PA Performance Alternator Questions

5.02GO · Sep 15, 2006

Hey guys,

I am wanting to get an alternator for my mustang. I really dont know exactely what to get. 95,130 or the 200? I feel like the i dont need the 200. So probobly the 95 or the 130 SHOULD fit my needs.

I am still running the stock alternator that came on my car from the factory. I am not having any problems right now but think that i need to upgrade. I am not running an electric fan. Just a fuel pump. Its a 255 lph. I am also running an underdrive pulley kit aswell. For other mods, see my sig at the bottom.

MY QUESTIONS:

1)Can i get an alternator that does not require the cutting of any wires or harnesses?

2)On PA perfomances website the chart says 1g, 2g and 3g. What kit do i need?

3)Will i have to modify the brackets for the new alterantor?

I did do search, but couldnt really find what i wanted.

thanks guys.

superhuaman · Sep 15, 2006

underdrive pulleys definitely need a bigger alternator, even with the stock electrical goodies.

to answer your questions,

1) yes you can, see #2

2) 1G is external regulator, 2G is stock (what you have now), 3G is what the newer stangs have, but in a case that will fit your bracket.

3) if you do have to cut your bracket, it will probably only be a small notching.

so get a 2G and you wont have to rewire (although it is strongly recommended that you upgrade your wiring to take advantage of the alternator's larger capacity)

if your alt has only 2 wires on the regulator plug on the back, choose "2G with 2 wire reg" on the pa performance site, otherwise choose "2G replacement"

personally, I have a powermaster 140A single wire alt, and i run 4 gauge from the alt, to the starter solenoid at the starter (always hot, i have a mini starter), then to the battery. i dont have to worry about ford's wiring, splices, or getting ignition power to activate the unit. since i did it that way, my battery light no longer functions, but i watch the volt gauge. just something to think about, hope that helps!

Snikt89GT · Sep 15, 2006

5.02GO said:
Hey guys,

I am wanting to get an alternator for my mustang. I really dont know exactely what to get. 95,130 or the 200? I feel like the i dont need the 200. So probobly the 95 or the 130 SHOULD fit my needs.

I am still running the stock alternator that came on my car from the factory. I am not having any problems right now but think that i need to upgrade. I am not running an electric fan. Just a fuel pump. Its a 255 lph. I am also running an underdrive pulley kit aswell. For other mods, see my sig at the bottom.

MY QUESTIONS:

1)Can i get an alternator that does not require the cutting of any wires or harnesses?

2)On PA perfomances website the chart says 1g, 2g and 3g. What kit do i need?

3)Will i have to modify the brackets for the new alterantor?

I did do search, but couldnt really find what i wanted.

thanks guys.

I would go with the PA 95amp alternator, that way you don't have to modify the bracket. I just put this kit on last night and i'm getting 12.5V with car off and 14.5V with car on and electric fan/head lights.

You will have to cut the stock power cables and crimp some connectors on. I also chose to add the new 4ga optional power cable as a supplement to the stock power cables.

You need the 2G -> 3G upgrade kit. 87-93 mustangs have 2G alternators.

afast93stang · Sep 15, 2006

I bought the 3G 130amp from PA along with the wiring kit over a year ago and I've had no problems with it and am very happy I did the upgrade.

Get their kit becuase it includes everything you need and the correct gauge wire sizes along with the inline fuse.

It was so easy to wire up, alot easier than I thought it would be. As for the grinding of the bracket, I only had to grind about 1/2 inches off to get it to fit properly. This took all of 5 minutes.

I later put on a Mark8 electric fan and have a 400w sound system and when the my car is running its also pulling 14v.

5.02GO · Sep 15, 2006

which is the power cables?

I have a 3 wire cable.

I also have a 2 wire cable.

SamSnyder · Sep 15, 2006

The 3G upgrade has been covered many times, but even though the instructions tend to sound daunting, it is really pretty simple. If you are competent enough to change the alternator in the first place, you can do the upgrade. You do need to go with a bigger charge wire that bypasses the weak link in the stock wiring, and I did use the PA wire. But after seeing it I am also confident that I could have duplicated the wire for less than half the price, because all it is is a big fat wire with o-rings on either end, broken by a big fuse holder near the battery end. Also, you do the install by cutting one small wire only, which could be reconnected in the unlikely event you would ever want to go back. The new fat wire and the little cut wire connect to the 3G instead of the bigger rectangular plug on the original alternator harness, which you can just leave hanging. The other half-round plug on the original harness plugs straight into the 3G. The cut in the bracket can be done in 1 minute with a Dremel tool mounting a little cutter wheel. Also, instead of paying the PA price I just copped a '90's Taurus 3G from Pick a Part for $20 and it works fine, even though the "clocking" (the angle that the wires attach on the back) is slightly off. But it works great. Just be sure to get one with the right spacing between the mounting holes.

