Okay I have read over every possible 3g alternator install, and i understand everything about it except for one thing. Everyone mentions this wht/blk wire (stator), well this wire isn't on my car or is in wrong place cause i cant find it. My power connector coming off alternator has 2 power lines that ultimitly make it to the starter switch through fuse-links. There is not a 3rd wire that is on this connector. After looking at the 2.3s diagram posted recently, my setup looks like it. The regulator connector has 3 wires, and one of them is black and is only 3" long and then just stops inside the tape. Whats the deal? Should I just skip the stator connector or what?
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd167/ztrane/IMG00170.jpg
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd167/ztrane/IMG00163.jpg
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd167/ztrane/IMG00159.jpg
it should be on the "d" shaped plug with the green, and yellow wires. the black wire in your pic is probably the one it goes to. green wire goes to dash, yellow wire goes to stud on back of the alternator.
maybe a previous owner changed the wiring pigtail with a parts store piece, and it wasnt color-coded correctly.
and i think this is where softtouch was mentioning to me that the layout up on the sticky does not apply to the 2.3. I still cant figure out why, although i have looked at the three different motor wiring layouts and they all seem to be easy enough to follow.
Me thinks someone with a 3g on a 2.3 aught to copy/paste the final draft inside the 3g sticky and modify its layout to reflect the 2.3.
that would be helpful.
It shouldn't matter what car it matters more what style alt from the factory 1G or 2G? Then it is just different wiring. With the 2g style that you have in the pics you just need to find the S stator wire. That should be the center wire. Regulator should have lettering with the standard ISA on it. Splice another wire onto the S wire. Run the new wire to the single wire plug on the 3G alt. Then get rid of the Big rectangle plug and run your 4ga wire with inline fuse.
Another thing that might be confusing is that the older style external regulated have a D shaped plug for the wires running to it.
Okay you say the center one? I think its the green one. From pictures. Or should it be the black one?
does the black wire have a white stripe on yours?
Unfortuanatly no just black and was wrapped up in tape with other 2 wires from factory, removed tape and found that the black wire is only 3" long and just ended. What does the stator do? I mean the wire, cause maybe there is a way to test if its the right wire...
Okay, my regulator shows ASI on connector. Currently A is yellow/white and S is green/red and I is black. This has not been messed with since i bought car serveral months ago. I have drove like this about 1000 miles so far.
Okay, my regulator shows ASI on connector. Currently A is yellow/white and S is green/red and I is black. This has not been messed with since i bought car serveral months ago. I have drove like this about 1000 miles so far.
If your car has an ammeter, the S input to the regulator is not used in the stock setup.
The three wire setup is used when you have an indicator lamp(idiot light) on the dash.
The I on the regulator stands for indicator switch.
For an alternator to produce voltage when it starts turning, the field has to be energized or in alternator parlance "excited".
Applying voltage to either the I or the S will excite the alternator.
When used with an indicator lamp the exciter voltage comes through the lamp to the I on the alternator. This provides ground to light the lamp and excites the alternator.
When the alternator is running the stator terminal provides a voltage equal to half the output voltage. When this voltage is applied to the S on the regulator it takes over exciting the the alternator and opens the indicator switch. The lamp goes out.
Since you have no indicator lamp they excite your alternator with the I and don't use the S.
It doesn't hurt anything if you hook up the stator to S but you don't need it.
Why they put that pigtail wire on the S I have no clue. Unless it is the just fill up the connector so it doesn't look like something is missing.
In addition, there are leaps and bounds differences between the 87 and down TC with respect to the lonely 88 tc with reguard to the 3g upgrade.
I really think this needs settled once and for all so no more fires happen. I was just talking about this issue with tom and we agree that there should be a special layout for "half motors":evilgrin: and for the half motors, the instructions should be in two parts.
One diagram for the 87 and down
One diagram for the 88
I dont think im the man for the job because i dont have first hand tinker time with the TC ,, i thinks someone in the tc arena should step up and geter done.
Okay, I put cut the wire cover back a little on the s wire (green/with red) and strapped on a 10g to stator connector. It started up and I tested battery and alternator to chassis and only got 12.4 at best. Not much of an increase, not to mention my windows are much slower, especially passanger side. Other than that, it is smooth. My old one was unbalanced and had excessive wobble (made the clickdy sound when speeding up). No wires are hot, I pray:bowdown: to the cougar gods to not lite my alternator regulator on fire.
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dude, you need to wire it up correctly. use this diagram:
(http://www.foxthundercats.com/tech/wiringdiagrams/3Ginstall.jpg)
you may need to go buy a pigtail from a parts store or get one from a junkyard. take electrical modifications VERY seriously.
here is another pic for referencing which wires go where:
(http://www.mustangcentral.net/tech/alt/altwiring.JPG)
Sorry I missed this. I was working from the 87 EVTM. Looks like the 88 is different.
They are using the S to excite the alternator when the ignition is in RUN and the I is unused.
Splicing the stator voltage together with the ignition voltage doesn't sound good to me.
What are we working with here? The original alternator or have you installed the 3G?
12.4 volts with it runnong is not good.
To test if the alt is being excited; hold a hacksaw blade by one end and put the other end near the laminated part of the alt. With the ignition in run(don't start) you should feel magnetism. Ingition off, no magnetism.
Ill say it again,, like people will listen:mad:
The 87 and down TC is T TOTALLY different from the 88TC.
ztrane never once said which year car he has,, unless i missed it somewhere.
The diagram on the sticky is applicable to the 88.
The 87 has only one boot connector , not two.
Okay, my car is also an 88. To answer the 12.4 volts coming from the 3G is because its bad. I took it to auto store and they tested the ground, regulator, and charge. It failed all three, currently looking into getting replacement. As for wires, well all I am saying is not all harness' are same color or configuration. My 88 cougar xr7 v8 has the 2.3l connector. The stator wire on my harness goes from the green/red into harness around front of car. Not into the big power plug like all other descriptions. Anyways, will try again soon upon alternator replacement.
Before you plug in the three wire regulator connector to the new alternator:
1. DO NOT hook the wire you spliced to green/red wire to the alternator stator output. Leave it unhooked.
2. check that the yellow/white wire has 12 volts all the time.
3. check that the green/red wire has 12 volts with the ignition in RUN.
Plug in the the three wire regulator connector. AGAIN LEAVE THE STATOR WIRE DISCONNECTED FROM THE ALTERNATOR.
Start it up and test it out.
Now you have a decision to make.
1. Remove the wire you spliced onto the green/red wire and tape up the bare wire.
2. Or if you want to use the stator output from the alternator you have to cut the green /red wire and splice it to the black wire.
So you wind up with the green/red going to the I and the stator output going to the S.
Start it up. Turn everything electrical on. headlights,stereo,blower on high, rear window defogger. Rev The engine to 2000, feel all the wires on the Alt for overheating. Check that the output voltage holds up under this load.
I talked to Zach (Ztrane),and it's a bad alternator.I'm hooking him up with a good one,and he should be on the road.
I hope you are not suggesting he leave the wireing the way he currently has it.
I'm suggesting that I'm giving him (gave him) a replacement.