Well I am in the middle of gathering parts for a 3G alternator and electric fan upgrade. Ive done some research and these are the parts Im gonna go with for now. I already bought a 3.8 Lincoln fan for pretty cheap.
-New 94-95 Mustang 3G 130A alternator(~$130 with discount from Advanced-lifetime warranty)
-4G wire from alternator to starter sellonoid
-150 A inline fuse
This link has a lot of good info, especially what to do with the existing black/orange wires.
http://www.geocities.com/smithmonte/Auto/3G_130A_Alternator_Upgrade.htm (http://www.geocities.com/smithmonte/Auto/3G_130A_Alternator_Upgrade.htm)
Electric Fan:
-3.8 Lincoln 2 speed fan
-Hayden auto fan control(on at 195, off at 185)
-75 A Bosch relay(yes, these fans can pull in excess of 40A continuous!)
-Manual switch(to switch between auto, off, and always on)
-10G wire
This link also has alot of good info.
http://www.geocities.com/smithmonte/Auto/MarkVIII_Fan.htm (http://www.geocities.com/smithmonte/Auto/MarkVIII_Fan.htm)
I am gathering parts now, and hope to have this done within a couple weeks. I will post the results.
Well, take it from someone whose 3G alternator just died...avoid parts store alternators like the plague. Mine was from Pep Boys and it's 3 years old, which normally would be a little easier to understand. Except it's on the convertible...driven 6 months of the year, and not daily. It's putting out just over 12 volts. I have to take it back here soon, and see what the goobers behind the counter are going to do for me (yes, it's also lifetime). Thing is, a lifetime warranty is fine and all, but you will definitely use it if you buy the alternator from the Big 3 (Auto Zone, Pep Boys, Advance). NAPA would probably be a safer bet. I've got my eyes on a PA Performance alternator (http://www.pa-performance.com/display.asp?sku=76) now.
I looked at the PA performance alt, and they are pretty pricey at ~ $200+. I know, Im cheap.
LOL! So was I at one time...until I learned lessons through the wallet. It's worth the extra money for a top-quality piece.
I think it'd be easier to go to PA and get your shiznit once than to go back to the parts store time and time again replacing starters/alternators. I'm on my second PMGR starter and I did the conversion in July. On my third stock alternator. I think I"ll save up and get stuff from PA Performance from now on. Plus... they sell the stuff as a bolt-on kit with all the accessories.
All their "kit" really includes is a 4G wire, heat shrink tube, inline fuse, and connectors. I can get all of these parts for much cheaper than they sell it, trust me. Now if you dont feel like rounding up all the parts, then I agree just but the kit. HOwever, I have these parts laying around here, why not use them.
As far as the alternator, I agree you get what you pay for. In this case, Im not sure the extra $100 is justifiable. Of course thats just my opinion.
Yeah, I re-thunk that comment regarding the "kit" after I posted. Also, I can't attest to the quality of Autozone, etc 3G alt's, but I know I've roasted a few stock ones.
Who on here has done any of these upgrades btw..
My conversion was in 2001. The local stereo shop hooked me up with the circuit breaker, wiring and all connectors.
Click on the PA Performance link in my post above. You can upgrade to a 200-amp for what looks like the same price. That makes it $1/amp...the same as the Auto Zone one, sure, but $200 for 130 amps, or $200 for 200 amps: which one's the better deal? Money definitely has everything to do with everything on a car and I'm not saying, "Don't buy parts store alternators, they suck." I'm just saying, be prepared to return it more often if you do. It's quite a hassle. And with the bad luck I've had over the past 2 decades with Ford's electrical systems, I've definitely learned my lesson to always get good stuff.
Thx for the info Eric, Ive been looking at that page for awhile now, but I see $200 staring back at me and it hurts lol. The 200 A upgrade costs $289 when you select it. Who knows, I might splurge lol.
Got kinda curious with this thread and did a bit o digging around summit racing's site, found a 140 amp alternator that would work for our cars (tho listed for mustang 5.0) by Powermaster for $156.95 (summit part #PWM-8-47140). Dunno if it's the entire kit, but if you were looking to buy the parts seperately, this would maybe be a good deal :dunno: . Oh, if you wanted it chromed for asthetic's it's an extra $100.
Ive also looked at the powermaster alternator. This is actually the right part number.Powermaster 140 A 86-93 mustang (http://store.summitracing.com/default.asp?target=esearch.asp&N=100&Ntk=PartSearch&Ntt=PWM-8-57140+)
Hmmm.... that shoulda shown up in my search? Oh well. I suppose either would work, tho it looks like yours is the kit version. Eh, I was close I suppose!
My 3G alternator conversion cost me about $12. I got a factory Ford alt from a Mustang for free, put new brushes in it ($4), new bearings ($6), new slip rings on the rotor ($2), and some 6-gauge wire that I pulled from a decommissioned cop car :sawzall: Not only that, but the alternator guru at the shop I work at owed me a favour for doing a spyware flush on his home computer, so he assembled the slip ring onto the rotor for me and pressed the bearings in for free (it was him who provided me with the Mustang alt for free as well)!!!
Seriously, 3G alternators are extremely durable and usually very easy to repair when they go bad. If you get a factory Ford alt that has never been rebuilt, chances are a set of brushes will make it charge like new (and you don't even have to remove the ed thing from the car to change 'em!). If the regulator goes bad that's another thing that can be replaced in-car. The rebuilds, on the other hand, usually have had their factory rectifier replaced with an aftermarket unit, and it's those aftermarket rectifiers that go bad. When your alt starts undercharging or starts whining or moaning it usually means that it has a bad diode in the rectifier, meaning the alt has to come apart.
Chrome302, if you wanna do a cheap 3G swap that is quite reliable, just try to get a junkyard 94-95 5.0 Mustang unit. Chances are good it'll work fine when you get it, and if it breaks you likely only need brushes or a regulator, which are extremely cheap.
I've got a chronicle of my 3G upgrade here on the old board:
http://p089.ezboard.com/ffoxthunderbirdsfrm13.showMessage?topicID=123.topic (http://"http://p089.ezboard.com/ffoxthunderbirdsfrm13.showMessage?topicID=123.topic")
12 bux heh?? Canadain?? thats cheap, bet thats like $3.54 US. Beats my $14 3G I bought off a 3.0 Taurus last year at U-wrench it. I opened mine and everything looked good, so I put it back together and installed it. Also ran a paraell wire to the battery terminal of the soloniod, so I won'y fry the original wiring.
Hmmm, ok, so now what is it that goes bad so often in the rebuilt ones? (EDIT: Scratch that question, I just took the time to read the post.) If this $12 3G alt conversion is a DIY project then I might give a crack at it. Are brushes, etc easily accessible? My charging system's so weak the headlights dim when I roll the windows up or down!
The brushes and regulator are very easy to get at. You don't even have to remove the alt from the car, you just take the top bolt out and rotate the alt away from the engine. If you look at this pic:
(http://www.foxthundercats.com/tech/3gwiring.jpg)
...the regulator is the thing that the plug is connected to. Four small torx screws hold it in. When you remove the regulator the brushes and holder come out with it.
Tom: Your US dollar hasn't been doing so great lately. $12 Canadian is worth a bit better than $10 US now ($10.07 to be exact). The official exchange rate as of this writing is $1 US = $1.19 CDN (or $1 CDN = $0.839 US)
for those that might be interested I have one of those powermaster alts from summit on my 88 gt and it is very good puts out 14.7v at idle came with 8g wire to run to solenoid easy bolt on very high quality came with a sheet where it was tested at the factory 97 amps at idle 150 amps max