So what do you guys think, upgrade or don't upgrade the alternator? I got the taurus fan already, should be here any day.
I think you should jump in and do it, keep the alt in the back of your mind but run the stock one for now and observe the changes. Turn the blower, radio and headlights on, and let your car idle in your driveway or garage until the fan kicks on. (rev it up a little at first so the alternator activates) Ideally, you'd have an ammeter for this, but you can use a voltmeter. With all that stuff turned on and the fan going, you should observe something close to 14 volts from the battery if the alt is doing its job. If the headlights go dim, the fan doesn't sound like it's spinning fast enough, or especially if the engine gets hot or the fan doesn't cool it down enough to turn itself off, (you'll hopefully be using that thermostatic switch) then you might have a problem. Also, run it like that for a while, then turn it off and disconnect your coil or something, so you can crank on the starter without firing the engine. See if it struggles and acts like it's going to leave you stranded after a couple of tries. Make sure you still have 12-14 volts at the battery with the engine off. This sounds like more trouble than it should be, but you'll want to tweak that fan switch anyway, so might as well test the alternator while you're doing it.
that thermistatic switch that was refenced earlyer is avaiable at most local autoparts stores. just ask for the universal adjustable elec. fan controler. also you will want to get a hi amparage relay or run two regular relays in parellel. you will need a 60 amp fuse or circuit breaker.
Yep, that's just a Chevy style alternator with a slightly modified case so that it will bolt onto a Ford without having to make a spacer. Other then that it looks identical to the alternator I have on my car, which I ordered for a '78 Camaro with a 350 at the auto parts store.
so in case I end up needing an alternator it makes no difference whether I have the regular 3 wire vs the 1 wire?
This might help for the fan wiring. I've had this type of setup on my past three cars. Here's how I do it... The fuse should be 50-60 amp, I use a circuit breaker. "AC Source" would be wired to the positive side of the compressor clutch switch if you have one, or it could be on a toggle, or you could leave it off as I've done. The relay is just any 4 or 5-pin that can handle the amps. "Ignition source" can go to the fuse box, or in my case it's on the "C" terminal of my solenoid. You could also add a second 5-pin relay as I've done, to kill power to the fan while the starter is on. ...And I'm all for upgrading the alternator, but I'd still do the fan first and see what you're working with. You might discover you don't need the new alt. Edit: Forgot to mention the probe. Placement of the probe is important. I've done this three different ways... On the first fan controller I used two cars ago, the instructions said to put the probe between the fins on the radiator. This has two drawbacks: One, you mess up your fins and risk puncture, and two, if for some reason the water gets below the level of wherever you've put your probe, you already have a problem and now your fan won't turn on. Another way is to mount it to the fins or tank using zip ties. This may not mess up your fins, but you still have the water level problem and the probe will react more to ambient temps. For instance, the fan may kick on and cool the probe faster than it cools the radiator. Third way, best way in my opinion, is to put it inside the upper radiator hose. This way it will react faster to engine temp and not just radiator temp. Also, unless you run it completely dry, there will always be water moving in that hose while the engine is running and warm no matter how much water is in the radiator, so it's safer. If you do it this way, put a piece of rubber or something between the wire going to the probe and neck on the radiator. "Sandwich" the wire between that rubber and the hose unless you have a plastic neck. Don't want to let the wire touch metal because it will affect the reading, and the rubber helps keep from cutting or weakening the wire due to pressure from the hose clamp. ...in my opinion.
