Whos done the 3G swap?
 

Did you or did you not connect the two orange/black wires to the alt? Some say do it. some say dont. Just run the upgraded cable.

thanks guys! :tup

i am about to do the conversion, I'd also be interested in knowing what is best. Mine is in the mail, should be getting it shorty. i was planning on following this guide

http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2...e/index2.shtml

I'll be installing mine as soon as it get warmer or I install the heater I have.

I originally hooked it up with the black/orange stripe wire until I could afford to upgrade it. Worked fine for a few months. Then I added a piece of 4 gauge battery cable from Canadian tire-going from the B+ post to the starter solenoid. That worked fine for a couple of years. You should put a 175A or 200A fuse inline but I got away without it for a couple of years. I've now got the battery in the hatch and run a 2 gauge cable back to the cutoff switch.

go with the 4 gauge wire and a 250 amp fuse...no point risking a fire for a small cost.

Using a 250A fuse on a 4 gauge wire would be useless. That fuse is almost double the amount of current that a 4 gauge wire is rated for. It'll heat up and become a fire hazard long before it pops the fuse. What good is the fuse if it doesn't pop when something goes wrong? Use a 175A or 200A at the most for a 130A alternator.
When I used the 4 gauge cable, it was in addition to the stock wire, which together was still was barely adequate.

Yeah, see the argument i've heard about connecting the stock wires is that if the fuse pops on the upgraded cable, then all the load is put on the two stock wires and can be a hazard. Then again, if the fuse went, you would prob notice the volt meter change and shut the car off. Anyways, thats why i was wondering.

oops that was supposed to say 150

I have done the 3G alternator mod. I used the stock size cable that comes on the 96+ Taurus's.

On another note i was amazed at how small the factory alternator wire size was on a 94 Pontiac Transport that i was working on the other day. It looked to be 12 gauge or so. The thing was patheticly small, and yes it did get warm when the vehicle was running.

My friend's dad had a nice newer Cutlass but the alternator went three times in a year so he traded the car in. :rolleyes: