On the Way to an Construction Site early this morning the red AMP Lamp came on and the Voltage metering Guage went more and more to the left. Did my work and could start the Engine one more Time trying to get Home after.

Obviously, since the AMP Light came on, the Engine was running only on the remaining Battery Power. 30 Miles from Home and the Voltage Guage ALL to the left and at the red Indicator below 8 Volt, Engine Power decreased - Game over! Happy to reach at the latest a Freeway Pit Stop Site, i had to Call the Road Emergency to order a Truck that finally liftet my small Truck on his Bed and took me and the Aerostar to the next Garage.

Okay, that is my todays Story. I agreed with the Garage, to fix the Problem by myself on one of the next couple of Days. I have a HAYNES, AlldataDIY and this Forum to get Knowledge on how to Test and Fix the Problem.

- The Alternator is a Replacement WPS that has +/- 30'000miles of Service.
- Never had Problems so far, with Starting the Engine or proper Battery Charge.
- I still have the original Motorcraft Alternator and a new Rebuild Kit for it (Brush Holder, Brushes, Bearings) for taking it with me to the Garage where the Aero stays now.

My burning Question for the Moment: How looks a Fusible Link on a 3L?

thanks alot


97' XLT 2WD 3.0L EDIS

 

2 connected to the starter relay solenoid on the driver fender
both brown insulation body
Black/Orange wire feeds to the alternator diode ring pack
Yellow/White wire feeds to the alternator voltage regulator

lower brown wires. this is a Ford diesel with 2 sets but same idea

.

Fusible Link Wire Repair

Ford - - - - - - Standard
- - - - - - - - - - Orange - - - - 22ga. - 0.35mm
Blue - - - - - - Gray - - - - - - 20ga. - 0.5mm
Brown/Red - Blue - - - - - - 18ga. - 0.8mm
Orange - - - - Black - - - - - 16ga. - 1.0mm
Green - - - - - Gray - - - - - - 14ga. - 2.0mm
Gray - - - - - - Blue - - - - - - 12ga. - 3.0mm
- - - - - - - - - - Orange - - - - 10ga. - 5.0mm
- - - - - - - - - - Black - - - - - - - 8ga. - 8.0mm

Fusible link wire is normal wire with special insulation designed to contain the heat, spark, and melted metal when the wire burns from excessive current draw. Fusible link wire is not rated in Amperes since its characteristics are less-obvious, but it is typically 4 gauges (AWG) smaller (higher number) than the circuit it protects. Although many vehicles now use MEGA or MAXI fuses where older vehicles used fusible link wire, replacing older fusible links with fuses is not recommended unless the rest of the wiring is upgraded to match the newer arrangement. Never replace a fuse with fusible link wire. In an emergency, smaller-gauge wire may be temporarily substituted for fusible link wire until an appropriate repair can be made.
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...hedFrom=header

sure the plug in wire on the alternator didn't get pulled out, Voltage regulator circuit?

 

Thanks for Your Reply 96_4wdr! Plug in Wire we checked first - it is sitting tight in there. All other Tests i will do myself later. Garage is swiss No.1 Importer for Jaguar (Jose), Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Land Rover etc. they have a lot to do at the Moment but a huge Backyard as well. Better to use their Backyard for free than left my earnings for Retirement at Cashiers-Counter.

Thanks for the Foto! I wouldn't have figured this out without..

Have a good Time all

 

if that shop can fix Jag Lucas electrical systems, an Aerostar is too easy for them.

almost as bad an electrical system as a Peugeot

 

All that plug does is put a tiny load on the voltage regulator to get it started, the alternator does the rest. My money is on the regulator went bad. Make sure you use heat sink paste on it to keep it cool. Also check the diodes for leak back and the stator for any windings grounding while you have it apart.

Clean the voltage regulator mounting surface good with sand paper. The metal tangs need to be shiny. Then tighten the screws down real good. THis is where most rebuilts screw up.

 

wrong! my '84 Jag has the most stable electricals I've ever seen in a car, and the '65 too. Never any electrical problem that wasn't caused by yours truly! and what's even more head-scratching, it still has its 1983 Lucas Alternator. The '65 still has its 1964 Lucas Generator. (I converted it to Neg. Ground following Mike's instructions).

 

Very usefull Info! will take care of this advises. Where to apply the Heat Sink Paste?

As so many other cases in live, it uses a night of sleep before one can clearly remember what has happend and was leading to a particular situation, whatever good or bad. So i did remember this morning, a couple of Days before the Alternator went bad, i was not carefull enough during refilling the Engine with Oil. As usual i cover only the front of the Alternator with a cloth while refillling. But this time a ****load of Oil gushed in Direction of the Valvecover behind the Alternator. Guess what, maybe the Voltage Regulator and related Parts are soaked from that Oil shower. Definetively worth a Speculation..

O/T: Hey, they have several FISKER Karma for Sale, the entire Roof is one large Solar Panel - crazy and amazing this Vehicle!

 

No Chance to get the Car back on the Road in the meantime.
The Alternators rear Impeller partially broke off and left alot of Debris inside. The remaining shovels are bend down. Got kind of Luck the Alternator was not getting blocked by the Debris from the Impeller.
I do wonder what can cause this

WPS aftermarket Alternator with broken rear Impeller:



Back Home with some Help




Looking for a new Alternator now but maybe better one from Motorcraft.

Greets to all & have a save ride!

 

Go get a two hole Alternator it puts out 130 amps, from the junk yard. Then just take it apart and clean it up. The cost for one here is $20.00 and all the ones I have pulled are Factory which makes it simple.

From the looks of your last one, It looks like a rebuild and the rear bearing failed and it wobbles just a little and the cooling fins will hit the case of windings.

I just took mine apart today and gave it the yearly tune up. Cleaned the commentators with 800 sand paper back smooth, checked the voltage regulator brushes, cleaned the stator, casing and put a long stud charging post on it.

 

Not encouraging. My WPS 3G just arrived from RJM.

 

Odd they don't make an 95 amp alternator for ford aerostar or any ford. They make the 4 hole housing 90 amp, 2 hole 130 amp and the big *** 200 amp stator stuck in the 2 hole housing case.

 

I suppose RJM could substitute their own description, but they did supply the output curve for my unit.

 

I tried to repair my original equiped Alternator, which has a winning front Bearing, to put him back later, but i'm still not able taking off the Pulley. Used the largest Plumber Wrench available and a long extension for the Ratched this time. The Wrench does not slip on the Pulley - all it does, is that the Pulley slips on the Rod .
If i could have removed the Pulley two years ago i had not to go with a new Alternator. The broken WPS Unit (WAI Global) i took out today is a matching replacement for 3G 95Amp Alternators. It did a good job for 30'000miles but that's maybe the lifetime of such an aftermarket Unit. I noticed a missing rear Bearing Cap, that makes sense together with the wobbling as the Reason for such devasting Damage.

Badluck, but always looking forward

 

It's a reverse thread pulley. You use a socket and breaker bar or cheap ratchet and smack it hard. comes right off after that.

Make sure you're using the nut inside the pulley, and not the pulley.

It's a good idea to spray some orange tint varnish on the inside parts, It keeps any water, metal shavings or oil from sticking to them.

 

..reverse thread - i understand.. thanks alot for the hint