85HPP 3G alternator install

[86VickyLX]

Plus, you'll have the nut off that stud anyway when you go to install the new charge wire

I got lazy and threw the charge wire on the battery terminal. I have too much stuff on that solenoid as it is.

[1990LTD]

I got lazy and threw the charge wire on the battery terminal. I have too much stuff on that solenoid as it is.

Yeah, mine is going to the battery terminal. I, while also being lazy, am going to start simple - I am just learning as I go

[1990LTD]

Can I reuse old charge wire to link the alt to the battery? I am having a hell of a time finding any 4 or 6 gauge wire anywhere around here. Every place I go to looks at me like I have 10 heads when I ask for it.

[gadget73]

No, you can't use the old charge wires. They're not large enough. Either fish the charge cable out of the donor Taurus, or go get a starter cable with ring terminals on both ends. SHould be on the shelf with the other battery cables, same thing used to connect the starter relay to the starter.

As for unhooking the old charge wires, if you can do it and nothing goes dead, go for it. Some cars if you unhook it at the starter relay, you lose the lights and other things, but on some cars you don't. Seems to depend on the year exactly how they ran the fuse links.

[1990LTD]

No, you can't use the old charge wires. They're not large enough. Either fish the charge cable out of the donor Taurus, or go get a starter cable with ring terminals on both ends. SHould be on the shelf with the other battery cables, same thing used to connect the starter relay to the starter.

As for unhooking the old charge wires, if you can do it and nothing goes dead, go for it. Some cars if you unhook it at the starter relay, you lose the lights and other things, but on some cars you don't. Seems to depend on the year exactly how they ran the fuse links.

Oh, so the ring terminals will already be on it? I didn't know a starter cable was an actual thing, just assumed it was big wire with ring terminals attached on either end.

[1990LTD]

As for unhooking the old charge wires, if you can do it and nothing goes dead, go for it. Some cars if you unhook it at the starter relay, you lose the lights and other things, but on some cars you don't. Seems to depend on the year exactly how they ran the fuse links.

Am not sure what you mean - I'm likely going to leave everything I can in the car. The fat charge wires will get snipped at the alternator end and the stator wire will as well. Stator and charge wire will get snipped on the regulator end. I don't care if leaving them in there will be messy, I don't have nearly enough confidence in my own abilities to fish out and delete wires through the engine bay.

[86VickyLX]

On an earlier Taurus, the charge cable had integral fusible links. The later ones used the 175 amp fuse.

For those charge wires, make sure you don't ground them or you're gonna have some fun with electrical fires

[1990LTD]

I do not have access to the Taurus this 3g came from. I will be ebaying this stuff or getting whatever I can locally.


Can I get a long enough starter cable and just split it in two and stick a fuse in there?

[86VickyLX]

I do not have access to the Taurus this 3g came from. I will be ebaying this stuff or getting whatever I can locally.


Can I get a long enough starter cable and just split it in two and stick a fuse in there?

You could. Or you could get a small length cable, and a longer cable to route around so it is nice and neat and stick the fuse in between like on mine. My fuse sits on the plastic fenderwell on the passengerside.

[1990LTD]

Gotcha. Thanks. This is going to be an adventure...hell, the wire and fuse are going to cost me more than the alternator did!

[1987cp]

Oh, so the ring terminals will already be on it? I didn't know a starter cable was an actual thing, just assumed it was big wire with ring terminals attached on either end.

Nope, you can easily buy them preassembled (around here, you can, anyway). It's basically a battery cable with a second ring terminal instead of the battery clamp, usually on the shelf right next to the, well, battery cables.

The cheapest and easiest way to fuse your charging cable is probably to get one a MegaFuse like I showed you a pic of in that other thread. Just attach the fuse directly to the starter solenoid and hook the charge cable to the fuse, or if there's lots of clearance you could probably attach the fuse directly to the charging stud on the alternator instead.




I have to say, it sounds pretty crazy to me to attach a charging cable to the nut at the battery terminal. That little nut and bolt aren't really intended to do anything but hold the terminal together, and it's usually easier to just take the nut off your starter solenoid anyway. I would think that such a "shortcut" is just asking to have junk spark against the hood and maybe chafe excessively as well, without actually saving you any work. But, it's your car...

[1990LTD]

Well, forgive my ignorance, but I must be thinking the starter solenoid is something else. Could anyone post an engine bay shot with a big stupid arrow pointing to it?

[1990LTD]

and correct me if I am wrong (which is likely), but if I am running to the starter solenoid instead of just the post. battery terminal, do I just retain the cable that's already between the solenoid and battery?

[1987cp]

To spell it out, yes, you retain the cable that goes from the solenoid to the battery, because that's sort of your positive battery cable, and everything in the car connects to the solenoid stud that receives power from that cable.

I'm not finding a good pic handy (I could take one but I'm not at home at the moment), but it's the mostly-cylindrical looking plastic thing bolted to the passenger side fender immediately aft of the battery. It has two biggish copper studs on either side of it, either sticking out the sides or lower down, facing out. Your positive battery cable goes directly to the stud you need to be concerned about, alongside some other junk; the only thing attached to the other stud is the starter cable, which looks like a battery cable but disappears down the inner fenderwell, through a small bracket on the framerail (normally), and then disappears back under the exhaust manifold toward the starter.

You'll need either a 1/2" or 9/16" socket; remove the nut from the stud that the battery cable goes to, and remove everything from that stud. Separate out the wires that go forward into the header panel, go around and turn on your headlight switch, and touch each of those wires to the positive battery terminal until you find the one that powers the headlights. Put that one back on the stud, followed by the positive battery cable and everything that goes toward the rear of the car, and add your MegaFuse with your new alternator charging cable attached. That should be about it!

[1990LTD]

Damn, did you ever spell it out for me, thanks a million! Like I've been saying, I am a complete n00b to car inner workings, reading stuff like that is wonderful. I didn't know that was my positive battery cable, or even that the solenoid is what powers a lot of other crap. Thanks.


Do I disconnect the positive battery cable from the batt before doing any of this fun stuff?