Alternator Recommendations??
Lead Driver
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 5,647
Likes: 891
From: north of Minneapolis, MN
....never mind. (you have an additional GPR light)
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 27,345
Likes: 5,941
From: Lake Hartwell, GA
Yes sir I do. There was a light in the dash already for an alarm from the PO. I bought a better appropriately sized LED for that spot and wired it up to the GPR. This serves two purposes for me. It lets me know that the GPR is working as intended and it let's me know when the GP's are not energized.
For the small amount of cash it cost, it was a win-win in my opinion.
For the small amount of cash it cost, it was a win-win in my opinion.
Hotshot
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 11,286
Likes: 263
From: North of Greenville
I bought the LED for that mod years ago, but never installed it. Now that my GPR is on a heavy duty bracket on the PS fender wall, I get a very distinct tactile feedback of a nice little "clunk" when the GPR turns off, so I don;t even need the LED for that last point of feedback. Even without that, I can see the dash lights get brighter as soon as the GPR is off, too, so I really have a double feedback (additionally, headlights will get brighter, wipers will speed up, etc. when the GPR load is removed from the electrical system).
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 174
Likes: 0
From: Sault St.Marie
I love my manual glow plug switch.
I hold the switch on exactly how long i want.
Release it, now with full voltage to the starter, turn the key to engage the starter.
Super simple.
Glow plugs are not used on warmer days.
Hopefully the harness wires & Glow plugs now last longer.
I hold the switch on exactly how long i want.
Release it, now with full voltage to the starter, turn the key to engage the starter.
Super simple.
Glow plugs are not used on warmer days.
Hopefully the harness wires & Glow plugs now last longer.
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 26,966
Likes: 50
From: Texas
I went with a new, not rebuilt 6.0 alternator from Oreilly. It's been in the truck since 2012 and still working fine.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...lternator.html
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...lternator.html
Thread Starter
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Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 5,373
Likes: 46
From: Palm Bay, Florida
I went with a new, not rebuilt 6.0 alternator from Oreilly. It's been in the truck since 2012 and still working fine.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...lternator.html
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...lternator.html
Lead Driver
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 5,647
Likes: 891
From: north of Minneapolis, MN
They are 140 amp....the bracket needs a little work with a half round file...or shim the alternator up with some washers.
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Cargo Master
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,656
Likes: 964
From: Walpole, MA
99-03 Super Duty trucks and Excursions do not use LRC regulators. We want IDA regulators. The D in IDA stands for Dummy. In other words, the middle pin that would otherwise support LRC in an F series regulator is a dummy pin in our wire harness. No wire, no workie. LRC has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the post of mine that you quoted.
BobcatBob was bringing up a concern specific to Beru two stage glowplugs being used by Ford as NOX emissions control devices, instead of just as glow plugs as they were originally designed.
Subsequent iteration 3 stage glow plugs were designed for this dual purpose role, but sadly, the Beru three stage glow plugs do not fit the 7.3L. Therefore, we have to be cautious how high our vehicle system voltage gets within the first two minutes of engine operations, because our glow plugs are only rated for 11 volts, as they were originally intended to be run on batteries alone. Put a 100 amp load on a pair of freshly charged batteries... and the voltage will drop to 10.5 volts. Start the truck, and keep the glow plugs on to reduce NOX, the alternator is now supplying power, but the batteries were further drained from starting, so the current is shared between the depleted batteries and the glow plugs that are still on.
A 110 amp alternator, putting out only 50 amps at high idle, struggles to meet this high current demand, feeding both the batteries and the glow plugs. So the system voltage for the first minute or two after starting remains depressed, at 11.5v to 12v and climbing. This works out great for the glow plugs, because they are only rated to 11 volts. It sucks for the batteries though. And it screws with our peace of mind, seeing only 12v, when we are looking for 14.4v charging voltage.
So we slap on a big bad boy alternator and boom, our charge meter reads 14.3 volts 10 seconds after the engine is started. The problem is, the glow plugs might remain on for as much as 170 seconds (assuming a 10 second wait to start time) after the engine has started, depending on engine oil temperature. During that 160 second on time beyond engine start and alternator ramp up, the glow plugs are now seeing 14v instead of 12v, because the big bad boy alternator is putting out enough current to power a small city, and therefore the voltage regulator can run to the governor. If the glowplugs are only rated for 11 volts, because they were designed to run on batteries and weak alternators... the extra 30% of voltage they are receiving with the big bad boy alternator could burn out the glow plugs prematurely.
