i installed my 3g alt yesterday. just wondering what wires need to be upgraded? i have a 6ga wire with fuse running from the starter relay to alt., but thats the only new wire i have put on. i heard i need a new ground somewhere??? anything else gonna sets me stang on fire?
sorry, but i hate the way the search on here (and often search engines) works! i never get the kind of matches that i need.... maybe i'm doing it wrong, but this way i usually get just the responses that i'm looking for. they are relevant to MY application, plus i have seen the info the people have provided lately because i am on here all the time, and i know whether they know their s*** or not. i have gotten bad advice off the net before, and its not fun. i am sure its a simple answer that someone won't mind answering. i bought what was SUPPOSED to be a complete kit, but i remember seeing something one time about upgrading other wires or risk a fire....
Pretty much anything that Hissin50 or Jrichnker (sp) posts on 3G's is correct. I like to think mine is too since I have hooked it up per their advise.
Hot wire from alternator straight to the solenoid hot side. Add an extra ground wire from the Engine block to the ground on fender. Both wires need to be at least 4 awg. Do not use the stock wiring except the black/white sensing wire that plugs into the 3G's terminal. Also, fuse the power wire with an appropriate size fuse.
I'm sure Jrichnker will post up his usual 3g post given some time. Good luck
See Useful Technical Thread Index sticky at the top of the forum. In it is a 3G tech note that has everything you would ever want to know about a 3G conversion and wiring.
ok well that was a helpful link! i will add another ground in a couple days. which is the best way to do it? i saw a couple different options.
jrichker - u said all three wires got soldered together? (maybe i misread), but my two orange/black wires were cut, i put ring terminals on them, and they were both bolted to the same place as the power wire on my new alt (as per instructions i recieved). the white wire was cut and attached to my stator plug with a butt connector. is this ok???? it seems to work fine, just dont want my stang to be a flamer!
REALLY! thats what my instructions said to do! what is the proper way? thats what the instructions said to do, but from jrichkers write up, it seems he did nothing with them? now i'm worried.!
The only wires you need are the ones I mentioned in my first post. 4awg fused power, 4awg ground, the stator wire and the stock D-plug. The orange/black wires can just be unhooked and taped back to prevent them from grounding out. Thats it, nothing more nothing less.
Many articles will say to do what you did, put lugs on the black/orange wires and attach to the alternator. This is not a good idea since the stock wires were only meant to handle 75 amps, not 130. Check out the tech links and use search function. Read it all and make your own decisions. I'm just telling you what I feel confident with in my stang.
And the reason I had suggested a search was that it would reveal some real gems (we've had some long, fun threads about this stuff) that otherwise don't happen too often. Plus it gets your info real quick. But there's nothing wrong IMHO with a new thread - you got some great assistance very quickly.
so what i'm getting from this is :
1. run new power wire from starter relay to the alt with a fuse near battery, (done)
2. splice the new stator plug onto the white wire (done) 3. leave everything else alone? make sure the cut wires won't ground out, and run a better ground from the engine to chassis?
thats it? does the regulator connector (d-shaped) plug back up without any safety issues (which is how i have it now)? (instructions say to do so, no wiring was changed with it during install.)
i am pretty sure that is what has been said, but a fire because of my stupidity is the last thing i want to have happen. electrical is NOT my forte, so i want to be sure i am not screwing this up. if i do what is stated above, everything should be fine?
just read your link, and thats the exact alt kit i installed too. but it doesnt really answer my questions. i have it installed exactly as your link says (and my instructions)and it works great. but i am hearing thats a bad way to do it. my concern is safety. on your link, it says the more wires the merrier (referring to the black and orange wires). but others say to NOT connect those wires at all. they cant handle the extra power........
If I read things right, the fuse used in that kit is also of greater capacity than the cable can handle.
I'd give that link a DUW as well (for the other guy on SN with dial-up ). It is a nice write-up Kevin, and pics are always great. We just like to make the wiring as sound as possible. There is NO need for those two stock wires to be trying to carry any load, so why take a chance?