middle of a 3g swap, have some ?'s

[timewarped1972]

yeah i know, i searched, and i have a very good article on it as well but i still have some questions.
ok i went and bought a new 3 g at the auto parts store. the pulley on it is bigger than the one on the old alternator. i kept the one off the other alt so i can switch it if i need to. which pulley shouldi run, and will i have any belt fit ment issues with this bigger one?? i know a smaller pulley will turn it faster but since it's a 3 g i thought maybe the one that came on it would suffice...i bought an alt for a 94, by the way....
my other question, i have a 4 ga power wire on order, and i think i pretty much got it all figured out except for those 2 black wires with the orange stripe. do i just cut the plug off and cap each end, or do i need to twist them together and cap that?? one article says to follow them down into the harness and theres a juncture but i cant seem to find it so, if i can just cut the plug and do what ever with them i will........
also, i recently read about a heavier ground strap from the engine to fire wall.....i forgot that at the store will the one thats on there survive for awhile till i get a bigger one put on???

also........i needed to re-clock the alt housing so the wires wouldn't have to stretch so far......now, when i took the front pulley off to re clock it, i noticed just a nut..on my old pulley there was a nut, and one of those split/spring washers.....should i put the washer on??? don't know why the new one didnt have a washer, then again it was a remanufactured.....thanks

 

[8950HO]

I`m almost ready to install my 130amp 3g as well but the weather here took a dump.It`s freezing outside.

I`m using 4ga wire from the alternator to a 175amp Mega-Fuse to starter solenoid.

As for the 3 wires on the factory spade connector,I`m not cutting them at all.You don`t have to.It`s not necessary.

For the stator wire hookup,you can splice into the small black/white wire on the original spade connector with a tap connector or insert a male quick disconnect terminal into the factory spade connector stator terminal.(then tape up the rest of the exposed spade connector and put it aside.
(I am going with the male disconnect).

This way in the event my 3g craps out,I can install my old 2g as a back up as the wiring is still there.

 

[trents99]

As for the pulley I used the one that came on the parts store unit (mine is the 94 model also). With AC but no smog an 83.5 inch belt works out fine.

 

[8950HO]

Forgot the pulley question.

In my case I`m using the ASP 1-7/8" overdrive alternator pulley I have now with the 3g because I have ASP underdrive crank and waterpump pulleys.(with this combo I`m using a Dayco 5060895 belt).

The 3g alternator pulleys are bigger than the 2g pulleys.

 

[timewarped1972]

I`m almost ready to install my 130amp 3g as well but the weather here took a dump.It`s freezing outside.

I`m using 4ga wire from the alternator to a 175amp Mega-Fuse to starter solenoid.

As for the 3 wires on the factory spade connector,I`m not cutting them at all.You don`t have to.It`s not necessary.

For the stator wire hookup,you can splice into the small black/white wire on the original spade connector with a tap connector or insert a male quick disconnect terminal into the factory spade connector stator terminal.(then tape up the rest of the exposed spade connector and put it aside.
(I am going with the male disconnect).

This way in the event my 3g craps out,I can install my old 2g as a back up as the wiring is still there.

ok so, the plug with the 2 black and orang striped wires and the white wire black stripe, i can just do what i need to with the white wire, and just leave the black/orange strip wires alone still in the connector??
as for the pulley.....i have air and smog.....so i guess i'll have to see........is it likely i'll need to re use the old pulley?? as long as it wont hurt anything i'll just use it.....
oh, did anyone know if theres supposed to be that split washer when you put the pulley nut on?? the old pulley on the old alt had a washer and nut, as where the new one just had a nut........

 

[HISSIN50]

ok so, the plug with the 2 black and orang striped wires and the white wire black stripe, i can just do what i need to with the white wire, and just leave the black/orange strip wires alone still in the connector??

Yep, splice into the stator wire. Then take that large plug, tape (etc) the snot out of it (since those orange wires are still hot) and put it out of the way.

Good luck.

 

[04sleeper]

This is the plug I used when I did mine.
View attachment 496664

I bought it from http://fordfuelinjection.com/index.php?p=67 for $20.

