I discovered that my alternator wasn't charging, so I attempted to remove it today after work. I got the belt off, and I was even able to remove both the top and bottom bolts from the bracket. Now the alternator pivots on the bottom, but it won't come out. Is there another bolt I need to remove, or is there some other trick to getting it off of the bracket? It's difficult to see down where the alternator is still attached.

The Haynes wasn't much help either. It pretty much just says "take it out."

Thanks for any info.

 

 

I was able to remove it last night. The first time I wasn't able to see that the alternator was not pivoting on a sleeve like I originally thought.

I ended up purchasing a remanned alternator instead of just replacing the bushings. The reman included a new battery wire harness that they stated "MUST BE USED TO REPLACE THE OLD ONE." They warned of bad things like fire because the factory harness "wears out." It didn't look bad at all to me. Are all remanufactured alternators including these nowadays?

 

Only for the fire prone Ford 2G alternators. It's a Ford Technical Bulletin stating to replace that connector anytime it has been removed from the alternator for any reason. It's a stop gap measure to band-aid fix a poor design.

I stress Fire Prone


You missed the perfect opportunity to upgrade to a 3G.

 

Aww, nuts. I wish I had known! I'm guessing Advance won't exchange for a 3G.

If they did, which alternator should I get? I don't know what's compatible with my truck.

If they don't, I will definitely upgrade the plug after seeing that pic! :O

 

The most common vehicles that use a 3G that fits our trucks are:

(1994-95) Ford Mustang 5.0L
(1994-00) Ford Mustang 3.8L
(1994-97) Ford Thunderbird, Mercury Cougar 3.8L
(1990-95) Ford Taurus, Mercury Sable 3.8L
(1993-99) Ford Taurus, Mercury Sable 3.0L
(1995-98) Ford Windstar 3.8L & 3.0L

Plenty of threads on the swap and what is needed.

 

If you haven't already done so I highly recommend you load the crap out of the alternator bolts with never seize when reinstalling them. I just went through removing my stock alternator and ended up busting the alternator/air pump bracket because the alternator bolt was completely seized in the bracket.

 

I haven't finished the installation, and yes, I am definitely going to be putting some anti-seize on the bolts. The lower bolt is corroded and rusty and was difficult to remove. I think first I'll go over it with a wire brush attachment on the drill, coat it with some PBlaster and then put anti-seize on the bolts. The new alternator came with a new bolt for the top mounting bung.

 

I’ve cut the wires to attach new pigtail. How do you know what wire to attach since both wires are the same color

 

Doesn't matter. They both go to the same place. They used two for increased current capacity.

 

is it bolted in? Or you just pry and it comes loose? To me to it looks like it is pivots on some slide in bolts. Is this an illusion?