I've constructed a list of the various alternators that have been used in the crownvic.
Clicking on any of the numbers in the "Lester KwikFinder Catalog #" column will show additional pictures of the alternator model in question.

Ford Crown Victoria Alternators:

From	To	Comments	Lester KwikFinder Catalog #	Ford Part Numbers
1992	1994	95 Amp 3G "Small Case" Closed lower mounting ears 7 Groove Pulley (Early 1992 only) 6 Groove Pulley (Late 1992 and After) Conventional i-line controlled voltage regulator Early Output Stud	7753	F1VU-10300-BB F1VU-10300-BC F1VU-10346-AD F1VY-10346-A F1VY-10346-B F1VY-10346-BRM GL-312RM F1VY-10346-BRM1 GL-472RM
1992	1995	130 Amp 3G "Large Case" Closed lower mounting ears 6 groove pulley Conventional i-line controlled voltage regulator Early Output Stud	7764	F3AU-10300-AC F3AZ-10346-A GL-317 F3AZ-10346-ARM GL-317RM F3AZ-10346-ARM1 GL-475RM F3AZ-10346-ARM2 GL-476RM
1993	1995	Police Option 130 Amp 3G "Large Case" Closed lower mounting ears 6 groove pulley Unique rectangular regulator plug Conventional i-line controlled voltage regulator Early Output Stud	7784	F3AU-10300-CA F5AU-10300-AA F3AZ-10346-A GL-317 F3AZ-10346-ARM GL-317RM F3AZ-10346-ARM1 GL-475RM F3AZ-10346-ARM2 GL-476RM
1995	2000	Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) 4G Open lower mounting ears 6 groove pulley Conventional i-line controlled voltage regulator	7781	F6LU-10300-CA F6LU-10300-CB F6LU-10300-CC F6LU-10300-CD F6ZU-10300-BB F6ZU-10300-BC F6ZU-10300-BE F6ZU-10300-BG F6LY-10346-A GL-357 F6LY-10346-ARM GL-357RM F6LY-10V346-ARM GLV-8357RM F6ZZ-10346-B GL-356 F6ZZ-10346-BRM GL-356RM F6ZZ-10V346-BRM GLV8-356RM
1996	1997	Police & Civilian 130 Amp 3G "Large Case" Closed lower mounting ears 6 Groove Pulley New Output Battery Post Conventional i-line controlled voltage regulator	7776	F6AU-10300-AA F6AU-10300-AB F6PU-10300-BA F6PU-10346-BA F6PU-10346-EB F6PZ-10346-B F6PZ-10346-BRM GL-351RM F6PZ-10346-EA F6PZ-10346-EARM GL-373RM F6ZZ-10344-A2A GP-717 F6PZ-10346-EARM1 GL-485RM F6ZU-10300-AA F6ZU-10300-AB F6ZU-10300-AC F7AZ-10346-AA F7AZ-10346-AARM GL-432RM
1998	2002	Police 130 Amp 6G Open lower mounting ears 6 Groove Pulley New Output Battery Post Conventional i-line controlled voltage regulator In 2000, the alternator pulley diameter was increased and the engine idle speed raised	7795	F8AU-10300-AB F8AU-10300-AC F8AU-10300-AD F8AZ-10346-AB GL-407 F8AZ-10346-ABRM GL-407RM F8AZ-10V346-ABRM GLV8-407RM
1998	1998	Civilian 130 Amp 6G Open lower mounting ears 6 Groove Pulley New Output Battery Post Conventional i-line controlled voltage regulator 1998 civilian crownvics had the same alternator as 1998 police cruisers	7795	F8AU-10300-AB F8AU-10300-AC F8AU-10300-AD F8AZ-10346-AB GL-407 F8AZ-10346-ABRM GL-407RM F8AZ-10V346-ABRM GLV8-407RM
1999	2002	Civilian 110 Amp 4G Open lower mounting ears 6 Groove Pulley New Output Battery Post 99-00 different pulley than 01-02 Conventional i-line controlled voltage regulator 1999 crownvics manufactured before 12/20/98 used a 6G alternator instead of the 4G one	7773	XW7U-10300-AA XW7U-10300-AC XW7U-10300-AD XW7Z-10346-AA GL-434 XW7Z-10346-AARM GL-434RM XW7Z-10V346-AARM GLV8-434RM
2003	2003	Police 130 Amp 6G Open lower mounting ears 6 Groove Pulley New Output Battery Post New PCM controlled voltage regulator Also used in towncar limo 03-05	8315	3W1U-10300-BB 3W1Z-10346-BA GL-534 3W1Z-10346-BARM GL-534RM 3W1Z-10346-CA GL-637 5W1Z-10346-AA GL-617 6W1Z-10346-AA GL-661
2003	2004	Civilian 110 Amp 4G Open lower mounting ears 6 Groove Pulley New Output Battery Post New PCM controlled voltage regulator	8313	3W1U-10300-AA 3W1U-10300-AB 3W1Z-10346-AA GL-526 3W1Z-10346-AARM GL-526RM 3W1Z-10346-AARM2 GL-943RM
2003	2004	Mercury Marauder 4G Open lower mounting ears New Output Battery Post New PCM controlled voltage regulator Clutched Pulley	8314	3W3U-10300-AA 3W3Z-10346-AARM GL-547RM 3W3Z-10V346-AARM GLV8-547RM 3W3Z-10346-AA GL-547
2004	2010	Police Manufactured by Mitsubishi 190 Amp/200 Amp Open lower mouning ears 6 Groove Pulley One way clutch in pulley New PCM Controlled Voltage Regulator Uses ford 6G regulator connector 4.6L "Saddle Mount" Uses 6G upper mounting bracket No internal parts shared with any other ford alternators	11026	4W73-10300-AA 4W73-10300-AC 4W7Z-10346-AA GL-577 4W7Z-10346-AB 4W7Z-10346-AC GL-598 6W7T-10300-AB 6W7Z-10346-AA GL-671 7W7T-10300-AA
2005	2008	Civilian 135 Amp 6G Open lower mounting ears 6 Groove Pulley New Output Battery Post New PCM controlled voltage regulator The alternator first introduced in 2003 police cruisers is now standard in civilian crown vics However, a larger diameter pulley is installed on this model to lower accessory belt noise Some parts catalogs also list this alternator as being different than the 2003 cvpi one because of a chip inside the voltage regulator that's supplied by a different vendor	8472	5W1T-10300-AB 5W1Z-10346-AA GL-617 6W1Z-10346-AA GL-661
2009	2010	Civilian Manufactured by Nippondenso PCM Controlled SC2 Uses ford 6g voltage regulator connector 4.6L "Saddle Mount" Uses 6G upper mounting bracket No internal parts shared with any other ford alternators		9W7Z-10346-A GL-958 9W7T-10300-AA BC2T-10300-BA AW7Z-10346-A GL-964 AW7T-10300-AA