Then I stripped out the wires I did not need and replaced the 2 black/orange wires with a 4 gauge wire. (Instead of taping the snot out of it)

I don't like e-tape under the hood, it tends to melt the glue and eventually fall off.

It is not necessary to put the washer back on the pulley if it did not come with one.

 

[8950HO]

ok so, the plug with the 2 black and orang striped wires and the white wire black stripe, i can just do what i need to with the white wire, and just leave the black/orange strip wires alone still in the connector??
as for the pulley.....i have air and smog.....so i guess i'll have to see........is it likely i'll need to re use the old pulley?? with that i'd immagine it will charge like a mo fo at idle....
oh, did anyone know if theres supposed to be that split washer when you put the pulley nut on?? the old pulley on the old alt had a washer and nut, as where the new one just had a nut........

Yeah,just leave the factory spade connector intact and splice into the small black/white stator wire with a splice tap or male disconnect.

As for pulleys,you mention you have air and smog,(same here).
With air and smog + ASP street underdrive crank and WP pulley and a 1-7/8" ASP underdrive alt pulley I use a Dayco 5060895 belt with the 2g alt.(stock was Dayco 5060900-905).

If you have stock crank and wp pulleys,I`m not sure if the stock size belt will fit,(maybe not,because the 2g alt pulley is smaller than the 3g).

As for the washer.My 2g has one but the 3g I got doesn`t have one.

Here`s a heads up.The stock pulley from your 2g alt may not work on your 3g because of different offset pulley spacing.If this happens and there is interference between the stock 2g pulley and the 3g housing ,you can use a 5/8" washer as a spacer for more clearance.

another heads up,if you need to remove an alternator pulley you pretty much need an inpact wrench .

 

[8950HO]

You shouldn`t have to, "tape the snot out of those" exhisting intact wires/factory spade connector.They are still live of course,but are they anywhere near as live as to be a concern after the 4ga alt power cable is installed and the resulting increase in output is absorbed/used though the charging system???

I think this is a non issue unless I`m wrong.

 

[HISSIN50]

Kevin, some guys want reverse compatibility, which would be a reason to leave the wires and connector in there. Using some decent quality tape seems to hold up. I dont have a totally clean engine bay like you do, so I dont mind the taped off connector. It is hidden under some other wires which you probably dont even have visible on your car.

 

[timewarped1972]

yeah have an impact......i should be good to go.....i actually was amazed that auto zone let me use my old 2g as a core.....i didn't think they would being it's a different alternator but they did, so that saved me 40 bucks. i took off the pulley. and the 3 case bolts and re clocked it so the wires didn't have to stretch. i clearanced the alt bracket, heli coiled the top alternator bolt hole, and will be waiting for my power wire to get here ( i know i coulda made one but i didn't feel like messing with it at this time) i'll probably use a spade connector of sorts for the stator wire untill i get the proper plug for it.
as for the black plug with the black& orange wires, maybe a skim coat of rtv over the openings would work.....i dont think that stuff conducts electricity when it's dry, and it would be easy enough to peel off if i needed too, plus it's high temp.....i dunno maybe thats a retarded idea....lol........
yes i noticed a very slight depth issue when i put the stock pully on.....not much, i'd say maybe 1/64th of an inch but i'll just have to put it on and see if it lines up ok....
as for the washer, lol, ok..i used the washer because it seemed like a good idea, but maybe i'll take it back off.....looks like the 2g's have them but the 3 g's dont.....go figure.

 

[04sleeper]

I just vote to pull them out of the harness completly.

I don't like having wires I don't need running through the harness.

It also allows you to re route the harness in front of the core support instead of having it smashed between the radiator and core support.

 

[04sleeper]

Kevin, some guys want reverse compatibility, which would be a reason to leave the wires and connector in there. Using some decent quality tape seems to hold up. I dont have a totally clean engine bay like you do, so I dont mind the taped off connector. It is hidden under some other wires which you probably dont even have visible on your car.

OK. That makes sense.

Never thought of anyone wanting to reverse the change.

Good Call JT.