Here's the bottom line: Go look at your current alternator, and yank the two connecting plugs off. See them? One is rectangular and one is half round. The half round one plugs right into the 3G, end of story. The rectangular plug has three wires -- see them? Two are redundant/parallel black/orange wires that carry the charging load to the battery. You will be bypassing these with the new fat wire. You can either leave them on the plug hanging, or do some version of a groovy cut-off and insulate for clean looks. The third little wire on the rectangular plug is cut and connected to a plug that goes in its own spot on the 3G (meaning you need to get this plug along with the 3G from the junkyard and solder or butt-connect the cut wire on so it will plug into the 3G). Then the new big fat wire is connected to the post on the 3G and routed to the big Batt post on the starter solenoid on the driver's side fender well. Cut a minor chunk out of the aluminum mounting bracket and mount the 3G just like your old alternator. You're done. Drive away happy. I'm slow and it still only took me an hour.

Snikt89GT · Sep 15, 2006

SamSnyder said:
The 3G upgrade has been covered many times, but even though the instructions tend to sound daunting, it is really pretty simple. If you are competent enough to change the alternator in the first place, you can do the upgrade. You do need to go with a bigger charge wire that bypasses the weak link in the stock wiring, and I did use the PA wire. But after seeing it I am also confident that I could have duplicated the wire for less than half the price, because all it is is a big fat wire with o-rings on either end, broken by a big fuse holder near the battery end. Also, you do the install by cutting one small wire only, which could be reconnected in the unlikely event you would ever want to go back. The new fat wire and the little cut wire connect to the 3G instead of the bigger rectangular plug on the original alternator harness, which you can just leave hanging. The other half-round plug on the original harness plugs straight into the 3G. The cut in the bracket can be done in 1 minute with a Dremel tool mounting a little cutter wheel. Also, instead of paying the PA price I just copped a '90's Taurus 3G from Pick a Part for $20 and it works fine, even though the "clocking" (the angle that the wires attach on the back) is slightly off. But it works great. Just be sure to get one with the right spacing between the mounting holes.

Here's the bottom line: Go look at your current alternator, and yank the two connecting plugs off. See them? One is rectangular and one is half round. The half round one plugs right into the 3G, end of story. The rectangular plug has three wires -- see them? Two are redundant/parallel black/orange wires that carry the charging load to the battery. You will be bypassing these with the new fat wire. You can either leave them on the plug hanging, or do some version of a groovy cut-off and insulate for clean looks. The third little wire on the rectangular plug is cut and connected to a plug that goes in its own spot on the 3G (meaning you need to get this plug along with the 3G from the junkyard and solder or butt-connect the cut wire on so it will plug into the 3G). Then the new big fat wire is connected to the post on the 3G and routed to the big Batt post on the starter solenoid on the driver's side fender well. Cut a minor chunk out of the aluminum mounting bracket and mount the 3G just like your old alternator. You're done. Drive away happy. I'm slow and it still only took me an hour.

All of the instructions i've seen say to use the new big fat wire (4ga PA) and the stock wires all on the + terminal of the 3G alternator. They say not to just use the new big wire.

HISSIN50 · Sep 15, 2006

Using the stock charge wires and a new cable is a recipe for a possible fire. I wouldn't do it.

I agree with some of the sentiments above. The retrofit is easy so do it once and do it right. If you do upgrades in the future, you'll be glad you did.

I'd go with a 130 amp unit min.

Good luck.

5.02GO · Sep 15, 2006

i really dont mind cutting wires if i have to.

As far as the 130 amp alternator, i am not sure i can fit it in the bracket. I am running a Novi 1000 so my setup is way different than stock. I am not even using the same bracket.

Does the alternator come with the new parts so the wire installation can be done right?

Thanks for the help.

Snikt89GT · Sep 15, 2006

HISSIN50 said:
Using the stock charge wires and a new cable is a recipe for a possible fire. I wouldn't do it.

I agree with some of the sentiments above. The retrofit is easy so do it once and do it right. If you do upgrades in the future, you'll be glad you did.

I'd go with a 130 amp unit min.

Good luck.

