quick alternator question

flashback87 · Jun 14, 2010

ok, i got my taurus fan up and running but i need to upgrad my alternator. i am going to go to the junk yard this weekend but in the mean time i have a few questions about the stock alternator wiring. .
the person i bought my car from has the 2 10 guage powere wires from the stock alternator going into 2 wires that look about 18 guage. these 18 guage wires are going straight into the positive terminal in the battery. this can not be how it is supposed to be wired.
can some one tell me the correct wiring for these power cables, where they hook up and what guage they should be?
i have seen some diagrams on here but i am new to this so they are a little confusing. an explanation would be sweet.

i have had to jump my car multiple times and i am assuming this is why. i took my battery and alt to the parts store multiple times and they pass.

thanks for the help

jrichker · Jun 14, 2010

See Stangnet 3G install sticky 3G Alternator Install: A How To - Mustang Forums at StangNet for everything you need to know - wire sizes, wiring modifications, etc.

See my both of my posts in the sticky for diagrams of the wiring done the easy way and done correctly.

flashback87 · Jun 15, 2010

thanks, but i was actually looking for the stock wiring on the stock alternator. the person i bought the car from has the 2 10 guage wires from the alternator going into 2 18 guage wires that are connected to the positive post to the battery. i was thinking they should not be wired this way. i saw some diagrams on here but i am still new to this so they were confusing.

are these wires supposed to be 10 guage all the way tot he power soures and what power source should they be hooked up to? i am basically looking an explanation on how the 2 10 guage wires from the stock alternator are supposed to be hooked up

thanks a lot.

HISSIN50 · Jun 15, 2010

The stock load-side wiring has 10 and 8 AWG wiring with circuit protection.

Here's a schematic (lower right corner):

http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine/images/fuel-alt-links-ign-ac.gif

flashback87 · Jun 15, 2010

ok, so let me make sure i have this right. the 2 orang/black wires are merged into one 10 guage wire. this wire is then connected to a 14 guage wire by a fusible link and the 14 awg wire is connected to the starter relay. and the starter relay is the thing next to the washer fluid filll tank on the drivers side fender?

i want to make sure i have this right, because after reading the 3g install thread multiple times it seems that these wires stay connectected to the starter solenoid although they are not connected to the 3g alternator.

also, why does the link to the diagram hissin posted show the 14awg wire going to the starter relay when the 3g instal sticky says it goes to the starter solenoid? are they the same?

Thanks again

HISSIN50 · Jun 15, 2010

IIRC, two 10 AWG wires merge into an 8 AWG wire.

I think you're mistaking notations of fusible links (which are a form of circuit protection) for actual wire size. Fusible links are generally 4 numeric-sizes larger than the cable they protect (sometimes they are 6 sizes larger).

Starter solenoid and starter relay are often used interchangably on aero Foxes.

jrichker · Jun 15, 2010

flashback87 said:
OK, so let me make sure i have this right. the 2 Orange/black wires are merged into one 10 gauge wire. this wire is then connected to a 14 gauge wire by a fusible link and the 14 awg wire is connected to the starter relay. and the starter relay is the thing next to the washer fluid filll tank on the drivers side fender?

i want to make sure i have this right, because after reading the 3G install thread multiple times it seems that these wires stay connected to the starter solenoid although they are not connected to the 3G alternator.

also, why does the link to the diagram hissin posted show the 14awg wire going to the starter relay when the 3G install sticky says it goes to the starter solenoid? are they the same?

Thanks again

You are correct about the wire routing & connections.
The orange/black wires for the alternator should stay connected to the starter solenoid. The voltage sense wire for the voltage regulator uses them to read the voltage for the voltage regulator circuit.

Wiring mod to old 2G alternator power plug

Alternator wiring

Starter solenoid and starter relay are the same thing on 79-93 5.0 Mustangs.
Starter solenoid wiring 86-91 5.0 Mustangs with standard starter

Any car that has a 3G or high output current alternator needs a 4 gauge ground wire running from the block to the chassis ground where the battery pigtail ground connects.
The 3G has a 130 amp capacity, so you wire the power side with 4 gauge wire. It stands to reason that the ground side handles just a much current, so it needs to be 4 gauge too.

The picture shows the common ground point for the battery & alternator

Picture courtesy timewarped1972

flashback87 · Jun 16, 2010

thanks, so when i am puting the 2 10awg into the fusible link that connects to the starter solenoid do i solder them together or do they make a butt connector that allows 2 wires into one?

also, when i do my 3g install and put the fuse link on the 4awg wire do i solder that or use butt connectors. trying to figure out the best connections. i have been researching this a lot and i am seeing different options.

sorry for all the questions, i am obviously new to this but you guys are teaching me a lot.

Thanks again,

Chris

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