Changing The Alternator

Treachery

Founding Member
Jun 9, 2002
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My Powermaster 130A 3G 1-wire alternator no longer charges my battery (in the trunk).

I'm going to try the Tuff Stuff 150A 3G 1-wire alternator.

Since both alternators are 3G, would replacing the Powermaster with the Tuff Stuff be a direct replacement? Are the bolt patterns the same?

Thanks.
 
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Where would one find somebody that can upgrade an alternator?

Just gotta crack open the yellow pages. Pretty much any reputable starter/alternator shop in your area should be able to do it without fuss. While I wouldn't waste any time or money on the stock 2G the car came with, the 3G's can be built up beyond 200A. I've got mine built up to 150A currently and it works flawlessly.
 
Do you have a need for 150A? Modern cars have all sorts of electronics, e-fans, 9-speaker stereos, NAV, etc and only require a 120-130A alt to function.

A typical fox really only needs 100-120A unless you are running a high demand stereo. But even with an E-fan swap, you would probably never put more than a 100A load on your alt.

Most of these alt upgrades are because the stock 75A has piss poor charging performance at low RPM and becomes borderline undersized when you add an E-fan to the car. The modern 3G alt fixes this issue as long as you don't underdrive it. Going beyond 130A isn't really necessary. My point is don't pay for something you don't really need.
 
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