That's what we are talking about here. Not Load Response Control. Our PCM's have no pin or provision to provide the feedback necessary for Load Response Control within an alternator regulator to work.
BobcatBob was bringing up a concern specific to Beru two stage glowplugs being used by Ford as NOX emissions control devices, instead of just as glow plugs as they were originally designed.
Subsequent iteration 3 stage glow plugs were designed for this dual purpose role, but sadly, the Beru three stage glow plugs do not fit the 7.3L. Therefore, we have to be cautious how high our vehicle system voltage gets within the first two minutes of engine operations, because our glow plugs are only rated for 11 volts, as they were originally intended to be run on batteries alone. Put a 100 amp load on a pair of freshly charged batteries... and the voltage will drop to 10.5 volts. Start the truck, and keep the glow plugs on to reduce NOX, the alternator is now supplying power, but the batteries were further drained from starting, so the current is shared between the depleted batteries and the glow plugs that are still on.
A 110 amp alternator, putting out only 50 amps at high idle, struggles to meet this high current demand, feeding both the batteries and the glow plugs. So the system voltage for the first minute or two after starting remains depressed, at 11.5v to 12v and climbing. This works out great for the glow plugs, because they are only rated to 11 volts. It sucks for the batteries though. And it screws with our peace of mind, seeing only 12v, when we are looking for 14.4v charging voltage.
So we slap on a big bad boy alternator and boom, our charge meter reads 14.3 volts 10 seconds after the engine is started. The problem is, the glow plugs might remain on for as much as 170 seconds (assuming a 10 second wait to start time) after the engine has started, depending on engine oil temperature. During that 160 second on time beyond engine start and alternator ramp up, the glow plugs are now seeing 14v instead of 12v, because the big bad boy alternator is putting out enough current to power a small city, and therefore the voltage regulator can run to the governor. If the glowplugs are only rated for 11 volts, because they were designed to run on batteries and weak alternators... the extra 30% of voltage they are receiving with the big bad boy alternator could burn out the glow plugs prematurely.
That's what we are talking about here. Not Load Response Control. Our PCM's have no pin or provision to provide the feedback necessary for Load Response Control within an alternator regulator to work.
I have a mechman 240amp alternator under the hood of the truck in the sig. I noticed not too long after the alternator got on the truck that the truck would start fine in the cold but would run rough and smokey for a first few minutes. I originally thought it was the injectors or glow plugs but they all came back fine. Also the truck wasn't lazy when cold, still revs up and down fine. Just rough idle for a bit. Finally, I hooked up my multi-meter to the stanco GPR I have and the voltage across the relay drops to zero about 2-4 seconds after the engine starts coinciding with rise in system voltage. So in my humble experience my 2002 is acting very similar to TooManyToys (check out his youtube channel if you haven't already, awesome stuff on automotive electrical) where the GPs are kicking out when the alternator gets up to speed. Just my two pennies, I know the 02-03 engines are a little different than the 99-01's.
Hotshot
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 11,286
Likes: 263
From: North of Greenville
My 2002 also has the GPR (and the 2002 7.3 my son had for a couple of years). My understanding was that it was only the CA vehicles and Excursions which had the GPCM (i.e. my 2003 Excursion with the 7.3 had the GPCM).
Cargo Master
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,656
Likes: 964
From: Walpole, MA
Other than swapping out the OEM GPR, which died on me back in 2011, for the stanco the system is OEM.
Super Moderator
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 13,281
Likes: 6,046
I KNOW by 2003.25 the GPR was history, replaced nationwide by the GPCM. I just wasn't sure on 49 states one year earlier, in 2002, since I mostly see RPO 422 equipped vehicles. I accept your experience and observations as fact.
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 26,966
Likes: 50
From: Texas
Another popular mod used to be to add a ground cable from the battery to one of the alternator hold down bolts (on top of the alternator). Weak or corroded grounds can wreak havoc, and having a short ground cable from the alternator to the battery helps.
Doing well Pete. I can't complain.