Ferdinand Posted November 14, 2020 Author Share Posted November 14, 2020 Get a BIG cup of coffee and set aside hours before you start reading BB's transformation thread. We wander badly and I'm verbose. But, the mention of a battery tender reminded me of a quirk of the CH smart isolator. When the battery tender has gotten the voltage of one of the batteries to 13.2 volts for two minutes the isolator will close. So now you are charging both batteries, which slows the charging down. But, the coil of the isolator has a significant current draw, and it may overpower a small tender. So now the voltage on the batteries goes down to 12.7v and the whole process starts all over. On our boat, which I keep on battery tenders, plural, I only ground the black wire of the isolator when the key is on. So during the winter the isolator doesn't come in. But on Big Blue I haven't bothered as I don't anticipate keeping him on a battery tender. -And I would LOVE not to have to mess with a tender. I don't mind one so much on my bike, but Ferdinand has to set outside all year long at a place I have no real power other than stretching a cord, and I am not a big fan of leaving a cord in the yard all that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machspeed Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 -And I would LOVE not to have to mess with a tender. I don't mind one so much on my bike, but Ferdinand has to set outside all year long at a place I have no real power other than stretching a cord, and I am not a big fan of leaving a cord in the yard all that time. Spent the better part of the morning and several cups of coffee reading through this entire build. Wow, so many road blocks and setbacks. Intrigued me, as we essentially have the same engine and drivetrain and some of your issues were also my issues, all of which I have resolved through the kindly help and wisdom of members here! Awesome shout out for Gary and the website, btw! Jamie, thanks for posting your build up, you’ve done great things with it. As I read through the coolant leak, I was thinking how irritated I would have been trying to find that. And then there’s the firing order, carb and charging issues, one hurdle after another. I admire your perseverance. Those types of things I call “character builders”. From what I garnished in the the build threads, I suspect this will not be new to you, but I'm leaving it for you anyway. Romans 5:2-5 Regards, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 Spent the better part of the morning and several cups of coffee reading through this entire build. Wow, so many road blocks and setbacks. Intrigued me, as we essentially have the same engine and drivetrain and some of your issues were also my issues, all of which I have resolved through the kindly help and wisdom of members here! Awesome shout out for Gary and the website, btw! Jamie, thanks for posting your build up, you’ve done great things with it. As I read through the coolant leak, I was thinking how irritated I would have been trying to find that. And then there’s the firing order, carb and charging issues, one hurdle after another. I admire your perseverance. Those types of things I call “character builders”. From what I garnished in the the build threads, I suspect this will not be new to you, but I'm leaving it for you anyway. Romans 5:2-5 Regards, John Glad the website helps. And what came to my mind was James 1:2-4. Very much a parallel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted November 15, 2020 Author Share Posted November 15, 2020 HANDS DOWN, one of the greatest strengths of this site is God-fearing people. Thank you gentlemen. One of my favorites in the same scope: Luke 21:19 "In your patience possess ye your souls." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted November 15, 2020 Author Share Posted November 15, 2020 Spent the better part of the morning and several cups of coffee reading through this entire build. Wow, so many road blocks and setbacks. Intrigued me, as we essentially have the same engine and drivetrain and some of your issues were also my issues, all of which I have resolved through the kindly help and wisdom of members here! Awesome shout out for Gary and the website, btw! Jamie, thanks for posting your build up, you’ve done great things with it. As I read through the coolant leak, I was thinking how irritated I would have been trying to find that. And then there’s the firing order, carb and charging issues, one hurdle after another. I admire your perseverance. Those types of things I call “character builders”. From what I garnished in the the build threads, I suspect this will not be new to you, but I'm leaving it for you anyway. Romans 5:2-5 Regards, John John, I am humbled you took time to read of my shenanigans. You are very kind. I am all self-taught and that leads to many re-do's along the way. I am anxious to read about your rig as well. Between getting versed in Big Blue's journey and now yours, I know what I'll be spending my late night hours on until the end of the year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted November 15, 2020 Author Share Posted November 15, 2020 This is another "a-typical" solution, but if you have a bin of Sharkbite brand PEX crimp fittings, they come in handy as an alternative to barbed fittings for the heater core hoses. (These are 3/4" brass) I am curious to see how they work. I am considering closing the gap between the valves with a close nipple, or using a street 90, to enable me to use the valve handles at full