Gsmblue Posted May 23, 2019 Share Posted May 23, 2019 So I have a nice mess of wire going from my alternator to the solenoid, a real bad cut and splice job, see the fuzzy pic for proof! Does anyone know if there is an off the shelf wiring harness that I can buy to replace this mess? It is really the wires from the alternator to the solenoid, voltage regulator and that large connector that hides under the regulator. Or am I going to have to hack this apart and make new cables from my box of wires?? So in the pic the wires are as follows: wire 1: 12 o clock position - Black with Orange stripe goes to voltage regulator wire 2: 3 o clock Black with Orange stripe goes to alternator wire 3: 3 o clock thick yellow wire goes to big connector under voltage regulator wire 4: 3 o clock you can't see the thin yellow with green stripe but I think this also goes to voltage regulator wire 5: 6 o clock Orange with black stripe goes from solenoid (battery side) to alternator and appears to be intact! I think I got all those wires right, I looked at them last night so I am doing this from memory... Any suggestions how to fix this mess??? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve83 Posted May 23, 2019 Share Posted May 23, 2019 That's a 1G (first generation Ford) alternator. Go junkyarding, and find a 3G that will bolt up. This is what they look like: https://supermotors.net/getfile/1079023/thumbnail/3gs.jpg Focus on the mounting points. Look at this & the NEXT several: https://supermotors.net/getfile/566009/thumbnail/alt94tbird.jpg Then find a harness. Any '93~04 F-series/Bronco should work, but there are many others. Early harnesses have fusible link wires; later ones have a MEGA fuse. https://supermotors.net/getfile/876977/thumbnail/3gharness.jpg Once you have the 3G alternator & harness, remove the old alternator, its harness, and the voltage regulator. https://supermotors.net/getfile/859765/thumbnail/1ghd.jpg https://supermotors.net/getfile/897843/thumbnail/alternator1g.jpg Swap the old V-belt pulley onto the 3G, and re-clock the 3G case if necessary. Bolt it on, and it should work. Gary has a writeup page here that I'm sure he'll link for you soon, if you can't find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 23, 2019 Share Posted May 23, 2019 I think you are describing the wiring shown below. And what you have circled in blue is what I've circled in red. But I don't think the wire at the 12:00 position really goes just to the voltage regulator. It is probably the shunt and should connect to the yellow/white dot wire at the starter relay, and the yellow/white dot wire goes to the regulator. Right? If the connection you circled is good, and it was welded together at the factory, and if the rest of the wiring checks out as shown below, then you can tape the connection up and use it. But, if it is a bad splice then someone has replaced the shunt and done a poor job thereof. In that case I think you have a few choices. First, if you want to stay with the 1G alternator, then you could repair that splice, which should not be difficult. Or find a good harness at the salvage. Or, I might have one. I will look. But, this might be the time to do a 3G conversion, as described here, and get away from that wiring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gsmblue Posted May 23, 2019 Author Share Posted May 23, 2019 I think you are describing the wiring shown below. And what you have circled in blue is what I've circled in red. But I don't think the wire at the 12:00 position really goes just to the voltage regulator. It is probably the shunt and should connect to the yellow/white dot wire at the starter relay, and the yellow/white dot wire goes to the regulator. Right? If the connection you circled is good, and it was welded together at the factory, and if the rest of the wiring checks out as shown below, then you can tape the connection up and use it. But, if it is a bad splice then someone has replaced the shunt and done a poor job thereof. In that case I think you have a few choices. First, if you want to stay with the 1G alternator, then you could repair that splice, which should not be difficult. Or find a good harness at the salvage. Or, I might have one. I will look. But, this might be the time to do a 3G conversion, as described here, and get away from that wiring. Thanks Steve and Gary. Yes that is what I identified in the EVTM (that book is so useful!) I do not have the time right now to go hunt for a 3G alternator, but I do agree that change is on the cards for the summer. The spice does not look factory, it basically fell apart on me! So I have pulled it completely apart. The wires are pretty corroded and there is not enough slack to really join them up properly. So at the moment I have stuck a wire nut in there and taped it up, I am sure that just sent shivers down a few spines..... But by the sounds of it I should go hunt at the scrap yard.. The local one has a few Bullnoses in it so hopefully they will let me in to pull that harness out. They just recently stopped people walking through the yard to pull stuff... so annoying.. I will try and get out there this afternoon or tomorrow morning and I will report back. