Rethinking The 3G Conversion Pages/Process

[Gary Lewis]

Jim is right, it isn't necessary to have a hydraulic crimper.  But I have this one from TEMco and it works very well so I use it to make battery cables and connections of this kind.

I will say that I don't recommend that you buy just any cheap hydraulic crimper as most of those have metric-sized die and don't give good results on SAE-sized terminals.  But that one from TEMco has both metric and SAE die and does a good job.

As for soldering, it isn't the solder itself but the tool that provides the heat that is usually the problem.  I just use normal over-the-counter rosin-core solder, but I also use a soldering gun or pen, not a propane torch.  A gun or pen puts the heat to the joint where a torch puts it everywhere and other things get torched.

Also there's a debate about soldered joints being stiff and ultimately failing from vibration.  The issue is that the solder wicks up the wire and where it stops is the point where the wire goes from flexible to stiff.  And if that point is left to dangle in the air all by itself it may ultimately break.  But I use a heavy shrink tubing with an adhesive lining on all my joints and that provides a lot of support.  Plus I bundle the wires together and cover them with convolute and then secure the bundle in the vehicle so it doesn't move.

I've been soldering connections like this for over 50 years and haven't had one fail.  But I do understand that a properly-crimped connection doesn't have the same problem so may be better.  However, you don't get a "properly-crimped connection" from cheap crimpers.

[ArdWrknTrk]

My 3G cables from RJM came with solder 'nuggets' in the 2/0 lugs.
You clamp the lug in a vise, hold the cable end on the solder and heat the lug with a torch.
When you feel it bottom out remove the torch and hold the cable until the solder frosts over.

It is a great solution for those of us who aren't willing to pay for a tool that we will only use once and don't have room for.

[Gary Lewis]

And your soldered battery cables haven't failed.  Which proves the point that while there is a potential failure point, a soldered connection isn't the problem that some say it is.

I bought my hydraulic crimper when making a whole slew of 2/0 battery cables for our boat, which had two batteries and a battery isolator so lots of cables.  Then I made battery cables for Big Blue, which not only has two batteries and an isolator but also has an inverter - and lots of ground wires.  Hopefully I'll be making cables for Dad's truck in the not too distant future, and have offered to either make cables or loan the crimper to local friends.  So it has/will pay for itself.

[ArdWrknTrk]

I remember.
(and you have a LOT of cables on Big Blue)

Just putting it out there.
You can get lugs with solder pellets built in.

[Gary Lewis]

Here's what I think is a final schematic for what I've wired up.  Changes include:

Megafuse holder was moved so that the large Yellow wire, Ckt #37, goes directly to the starter relay

A short link was added from the fuse holder to the starter relay.  (This shows as Bk/O, but is actually red in the one I made since that's what I had available.)

The alternator's output wire now has an orange tracer in it.

The Y/W sense wire has been terminated on the fuse stud instead of on the alternator itself.  That's the way Ford did it and it is the way I built the harness so now the schematic agrees.

[dirtymac]

I ran by the closest junk yard today and didn't have any luck finding a 3G harness.  I was able to find a few 2G harnesses and one of those wasn't completely shredded or melted.  As best I can tell from images, the pigtail portion (Y/W, LG/R, and W/B) of the 2G harness is the same as the 3G.

Can anyone confirm or disagree with that?

[ArdWrknTrk]

You're talking about the regulator plug.
You'd still need the odd little grey stator plug.

You can buy the pair of these pigtails from eBay or Amazon for about (corrected) $12 delivered to your door (new!)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/384382776664?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=z4bth1kvrpo&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=V52-0s-ZTpm&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=EMAIL

IMHO it's not worthwhile scavenging 35 year old electrical junk.

[dirtymac]

Yes, the only thing this harness was missing was the stator plug -- someone had ripped it off.  I have the wire though from the regulator plug so a replacement pigtail would work.  I've seen those.

I was worried about the age, but the cables were all still in their original sleeves/tape.  For $3 I thought it would at least be a good test harness to play with.  I spent some time removing all of the tape and sleeves.  No corrosion, no cuts.  Everything looks to be in good shape.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Edit: a 2G doesn't have the independent stator plug that the 3G has...

That place mgworld(?) I linked above has the stator pigtail for $6....

Edit: also note that Gary has amended the EVTM to correct the wire placement in the 2G regulator plug.
IIRC they are not the same as a 3G.

[dirtymac]

I'll have a look there. Thanks!

[dirtymac]

If you are not using the white/black wire to power a choke, then it gets plugged back into the alternator, right?

[ArdWrknTrk]

If you ARE using it to power the choke then it has to do BOTH.

In ANY case, it has to go from regulator to stator

[dirtymac]

Got it.  I'll get the pigtail.  I don't think I'm going to need it for the choke after all but I'll post about that on my other thread.

[dirtymac]

Gary can you have a look at my junkyard harness?  I remember it coming out of the appropriate donor car from the list, but not specifically which one.  My concern is that my harness has 2 black/orange wires.

[Gary Lewis]

Ford seemed to like to parallel two smaller wires than using one large wire.  Maybe for flexibility?  Just terminate both of them to the same place.