I'm curious why? This is how everyone recommends to do it:

http://www.mustangmonthly.com/howto/26599/

"Carefully route the new power cable along the framerail (under the stock filter box will work well), then connect the gold terminal to the back of the alternator. Do not disconnect the original wiring. This power cable upgrade is meant to supplement the factory wiring, in essence, taking some of the load off of it."

http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2001/03/paperformance/index2.shtml

" Attach the regulator (top) and stator (white wire) connectors to their respective sockets. The 4-ga. power wire and two black/orange stripe wires all attach to the battery terminal."

HISSIN50 · Sep 15, 2006

Snikt89GT said:
I'm curious why? This is how everyone recommends to do it:

What is written in articles isnt always what's best in reality. We know that if you do not upgrade the stock wiring when doing a larger alternator (you can check wiring codes to see what's acceptable for the stock charge cables - it's marginal for a 65 amp alternator), people have had the harness catch on fire. That means that the stock fusible link didn't happen to blow before the wires caught on fire.

Now if you use the stock and a new 4 AWG cable, the stock cable is extra - the 4 AWG cable is more than enough. And if there's a wriing issue on the new cable you installed (bad connection, the fuse blows, etc), you wont ram all the alternator output through the stock charge cable, which we have seen cant handle the power.

The sense wiring is integrated into the stock charge cable and could be one reason why articles say to keep it connected. It only needs to be connected at the starter solenoid (to sense battery voltage), which is why people either remove the entire stock charge cable and reattach the sense wire, or leave the stock charge cable connected at the solenoid. If you do so, remember the alternator-end of the stock cable is hot, so insulate the snot out of it.

This would require extra space and explaining in articles - perhaps that's why it's not written.

WIth harness kits like FFI sells, they allow doing away with the stock harness altogether (putting the sense wire at the alt in their harness - not an issue if your charge cable is in very good shape).

You can do it however you desire - the reasons above are why I wouldnt connect the stock charge cable at the alternator with a new 4 AWG as well.

Good luck.

91mustangnick · Sep 15, 2006

on my 91 stang i got ford's PA 6g alt. which i dont know if they make it anymore, but it smaller then the 3g and is the 130amp alt, and weights about 2 pounds less then the 3g also, had to do a few harness mods but fits good.

Shakerhood · Sep 16, 2006

I thought the 6G is the same as the 3G but just does not require you to grind anything off your stock Bracket.

Snikt89GT · Sep 16, 2006

Shakerhood said:
I thought the 6G is the same as the 3G but just does not require you to grind anything off your stock Bracket.

The 6G is what comes on the 99-04. It doesn't look like it would fit at all. The mounting is completely different for the 4.6 cars.

http://www.pa-performance.com/display.asp?sku=88

91mustangnick · Sep 16, 2006

Snikt89GT said:
The 6G is what comes on the 99-04. It doesn't look like it would fit at all. The mounting is completely different for the 4.6 cars.

http://www.pa-performance.com/display.asp?sku=88

ive got the 6G body with all the internals but the mounting tabs are 180 of each other so it would fit the stock mounting postion. like i said i dont know if they make this alt. anymore.

SamSnyder · Sep 22, 2006

Here's the reason you DON'T re-connect the two black/orange wires on the rectangular plug, but ONLY use the new fat wire. All three wires run to the same place, but the two old black/orange wires can't handle the load of a 3G. If they are all OK, they'll work fine: they are just redundant/parallel. But if the fuse in the new fat wire should blow, the entire load would be routed through the old black/orange wires, which can't handle that load. There is a fusible link in there, but whether it will blow before the harness catches fire is not certain, and the fact that there have been fires is proof. But if you only run the new fat wire which CAN handle the load, all you risk is that the fuse will blow, and your battery won't charge. The important thing being no risk of fire. Just abandon the old black/orange wires in place. No loss in performance. No harm done.

HISSIN50 · Sep 22, 2006

Sam, was I not clear before? Your post was quite concise.

5.02GO · Sep 23, 2006

Guys i received my PA Performance 130 the other day. I havent wired it up yet because i am re-assembling my motor. I have looked thru and read the instructions from PA Performance.

IN MY OPINION, there is NO reason to connect the stock black wires to the post of the new alternator. I mean, thats the purpose of the 4AWG wire.

Guys, if need be i can scan the directions from PA Performance and post them. It might be handy for people who are getting ready to purchase and want to know whats involved befor they spend the money.

Just a thought..

superhuaman · Sep 23, 2006

that is my opinion as well...4 gauge with or without a fuse (preferably with) is the way to go. sometimes, those 2 10-gauge? wires would burn out from the output of the stock alternator...ive heard some baaaad stories

HISSIN50 · Sep 23, 2006

SH, definately fuse the charge cable.

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