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 23, 2019 Share Posted May 23, 2019 Thanks Steve and Gary. Yes that is what I identified in the EVTM (that book is so useful!) I do not have the time right now to go hunt for a 3G alternator, but I do agree that change is on the cards for the summer. The spice does not look factory, it basically fell apart on me! So I have pulled it completely apart. The wires are pretty corroded and there is not enough slack to really join them up properly. So at the moment I have stuck a wire nut in there and taped it up, I am sure that just sent shivers down a few spines..... But by the sounds of it I should go hunt at the scrap yard.. The local one has a few Bullnoses in it so hopefully they will let me in to pull that harness out. They just recently stopped people walking through the yard to pull stuff... so annoying.. I will try and get out there this afternoon or tomorrow morning and I will report back. Thanks again! A wire nut is probably much better than what you had. And, with plans to replace the alternator with a 3G I'd say that'll work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dyn Blin Posted May 23, 2019 Share Posted May 23, 2019 Thanks Steve and Gary. Yes that is what I identified in the EVTM (that book is so useful!) I do not have the time right now to go hunt for a 3G alternator, but I do agree that change is on the cards for the summer. The spice does not look factory, it basically fell apart on me! So I have pulled it completely apart. The wires are pretty corroded and there is not enough slack to really join them up properly. So at the moment I have stuck a wire nut in there and taped it up, I am sure that just sent shivers down a few spines..... But by the sounds of it I should go hunt at the scrap yard.. The local one has a few Bullnoses in it so hopefully they will let me in to pull that harness out. They just recently stopped people walking through the yard to pull stuff... so annoying.. I will try and get out there this afternoon or tomorrow morning and I will report back. Thanks again! I have the 1G still on the truck, and was out in the hinterlands when the Orange/Black wire that comes out of that muti-wire factory splice & goes to the starter relay burned- apparently because of a bad connection to the fuse link at the relay- preventing a completed ignition (and cab lights and likely other things). I bodged it well enough to get home, and later unwrapped it to the junction it looks like you found, too. I'll eventually switch to a 3G, but decided to repair the existing. I stripped it back, cleaned with vinegar to remove the oxidation that was present and then neutralized it again, and resoldered the junction with a some new shunt wire to the starter relay, and re-wrapped it up tight. It's been fine in 3k miles of daily driving since then, without any heat or other signs of issues. It's tough to find new black/orange striped wire in the original gauge without buying more than you may ever use. If you need some, I may some left over. Email me through the profile link if you end up needing it and I'll go look. Although my electrical load doesn't demand the 3G conversation yet, I'll eventually move it with the good feedback on the modification I see from everyone here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve83 Posted May 24, 2019 Share Posted May 24, 2019 It's tough to find new black/orange striped wire in the original gauge without buying more than you may ever use.Shop acdcwireandsupply's eBay store & listings. They carry many striped colors in many gauges, and most are made in USA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gsmblue Posted May 26, 2019 Author Share Posted May 26, 2019 It's tough to find new black/orange striped wire in the original gauge without buying more than you may ever use.Shop acdcwireandsupply's eBay store & listings. They carry many striped colors in many gauges, and most are made in USA. The wire nut failed yesterday! Lol! At home luckily. I found a bunch of wire and a fuse holder in my box of stuff so I will get on it today make a better, soldered patch to last until I have time for a 3G conversion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 The wire nut failed yesterday! Lol! At home luckily. I found a bunch of wire and a fuse holder in my box of stuff so I will get on it today make a better, soldered patch to last until I have time for a 3G conversion. If a V-belt pulley you may find the 8.25" C-C mounting 3G allows better 'swing' of the alternator. These are found in the 3.8l V6 versions of the early-mid '90's Taurus/Sable. If you prefer the 7" C-C, they are in the 3.0l versions. Stripping the harness out of either should get you the charge cable and Megafuse you need. Instructions for modifying the regulator plug are found in Gary's link or many places on the internet. Be mindful that you may need a thin washer behind the V-belt pulley to keep it from rubbing on the alternator case. And, you may need to bend (straighten) the adjuster arm a bit because the alternator boss is 1/4" thicker on the 3G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 The wire nut failed yesterday! Lol! At home luckily. I found a bunch of wire and a fuse holder in my box of stuff so I will get on it today make a better, soldered patch to last until I have time for a 3G conversion. Your truck is trying to tell you that it wants a 3G. But you aren't listening! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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