Clicking on any of the numbers in the Lester KwikFinder table column will show pictures of the alternator model in question

Notes:

• PCM regulator = White plug
  "I" Line Voltage Sense Regulator = Grey plug
• i-line controlled alternator = alternator with rotor field coil excited through alternator charge indicator bulb on instrument cluster = alternator for 2002 and earlier crownvics
• In some service literature, you'll see ford alternators with pcm controlled voltage regulators for the 2003+ crownvics referred to as "Smart Charge" alternators.
  
• I/R = Internally Regulated
  I/F = Internal Fan
  IAR = Internal Alternator Regulator
• All crown vic alternators are clockwise (CW) rotation.
• 1G Alternator = 1st Generation Alternator
  2G Alternator = 2nd Generation Alternator
  3G alternator = 3rd Generation Alternator
  4G alternator = 4th Generation Alternator
  6G alternator = 6th Generation Alternator
  no 5G alternators ever made it into production vehicles
  
• It is possible to swap later 96-97 output stud onto earlier 92-95 alternator or vise-versa. The back cover of alternator must be removed to do this first. This is an easy job on a new alternator that has never been installed on a car. But it could be challenging on a "pre-owned" alternator that is corroded.
• There is a unique regulator connector used on 1993-1995 police interceptors. One can modify the vehicles harness to use a generic 3G plug if desired.
• Many other ford vehicles use a 3g alternator that will work in a crown vic including: ford expedition, lincoln navigator, e-series van, f150 pickup, cougar, thunderbird 4.6L 5.4L. But do note that the pulley on a truck will generally be 8 groove and on a car 6 groove.
• There are "small case" and "large case" versions of the 3G and 6G alternators avaliable. The ford crown victoria, mercury grand marquis, and lincoln towncar with 3G and 6G alternators all have "large case" alternators in them except for some of the early 1992-1994 cars. You can easily identify a "small case" alternator next to a "large case" alternator because the alternator is physically wider across. This additional area allows more electrical power to be generated inside and more heat to be released to the ambient air. Do note that the ford "small case" 6G alternators have not been phased out, and you can still find them in ford products like the expedition, mustang, f150, lincoln navigator, etc. Also note that the 4G alternator is a small profile unit by design and there are no large & small versions of it.
  
