Upgrade Alternator

[typ4]

That is a 2g, I just talked to my best bud who had an electric shop. He said that 86/87 was when ford intro'd the 2g, it went on everything till they found out it wouldnt hold up on high load apps.
2g 60a is also listed in the website lookup that I use as the std on that year. 1g is std 60a,70a is optional also a 1g
I would do the 3g conversion,measure between the bolts, 7 inch is a small case 8 is a large case., Also the bearings are the same size on the pulley end so either one is ok, the larger one makes a little less heat at load.

 

[sle2115]

That is a 2g, I just talked to my best bud who had an electric shop. He said that 86/87 was when ford intro'd the 2g, it went on everything till they found out it wouldnt hold up on high load apps.
2g 60a is also listed in the website lookup that I use as the std on that year. 1g is std 60a,70a is optional also a 1g
I would do the 3g conversion,measure between the bolts, 7 inch is a small case 8 is a large case., Also the bearings are the same size on the pulley end so either one is ok, the larger one makes a little less heat at load.

Thanks Russ, that's why I posted before diving in. Everything I kept finding said 1G, but I didn't think it was. I've looked them up and only seen the 1G as well, but will keep looking for a 3G. I found a 160 AMP, new for $100, he is getting me the measurements on the bolt holes and I'm gonna grab it if they are correct. I have the wiring diagram that Mr. Roboto put in the upgrade tech article. Maybe I'll have time to do a write up on it because several have asked the same question about upgrading this one (instead of the 1G with the fender well mounted regulator).

I did the GP upgrade and man, did that make all the difference in the world. I put 4 gauge cable and a 225 Amp AMG fuse on it. Voltage drop at GP cycle is much less, there must have been some BAD resistance in those fusible links. I know it melted one, but kept on going on the second wire.

Anyway, thanks for the information. I'll keep you posted.

 

[sassyrel]

i wonder how hard it would be to find brackets to mount a ambulance alternator on my truck. the alternator in this ambulance we got is huge! i'm talking like 10 in diameter! dont know much more than that about it though. i'll take pics today and post em. i'll see if i can find a tag on it. too bad its on a psd or else i would probably be putting it on my truck.

the one bad thing about the amb alt---if you have to replace it--grab your shorts!!!!!!

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Pics

You got the 2G alright. Would you like to know how to wire up a 3G in its place? Here we go:

a) disconnect batteries, yank your 2G alternator out, leave all the wiring in tho.

b) the alternator plug that has two fat wires on it, those are your charge wires - the 130 amps the 3G can crank out tho will burn their fusible links. These wires however can make for a very nice power source for electric fans or something else that draws less that 100A, so I suggest you don't remove them entirely, but instead cut the plug off and just tape off the ends of the wires, this way down the road they are there for your use, and you won't have to mess with running all new wires for your add-on device.

c) you need to add a new charge wire - use at least 4-gauge, with a 175A megafuse somewhere along it, this wire will run between the passenger-side battery and the stud on the alternator, so it will need ring terminals on both ends.

d) the three-wire plug from your 2G alternator will fit right in the 3G. There are three wires in that plug, a green, a yellow, and a white with a dark stripe on it. The green is your alternator trigger wire, it gets key-on 12V from the ignition, leave it be and don't mess with it as it already does what it should be doing and is connected to what it should be connected to. The yellow is your battery sensing wire, it gets constant 12V from the batteries, leave it be too and don't mess with it as it already does what it should be doing and is connected to what it should be connected to. The white/striped wire now, that one will need some work - follow it from the 3-wire plug to wherever it goes and cut off whatever is on the other end, then add a spade connector to the now-loose end, and plug it in the side of the alternator (there's only one location where it would fit). Ideally you want to use a pigtail from a Taurus or other vehicle that was originally equipped with a 3G alternator, but a simple spade connector will work just fine too. Here are two good pics of how the wire goes, they are from a Crown Vic car but the wiring is exactly the same:

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And that's all there is to it! Depending on what alternator you get you may have to swap the pulley off your 2G onto your new 3G.

 

[typ4]

And everyone says only chevys are easy to swap stuff around on.
Great info MLSC

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Russ, Chevy's have the transmission advantage - take any trans and put it behind any engine, chances are it will fit and work good. That we will never be able to beat, but that's about all they got on us too. The 3G is a very popular upgrade among the Panther chassis (Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, and Town Car) crowd, we are all junkyard pirates for the most part so we can get very resourceful My Lincoln has the 3G and I'm loving it, I will eventually put one in the diesel but I need to get one first, and given how my current alternator is just an year old it really ain't all that necessary...

