for a xr3i on 175 k its now eaten its 2nd alternator in 3 years

im not sure what i have replaced it with 1st ones i think was from a RS turbo but the one i've just put on im not so sure, im not confident in its charging ability

i was told the the alt ampage was dependent on wheel size of the car it came from 13" had one 14" another and 15" another (in escorts)

basically i want to know what car came with the biggest amp rating that will bolt on to a ford bracket

im sure i have herd Granada Scorpio in the past but im unsure i want to get one and have it fully reconned im sick of these problems

 

the alt fitted to these is a very simple unit(a126) its a very old design
just buy a decent make and it will do the job
failing that get 1 off an early escort or fiesta 1.8d as these have the highest output
the wheel size has nothing to do with it, think somebody been pulling our leg

 

that something some one said in passing, how do u tell what makes what? i cant see any writing on any of mine

 

hi, troube is with ford alternators they are left or right handed, imagine looking at any engine from belt/chain side on......
and you see left side mounted or right, also some are classed as top/bottom mount too.
easyest way to work it out is, looking at pulley face on, 2 lugs at bottom and adjuster single bolt at top.

and other problem is size,
most big amp alts are huge, far too big for a transverse FWD engine as hoses and front pannels get in the way!

i would check your main live/earth wires as when they get hot, they loose continuity propperties, i.e carry less charge!
also if small blue wire is damaged then alt wont charge at all.

RST`s and cossies suffer this problem bad as wiring run close to turbo`s/exhausts and this causes them to fail also.

hope this helps,
Sean.

 

most of the original old fords were delco but they've been made by lots of manufacturers over the years, try euro car parts, most of their elecy parts are quite good quality and a new 1 for your car should be no more than 40-50 quid

 

Maybe you have just been unlucky ?
The handed bit is easy to fix as taken apart they can be spun around, they should last a hecj of a while unless running near max output all the time, have you loads of stereo gear ?
A average car is fine with anything from 50Amp upwards, some have a misguided beleif that WHEEL SIZE is important, but this refers to the alternator pulley wheel, the only important bit is that at very slow speeds it won't charge as much so a smaller wheel turns it faster at the same rpm, won't give any more max power though.
You can rerwire these from STAR to DELTA phase though, this will give around 2/3 more power at lower revs, but again no more max.
tabetha