length (pic below). Anyone is welcome to weigh in on their thoughts or opinions. Even if you don't like it and think its a terrible idea, I am a big boy and can take the criticism. I learned a long time ago truth comes in many forms 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted November 15, 2020 Author Share Posted November 15, 2020 I've been quite happy with the 130A LRC alternator I purchased from DB Electrical. It's really hard to go wrong at that price, and has a one year no Ferdinand poop warranty. You only need to run a 3/8-16 tap through the adjuster ear. If you go hunting in the junkyard for a ~'92 Taurus with the 3.8l V-6 you're probably going to want to buy a load response control regulator. One I know works is F5RU-10316-BA I don't have dual batteries, but have recently had some discussion about wiring a manual override to the Cole-Hersee automatic isolators. Gary's got a LOT of amp hours under the hood of Big Blue. Jim, that LRC alternator you link to in your comment about it, can you order one with the double V-groove fully, or do I have to swap the one from my old alternator? Thank you sir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 This is another "a-typical" solution, but if you have a bin of Sharkbite brand PEX crimp fittings, they come in handy as an alternative to barbed fittings for the heater core hoses. (These are 3/4" brass) I am curious to see how they work. I am considering closing the gap between the valves with a close nipple, or using a street 90, to enable me to use the valve handles at full length (pic below). Anyone is welcome to weigh in on their thoughts or opinions. Even if you don't like it and think its a terrible idea, I am a big boy and can take the criticism. I learned a long time ago truth comes in many forms 😉 Why two valves and not just a valve and a Tee? I mean if you divert the flow from the heater core to the bypass it's not as if it is going it back up the hose and somehow get the core hot. I read what you said about changing the heater core without draining down the system... But you're going to get a slug of air no matter what. I just tuck the hoses from the firewall through the hood hinge. They are up, out of the way and can't siphon the system. No, you can't buy a replacement 3G with a V-belt pulley. They were introduced in the '90's and all 130A applications used a polygroove belt. You CAN get "retrofit" 3G's with a V-belt installed, but they are all $$$ and none of the ones I've seen come with an LRC regulator. The pulley is incredibly easy to swap. As mentioned, you probably need a 17mm shim. Usually a thin 5/8 washer fits just fine. (Stainless tends to be thinner than plated steel in the hardware aisle) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted November 15, 2020 Author Share Posted November 15, 2020 Why two valves and not just a valve and a Tee? I mean if you divert the flow from the heater core to the bypass it's not as if it is going it back up the hose and somehow get the core hot. I read what you said about changing the heater core without draining down the system... But you're going to get a slug of air no matter what. I just tuck the hoses from the firewall through the hood hinge. They are up, out of the way and can't siphon the system. No, you can't buy a replacement 3G with a V-belt pulley. They were introduced in the '90's and all 130A applications used a polygroove belt. You CAN get "retrofit" 3G's with a V-belt installed, but they are all $$$ and none of the ones I've seen come with an LRC regulator. The pulley is incredibly easy to swap. As mentioned, you probably need a 17mm shim. Usually a thin 5/8 washer fits just fine. (Stainless tends to be thinner than plated steel in the hardware aisle) Excellent info and suggestions Jim. I wasn't sure if tee-ing into both hoses and valving off the one side would allow for good flow back to the engine. Those T-port 3-way valves impressed me and I thought they would give me any configuration of flow I needed (even though a few flow routes would be completely useless in this application. The two tees and one valve would be way less bulky for sure! 🤔 Thanks for the alternative! I will dig out my old alternator and take a look at what it takes to get that thing off. (The PO had just put it on before I bought it in Dec. 2017. I'll have to go and re-read the 3G info from the upgrades pages again as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 Excellent info and suggestions Jim. I wasn't sure if tee-ing into both hoses and valving off the one side would allow for good flow back to the engine. Those T-port 3-way valves impressed me and I thought they would give me any configuration of flow I needed (even though a few flow routes would be completely useless in this application. The two tees and one valve would be way less bulky for sure! 🤔 Thanks for the alternative! I will dig out my old alternator and take a look at what it takes to get that thing off. (The PO had just put it on before I bought it in Dec. 2017. I'll have to go and re-read the 3G info from the upgrades pages again as well. I'm running just a shut off valve on Big Blue. No tee. The bypass hose handles circulating the coolant before the 'stat opens. The only engine you shouldn't do that on is the 300 six as it doesn't have a bypass. To remove the nut on the alternator I use an impact and hold the pulley with a gloved hand. Pops the nut loose quickly and, so far, hasn't hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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