I need to replace my alternator. my car has the 302, manual steering, manual brakes, no ac, stickshift, no radio and no power windows. The lowest the parts stores have is a 60 amp for $30 plus core, but NAPA has a 38 and a 55 amp for the lows, but they're $50 + $5.50 core. Is the 55 amp correct? I don't want to overcharge my system. Can I have a parts store test the amperage?
I have an altenator I removed frm car for a 130 amp upgrade to supply the addition of elec. fan and various other electrical accessories. My car has fac AC. I believe the alt. is 55 or 65 amp; it was working fine when I removed it 2.5/3 yrs ago. I will give to u or anyone else who is willing to pay shipping. Pm me if interested.
would this lessen the life of the regulator? and how can you tell the amperage? and i'm not sure mojo. how new is it?
I recommend a ford 3g alternator, or like me a Large case GM unit. I paid 130$ for mine from oreileys. It is 170+ amps. Took some ingenuity but I do not worry about lights, fans, relays, pumps, electric this and that's, I got the power . I also had a ford 3g before and worked well.
I previously came across a great web site with info on 3G alternators but I don't find it now. What I remember is the distinction between 95A and 130A 3G alternators. The 95A has 4 holes in the three areas on the front. The 135A has only 2 holes in those 3 areas. IIRC, the 130A also has a larger diameter. If you install a higher amp 3G alternator be sure to use a large cable between the alternator and the battery. That cable should have a fuse for more amperage than the alternator rating.
I believe it's 65amp. Don't think it wud do any harm to regulator; all these cars are 12v systems. Im not sure of it's age, "looks fairly new", it was on the car when I bought it 4yrs ago. It was a rebuild. I removed it to go w/ 1 wire, 130a to pwr the added elec load I have added. The alt on my car now has just one wire that goes to the battery, no other wires. I like it. I removed the orig unit soon after I got the car. Ur probably better off w/ a new or rebuilt unit. I have someone who wants the unit I have. However, if u decide u want it, let me know soon. I will be shipping it out this week if the other party wants it.. I have heard pro's and con's on the one wire but in my experience w/ it have been positive. Im sticking w/it. Glad u got the elec issue solved.
I'm also running a 3G 130 amp alternator. The amperage produced will only be what's needed if the regulator is working properly. With the addition of electric fans and other high electrical load accessories, the OEM 35-60 amp alternators just aren't up to task and weren't enough for the original car if it came with AC. The headlights work better, the wipers, blower motor, ignition system, etc, all benefit from the higher regulated voltage of around 14.1 VDC verses 13.5 VDC that most of the original systems end up with even with the redesigned electronic regulators. Under high electrical loads with the original 55amp alternator I was running, I would regularly see voltage as low as 12.1 volts, sometimes 11.5 volts if I was running the AC, wipers, headlights and the blower on high, say at night in the rain in the summer.
Found it. This is worth a read if you're converting to 3G. http://fullsizebronco.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55169
thanks for all the info guys. I will not be getting a 3g alternator because it is simply not needed at this point. but, if I do something in the future to the car how would a 2g work? I'm really not familiar with the others. also jsarnold that's for the 3gs but I meant the older models like what I have. mojo if you've got another guy that wants the alternator, he can take it. I've got a guy that will be helping me with week with electrical troubleshooting and I'd like to get that out of the way.
Hi! for right now just get the stock replacement alternator. It will do everything you need! If they don't want your old one as a core I'd like to have it. Let me know when you get it and I'll help you with that wiring as we talked about yesterday. By the way, that little clip that came off the steering column holds on a cover. The cover is a round tapered plastic part that goes from the bottom of the turn signal switch housing to under the dash. I'll try and get a pic for you tonight. Don't be mad, but I just got done with a Sunday cruise. I drive my car at least once a week, if not more! The only reason I didn't drive it yesterday was the rain! Guess what! We didn't get a drop here!
You know when they say a pic is worth a thousand words??? This is what i'm trying to say! In the last pic do you see the slot? That's what the cover clips into.
