Stock or a SS alternator?

[modusmortis]

Hey all,
I recently got my mustang, was considering putting an electric fan on it. The previous owner mentioned putting a higher amperage alternator in it but I took a look at it and it looks all stock to me. It uses those crappy blade connectors still. Is there a good way to tell if mine has a police alternator or something in it? I would assume the casing would be larger. Any help is appreciated.

 

[srothfuss]

can you snap a picture?

The one on the left is stock and the one on the right is 3G. If you plan on any upgraded electronics, you should switch up to a 3G

 

[modusmortis]

Oh I thought the 3g alternators went to a single wire connection. I didn't know the stocker had an external fan either. Heres my pics:

 

[srothfuss]

That looks like a 3G. Dissassemble it and have it load tested at a place like AutoZone to find out it's voltage.

While it's apart, it would be a good idea to make sure the previous owner wired it up correctly.

 

[HISSIN50]

You could also use an inductive meter to see what kind of juice it's putting out. I've found that advertised output means little on a used/otherwise unknown alternator.

I've seen some upgraded 2G's that are higher output and I never understood how they got more juice out of them while still using the crap OEM charge cable connections. In other words, I wouldn't want more than 65 amps running through those connectors.

Good luck.