 

[HISSIN50]

You shouldn`t have to, "tape the snot out of those" exhisting intact wires/factory spade connector.They are still live of course,but are they anywhere near as live as to be a concern after the 4ga alt power cable is installed and the resulting increase in output is absorbed/used though the charging system???

I think this is a non issue unless I`m wrong.

Those wires, if you leave them hooked to the solenoid, are very much as hot as always. I simply DONT trust the stock fusible link to burn before those two wires catch on fire, in the event of a short of that disco'd connector. Kevin it seems, removed that stretch of wiring, rehooked the switch and sense wire to the solenoid (which is the reason we leave the stock orange wires connected to the solenoid after the 3G install), so he does not need them.

When I post, unless I know someone's car specifically, I generally post generic info, as some folks do want reverse compatibility. And some folks are not comfortable removing the stock cables. Kevin's way is the cleanest way to do it, if you know you will never need to reinstall the 2G alternator on the fly (his engine bay is pretty immaculate; many of ours are not).

 

[HISSIN50]

Man, I need to type faster. Kevin, if someone's 3G fails, it is nice to be able to toss a 2G back in, if waiting for an online LLT alternator vendor to send out a new one or fix the existing one. That is why I would do it.

Like I said, you are a little different than a lot of the guys on here, where form played as much a role as function did (all the wire hiding you did, etc). I could care less on my engine bay.

 

[04sleeper]

Thanks for the compliments and different point of view JT.

It's good to let others know the reasons for doing things the way we do and why we do it that way. Thats why I always like to hear your point of view. Stangnetter's are lucky to have you here.

That way they can take the info from each and make a rational decision based on what they read.

 

[timewarped1972]

ok, now i have more questions, lol.
ok minus actually removing the wires, at this point.......the one wire i need in that harness is that stator wire right?? now, is there a way i can use that stator wire in the existing harness, and have the black orange ones un hooked from the selenoid so they are atleast not carrying any juice as hissin suggested?? where exactly does that stator wire go to??
i may or may not remove or redo some of that wiring down the road, my alt took a total dump on my way home from my folks thanksgving evening, i had been planning this swap but, not this week, lol.so i'm just trying to get it mechanically correct for now and i'll deal with the extra/no longer used wires at another time, but what hissin said kinda got to me about not having any juice going to those black/orange wires at all.....so wondering if those can be completly disconnected with the stator wire still in the harness and in tact, for now....

 

[HISSIN50]

Thanks for the compliments and different point of view JT.

It's good to let others know the reasons for doing things the way we do and why we do it that way. Thats why I always like to hear your point of view. Stangnetter's are lucky to have you here.

That way they can take the info from each and make a rational decision based on what they read.

And right back atcha' Kevin. Your posts are always right on. The only bad thing is that you dont have time to post on here as much as we would all like.

You also remind me of a point of view that I often forget - the guys with the pristine engine bays. I tend to reply to the 'my car is jacked - I need advice' threads, and I forget that some folks who need help also have very clean engine bays (good thing Tim, for example, had not posted an alternator thread - he would have thrown up when he saw mention of taping up a connector. ).

 

[HISSIN50]

ok, now i have more questions, lol.
ok minus actually removing the wires, at this point.......the one wire i need in that harness is that stator wire right?? now, is there a way i can use that stator wire in the existing harness, and have the black orange ones un hooked from the selenoid so they are atleast not carrying any juice as hissin suggested?? where exactly does that stator wire go to??

TW, I have seen it on paper, and know what I would try, but I will defer this one to Kevin, as he has done it on his car. I am sure he has tips and tricks.

The one wire you need on that fat connector (with the stock charge wires) is the stator. So the charge wires can get disco'd. At that point, you could remove them altogether if you wanted, or just tuck them away about any ol' way you like since they are cold.

 

[timewarped1972]

ok, and thanks by the way for all the response.
you know, i read through several threads, and several articles on line, and i said, ok, easy, i got it. then when you get in there, you start having questions, especially when one article or thread says just leave the black and orange alone, then another says go to where they join then cut it and cap it, then another suggests removing power from them all together, etc......lol, and i think espeically when it's an electrical system there is some added anxiety......so, even though there many threads and articles, again i appreciate the re hash.....