| I completed the install over the weekend, and am very pleased with the results. The actual time took was about 20 minutes, not counting getting the pulley done. Per the stock guess-o-meter, I now have 14+ volts at idle without any accessories turned on. I have 13.5 with the A/C running, and just over 13 with the A/C and stereo. WIth the headlights on, the electric fan running, the A/C on, the stereo cranked up, and stepping on the brakes I get just a hair over 12v. MUCH better than the stock 10 or less that I got, and no problems with the brake lights pulling enough current to kill the stereo. The 100 amp FD unit is positively better than the stock 70 amp unit- read on to see how to install this! These are readily available, but NOT cheap. I suggest a Mazda unit, not a discount parts store unit- they are prone to early failure. The FD alternator comes with a serpentine pulley- this will NOT work of course, and must be changed. The size of the shaft is different, so the stock unit will not fit. You can either have the stock parts (2 pulley halves and a spacer behind it) drilled out to fit, or find another v-belt type pulley for the FD shaft size- I did the latter. Next, there is a mounting issue that needs to be addressed. The stock "saddle" mount fits fine with the stock spacer and bolt. The adjustable side is not quite the same. The FC uses a threaded "ear" on the alternator. The FD unit has a somewhat larger hole that is not threaded. I used a bolt and nut with a lock washer on each end. You cannot get a bolt that is actually sized properly for this hole, as the adjustment slot in the bracket is a bit too narrow. Use a bolt that fits the slot, and install the belt and adjust the tension normally. Finally, the electronic issues need to be dealt with. The first issue is the size of the "ring connector" on the main positive. I cut the old unit off and crimped a new one on. To adapt the alternator to the harness, I made 2 "jumpers" about 6" long. Each of them has a male spade connector on one end, and the corresponding female connector on the other. If the connector type you use has plastic around the male end, trim it back to the base of the connector. Plug the male end into the existing harness, and the female end to the alternator- the black wire routes to the UPPER plug on the FD alternator. I zip-tied the 2 male connectors together after they were plugged in, then ran another zip tie around the plug and the male connectors between the wires to secure it, since there is nothing to lock it in place like the stock plug. That's all there is to it! All the usual disclaimers apply, this is how I did it, your mileage may vary, no experimental animals were harmed in this operation, void where prohibited, not valid on Mars or outside the Solar System. |