downstream. .

yes, the yellow is the battery sense wire. All 3 meet on my car at the fuse link, which happens to be right next to the battery. They're not hooked up any more but the wires are still there. The yellow battery sense line is what gets jumped from the VR plug to the output stud on the 3g alternator. Not entirely sure why Ford did the battery sense line how they did it, seems like several feet of extra wire that they could have saved 10 cents on per car by tying them together closer to the alternator.

[1987cp]

Man, don't get me started on all the wires I found in my harnesses that ran out to the wazoo only to turn around and head right back to the source. Great way to add bulk and make failure of random stuff at least twice as likely. I can only assume these funny things were intended for an accessory package my car didn't have, but I can't explain the retarded way of wiring the alternator. :nonono:

[86GmLsCoupe]

yes, the yellow is the battery sense wire. All 3 meet on my car at the fuse link, which happens to be right next to the battery. They're not hooked up any more but the wires are still there. The yellow battery sense line is what gets jumped from the VR plug to the output stud on the 3g alternator. Not entirely sure why Ford did the battery sense line how they did it, seems like several feet of extra wire that they could have saved 10 cents on per car by tying them together closer to the alternator.

I've been doing lots of research lately because I'm going to do the 3g upgrade. The reason I found for Ford running the battery sense that way was to sense true voltage at the battery and not the alternators output.

[gadget73]

makes sense, though if they'd just used a heavy enough wire for the connection between the alternator and battery, the voltage loss across it would have been negligible. I get about a quarter volt of loss on my 4 gauge cable from the alternator to battery.

[interceptor1985]

Anybody here use Welding supply cables for the battery cable? because when you look an the inside of them the copper strands are much thicker then what we would get at a normal auto parts store bought battery cable.

[86GmLsCoupe]

I'm in the process of getting my 3g stuff together but I'm going to try E&B/West Marine for the wiring. It's supposed to cost less, but I have to see what they have first. I don't know how exactly the wires compare to welding but my Dad used them for the Shore Power hookup on our boat. What difference you think larger copper strands would make?

[interceptor1985]

Well the electricity flows over the copper wires and not in them so more surface area would mean better flow...(less resistance)

yeah I'm a book nerd...lol

[86GmLsCoupe]

That's okay, it's really helpful cause I don't have electrical know-how. Simple as some of the wiring is in the case on the 3g conversion, I obsess to make sure my car doesn't burst into flames. I read somewhere, maybe tbird or thundercoupe forums that someone's car did catch fire after the 3g, how, I haven't a clue.