Originally posted by kishy
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What I Own: 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis GS
What I Help Maintain: 1996 CV / 1988 CV / 1988 Tempo
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Originally posted by friskyfrankie View PostAll common sense and logical statements but as originally mentioned it is not my car. If it were, it would already be converted to 3G! Even though the idea of maintaining it "original", in this case at least, is NOT a good idea we were still wondering how powerful of an alternator can be used with the OEM wiring.
Someone else may be able to offer a differing opinion and probably will, but the general rule is that just because more amps are available, does not mean more amps will flow.
What is unclear to me is whether there is maybe already enough load in the car to burn that fuse link, and the only reason it doesn't is because the alternator won't supply enough to burn it. Considering an example where every load in the car is turned on and maybe the battery is sucking up a couple amps because it was a little low to start...I'm really not sure if there's 65 amps worth of stuff in the car, but it seems to me there could be.Last edited by kishy; 03-29-2022, 01:57 PM.
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He has an aftermarket Alpine Head unit that runs through the Premium OEM system. That and A/C but nothing else exotic (like a high powered stereo system, big Sub, etc....). He says at night, he hears a slightly lower left or right signal but no pulsating of the lights with stereo, lights and A/C. This all with a 60 Amp alternator. I figured, with a 75 tops that might make him feel better without converting (even though I still would!).What I Own: 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis GS
What I Help Maintain: 1996 CV / 1988 CV / 1988 Tempo
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Originally posted by friskyfrankie View PostHe has an aftermarket Alpine Head unit that runs through the Premium OEM system. That and A/C but nothing else exotic (like a high powered stereo system, big Sub, etc....). He says at night, he hears a slightly lower left or right signal but no pulsating of the lights with stereo, lights and A/C. This all with a 60 Amp alternator. I figured, with a 75 tops that might make him feel better without converting (even though I still would!).1985 Mercury Grand Marquis LS, "Maisa"
1995 Chevrolet Caprice Classic STW, "Sally"
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And what do the headlights do when you hit the brakes? Thats where you will often see a brief moment of dimming.
friskyfrankie, tell your friend that nobody is going to notice theres a 3G alternator in there. If hes got the stock 2G, the mustang small case 3G drops right in place (might have to do a pulley swap for the 2G pulley) and looks right at home in the engine bay. Adding a wire & fuse isn't going to be obvious, just wrap it with the black split loom and route it with a factory harness, blends right in.
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The low output at idle speed is a common issue on the 1G and 2G. Their output vs rpm curves are worse than the later alternators, and honestly if you're going to notice a change, at idle is where you will see it. Driving down the road you'll probably never know the difference unless you have something thats really gobbling a bunch of extra current or the alternator just isn't working correctly.
The old 1G works just fine and isn't unreliable. The idle output kind of sucks but its not that big of a problem. The Mark VII and Continental both run them and I have no plans to change it. Even have a spare on the shelf.
agree with what Kishy said above. They weren't engineered to catch on fire, its just not exactly engineered in a way that makes it unlikely to catch on fire either. The plug-in connection I'm sure is wonderful for rapid assembly on the line but its just not robust enough long term.86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley
91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry
1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal
Originally posted by phayzer5
I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers
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Originally posted by GM_Guy View PostAnd what do the headlights do when you hit the brakes? Thats where you will often see a brief moment of dimming.
friskyfrankie, tell your friend that nobody is going to notice theres a 3G alternator in there. If hes got the stock 2G, the mustang small case 3G drops right in place (might have to do a pulley swap for the 2G pulley) and looks right at home in the engine bay. Adding a wire & fuse isn't going to be obvious, just wrap it with the black split loom and route it with a factory harness, blends right in.What I Own: 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis GS
What I Help Maintain: 1996 CV / 1988 CV / 1988 Tempo
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Originally posted by friskyfrankie View PostNot sure on the dimming of headlights when braking but will ask. Don't think he is overly concerned about ascetics but I think his motivations fall into two categories - 1) If it ain't broke - don't fix it and 2) Since he can't do the job himself, he may not want to bother me or someone else. I have seen the conversions and yes, you can blend the job where it is not noticeable except to one who knows better. Wonder what year Mustang is an exact fit?
Agreed with everyone else on the recommendation of an upgrade. The problem with "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" in this case is that when it breaks, it may take the whole car with it.—John
1985 Ford F-150 XLT Lariat
1990 Mercury Grand Marquis LS (POTM March 2017 & May 2019 - gone, but not forgotten)
1995 Mustang SVT Cobra coupe (cream puff)
1966 Mustang coupe (restoration in-progress)
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Originally posted by Giraffe View Post1994-1995 5.0 and 1994-2000 3.8 Mustangs would have a suitable alternator. 2001-2004 V6 Mustangs used an upgraded 6G rated for 110 amps with an even smaller case than the 3G.
Agreed with everyone else on the recommendation of an upgrade. The problem with "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" in this case is that when it breaks, it may take the whole car with it.What I Own: 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis GS
What I Help Maintain: 1996 CV / 1988 CV / 1988 Tempo
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3G is easier due to same connector. 6G uses a different connector.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
Originally posted by gadget73
... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
Originally posted by dmccaig
Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.
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also depends if you're shopping new or used. Less true now, but not so horribly long ago mid 90s cars were all over the junkyard and several had a compatible alternator. Find one that the hood wasn't open on and the alt didn't look like a crusty heap of crap and you could usually score a serviceable one for pretty small money. With a little more effort you could score the fuse and the charge cable as well. When an hour and 30 bucks will get you all you need it was hard to argue with.86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley
91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry
1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal
Originally posted by phayzer5
I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers
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The 6G supposedly is a bit better at low speed charging even compared to the 3G, but both do well when replacing the old firetraps.
I've tossed 3Gs on five vehicles, including two non-Panther applications and they've worked great compared to their predecessors. I've personally installed a 6G on my '87 after the 3G gave up, but the 3G was a junkyard score as it went which had obviously been exposed to a lot, and it kept up from about late 2016 until 2021.
My Cars:
-1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
-1979 Ford LTD Landau (38K Miles) - New Cruiser
-1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
-1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
-1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner
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Putting the 2G pulley on if it is larger than the 3G pulley will take care of any idle charge. I put the 2G pulley on my 3G so I could use the factory belt (one less thing to keep track of). It easily put out the rated 130amps at idle doing a load test.
Yeah, I suppose if you can't do it yourself it would factor in unless you got someone you really trust to do it, and not rape you on labour for what is an easy job.
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