 

[sle2115]

They also have the internal regulated alternator that will fit anything pre-88 or so. You can convert them to one wire very easily and change the clock position in 4 or 5 minutes for the regulator plug. If you need to know anything about them, just let me know...as far as ford stuff, I'm in the dark and don't mind staying that way!

 

[LCAM-01XA]

They also have the internal regulated alternator that will fit anything pre-88 or so. You can convert them to one wire very easily and change the clock position in 4 or 5 minutes for the regulator plug. If you need to know anything about them, just let me know...as far as ford stuff, I'm in the dark and don't mind staying that way!

The 3G can is essentially the same way, well it will be a 2-wire hookup cause you still need the 12V key-on, but really how hard is that? 3 bolts in the back to reclock it, easy as pie. Tis a beautiful alternator really, can put out up to 200 amps even from the factory, cooling is times better than the GM stuff, last near forever and can handle about anything - the one in my Lincoln has seen plenty of rain water cause of my hood scoop, I swear it just don't care!

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

It is my understanding that the one-wire alternators will cause many accessories, fans, motors, etc. to not receive sufficient voltage to work properly, thus their lives are shortened.

What you want, and what a one-wire lacks, is REMOTE voltage sensing; whereas, a one-wire reads voltage only at the battery and does not read voltage drop at the main junction point.


You can also inadvertently cause this same scenario with any internally regulated alternator by up-sizing the main charge-wire to the battery, thus fooling the voltage senser (?sensor?) into reading battery voltage instead of system voltage.

That is one of the many reasons that I prefer my alternators be externally regulated; and, when I do go with a 3G, I will most likely figure out how to externally regulate it.


The one-wire alternators are meant for simple systems such as power-units, generators, farm-tractors, and the like.

There is a reason why cost-cutting time-saving auto-manufacturers have not adopted the use of one-wire alternators in highway vehicles.

 

[sle2115]

It is my understanding that the one-wire alternators will cause many accessories, fans, motors, etc. to not receive sufficient voltage to work properly, thus their lives are shortened.

What you want, and what a one-wire lacks, is REMOTE voltage sensing; whereas, a one-wire reads voltage only at the battery and does not read voltage drop at the main junction point.


You can also inadvertently cause this same scenario with any internally regulated alternator by up-sizing the main charge-wire to the battery, thus fooling the voltage senser (?sensor?) into reading battery voltage instead of system voltage.

That is one of the many reasons that I prefer my alternators be externally regulated; and, when I do go with a 3G, I will most likely figure out how to externally regulate it.


The one-wire alternators are meant for simple systems such as power-units, generators, farm-tractors, and the like.

There is a reason why cost-cutting time-saving auto-manufacturers have not adopted the use of one-wire alternators in highway vehicles.

And thus the reason I only run one on my tractor!

 

[LCAM-01XA]

What you want, and what a one-wire lacks, is REMOTE voltage sensing; whereas, a one-wire reads voltage only at the battery and does not read voltage drop at the main junction point.

Well, that's why you run your big fat charging wire to the place where most stuff is hooked up to. If your battery charge wire is the same as or bigger than the one feeding the main junction you're good. How I have mine is the alternator charging at the battery, as that's what feeds my trailer harness and my 400W inverter, that is on top of the factory stuff plus the 400W lights up front. So really, my main junction is at the passenger side battery's positive terminal, seems to work just fine.

Where the 1-wire weakness for me is the trigger wire, or the lack thereof - the alternator don't really know that engine is running unless tis revved up past certain rpms to begin with, depending on the particular alternator those can be as high as 1500 rpms - if you like leaving your truck idling for quite a while fatre you started it up, your alternator won't really be charging till you actually start driving the truck.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Well, that's why you run your big fat charging wire to the place where most stuff is hooked up to.

EXACTLY!

Where the 1-wire weakness for me is the trigger wire, or the lack thereof - the alternator don't really know that engine is running unless tis revved up past certain rpms to begin with, depending on the particular alternator those can be as high as 1500 rpms - if you like leaving your truck idling for quite a while fatre you started it up, your alternator won't really be charging till you actually start driving the truck.

That is a very good observation and a point not often taken into consideration by the electrically-challenged(lazy) when they opt for a one-wire.

 

[OLDBULL8]

Alternator Here is a little more info on alternator's.

 

[Optikalillushun]

here for the altnerator:
http://rjminjectiontech.com/?p=6

here for the harness, charge wire and if u need a pulley (should be able to reuse ur v-belt).
http://rjminjectiontech.com/?p=7

or u can make ur own charge cable set up. i got my maxxi fuse holder and fuse from NAPA. some solder pellets, lugs and approaoiate size wire. the 3G plug is easy to get if u have a junkyard near by.