Alternator??? Need ans.asap

[Mr. Jones]

I have a 95amp 3g alternator,will the truck flash fire itself into ash if I install a 130 amp unit??? It's not yet noon,I'm hoping to finish it today......
THANKS,
DAN

[banjopicker66]

I wouldn't think so.
The amperage rating is there to indicate how much the alternator can produce at maximum output.
The voltage regulator controls how much amperage the systems needs to draw based on how much the voltage has dropped.
The wiring is set up so that the alternator sends the charge to the battery through larger wires, not to the small wires used in the rest of the system.
The exception is the ammeter - the juice supplied by the alternator goes through the ammeter before it goes to the battery, so that it shows a charging (or discharge) condition. The ammeter wires are usually 8 gauge or better to handle the load, though.
But the rest of the wiring won't see the alternator's output.

Hope this helps.

[Mr. Jones]

John,
Thanks for the easy to understand answer,really helps me out.If I can get my old pulley off,it's being stubborn,I'm good to go.
Thanks
Dan

[Toyz]

John's got it nailed! I am not sure I would trust the old ammeter if so equipped. They have been known to become an incendiary device. That being said, you certainly appeared to be beyond the 200 watt headbanger stage, so other than a noticable short, all should be fine. A high amp circuit breaker COULD be installed in the ammeter feed, but probably would be overkill ( no pun intended).
Paul

[banjopicker66]

You are quite welcome.
If the nut on the pulley is the problem, try hitting it with a short burst of the impact wrench. The pulley should just slip off then.

[Toyz]

The 3g pulley will probably require a puller; most auto parts can provide a loaner.
Paul

[bobenhotep]

Make sure your primary charging wire is sized to handle 130 amps while you are at it. The jump from 95A to 130A might require going up to the next bigger gauge cable. With that many amps flowing I would bypass the amp gauge. Do those things even go up to 130?

Dan

[Mr. Jones]

The 130 amp wouldn't mount,to big.just returned it and used their 1/2"impac driver at least the pully is off.The young nit-wit at O'Riellys wore me down yesterday,this is not a factory part,imagine his confusion... I was with this kid for an hour and he still doesn't get it ........off to NAPA
Dan

[Toyz]

Dan, there should be no problem finding a 130 amp 3g small case. Check your ear to ear measurement. If it is 7 inches, a 94/95 mustang application should be just the ticket. Since you mentioned having a 3g 95 amp, I am assuming you already have a conversion harness with correct wiring.
Paul

[Mr. Jones]

Paul,
The 3g was installed at an auto elect.shop harness and wiring is good.One more trip today to "Nuts and Bolts"need 1/8"spacer for my double belt pulley.And just as you wrote94/95 mustang,small case 130 amp.3g.Bought one.
Thanks,
Dan

[Mr. Jones]

Well,94/95 mustang 3g looked good until I tried to mount it.The lower mounting hole was to close to the alt.case would not clear the factory arm.Returned it,got my old one back.Next stop Hunt Electrical,should get an application for the one they installed.I'm a little disappointed things didn't work out yesterday,how hard is it to change out an alt.and the day was beautiful.....Oh well,it won't be much longer.