• The same size 12AWG fuselinks are used on the wire which links the alternator output stud to the battery on all 95 amp, 110 amp, and 130 amp alternator models. However, the 190 amp mitsubishi alternator uses 10AWG fuselinks rather than 12AWG fuselinks. Do not bypass the fuselinks in this harness with straight wire as these protect against fire if the alternator output diodes ever short to ground.
• Engine idle speed is very important for charging system output at idle. Police Powertrain Control Modules (PCM's) usually idle somewhere in the 800RPM - 1000RPM range. Civilian idle is often in the 500RPM - 600 RPM range. Don't set idle speed too high or the car could lurch forward when the gear selector is placed into drive.
• The pulley on the alternator is also very important to charging ability at low engine speeds. A smaller diameter pulley makes the alternator spin faster per given engine crankshaft rotation. But the smaller pulley will also slip more during big crankshaft rotation speed transistions and also more when driving in wet weather. In many model years, police vehicles recieved smaller alternator pulleys than their civilian counterparts for increased charging ability at engine idle.
• Here are a few measurements of crownvic alternator pulley rib outer diameters: 1999 6G police F5AU-A2A =  54mm. 2005 6G civilian F0VU-A2A = 59mm. 2004 mitsubishi police = 55mm. Aftermarket wai 24-2254 pulley for 6G civilian & 6G police = 56.5mm (compromise halfway between 54mm & 59mm). And one measurement of a 2007-2008 econoline van 6G FO7U-A2A alternator pulley = 64mm (note: vehicle is suspected to have a higher engine idle speed or larger diameter engine crank pulley to get sufficent charging at idle speeds).
• There is also a 48mm rib outer diameter pulley used in the ford contour/mercury mystique 6G alternator. SCHALLZ on www.crownvic.net is running this pulley on a large case 6G alternator that he installed in his 2002 mercury grand marquis ls. This pulley swap greatly improved charging at low engine idle speeds versus the 64mm pulley that originally come on the 2007-2008 econoline van alternator that he installed. He has not reported any problems from over-revving the alternator bearings or with significant belt slip yet, but time will tell how this setup holds up. The contour/mystique have a smaller diameter harmonic balancer, so they also need a smaller diameter alternator pulley to get the same effective accessory belt drive pulley ratio as the crownvic. When you combine a small contour/mystique alternator pulley with a large crownvic harmonic balancer, you get your alternator rotor spinning really fast.
  
• You can use a 3G alternator pulley on a 6G alternator and vise versa. However, a 4G alternator pulley is not compatible with the 3G or 6G alternators.
  
• If you're running an aftermarket 200 amp high output alternator, make sure to upgrade to either 2AWG or 4AWG wire linking the alternator output stud to the battery. Include properly size fuses or fuselinks inline too.
• The 190 amp Mitsubishi alternators used in 2004+ police cruisers have a one-way clutch on the pulley. This minimizes belt chirp on hard acceleration, but unfortunately the over-running clutch often has a shorter lifespan than the remainder of the alternator parts.
  
• The 2003 crown vic police cruisers can be upgraded to the 200amp mitsubishi alternator with kit 4W7Z-10346-AD (GL-667) according to TSB 04-21-23. If you already have a spare 2004+ alternator in your possession, there is also a seperate 3W7Z-14A411-DA regulator jumper harness avaliable to install an 04' cvpi alternator in an 03' cvpi.
• Active duty police cruisers consume massive amounts of electrical power due to all of the addon upfitted accessories like emergency lighting, communication radios, laptop computers, radar equipment, etc. The 200amp mitsubishi police interceptor alternator is designed from the ground up to be a high output alternator. It's got 8 rectifier diodes in it instead of 4 like the ford 3G, 4G, and 6G alternators. The mitsubishi police alternator also has very good airflow to cool the components inside. Very good output at low idle speeds. And adequate clearance between the rotor and stator unlike some of the aftermarket high output conversions that you may find.
• Ford crown victoria police interceptors recieved a new instrument cluster with a digital odometer display starting in the 2006 model year. If the wiring harnesses which supply electrical power to the instrument cluster get damaged in a collision, then the odometer can become unreadable causing salvage yards to sell parts from the car as mileage unknown.
• If you have a 2003-2004 mercury marauder, then you need either a ford 4G alternator or the 120amp mitsubishi alternator used in the 1993-1995 lincoln mark viii. You cannot physically fit ford 3G, ford 6G, or 2004-2010 mitsubishi 200amp police interceptor alternator in a 2003-2004 mercury marauder because the back of the alternator will hit against the dohc intake manifold. This is in sharp contrast to the 1992-2010 sohc crownvic where there's sufficent space to physically mount a handful of different alternator models.
  
• DB Electrical sells aftermarket high output chrome plated 3g, 4g, and 6g alternators avaliable for the crownvic. This company also sells on ebay under the username "dbelectrical".
  
• A pneumatic air impact wrench will be needed to change pulleys on an alternator. An electric impact gun can also work for this job.
• "Pre-Owned" alternators from wrecked salvage yard vehicles generally work, but an unknown amount of life remains in them. "Pre-Owned" salvage yard alternators from junk cars that people scrapped because they didn't want to pay to have them repaired often work too because few people will junk a car over a minor repair like a $200 alternator. Something major like a $2000 transmission job is often a different story on an older high-mileage car though. Do note that alternators sometimes "go bad" while sitting outside exposed to the elements in the salvage yard due to corrosion. If the pulley of an alternator doesn't turn freely with your hands, the alternator is probably rust locked internally. Many salvage yards store their alternators inside enclosed buildings instead of leaving them "on the car" for this reason.
  

Direct-fit alternators with clutched pulleys:

Originally Intended For	Type	Will Fit In	Comments	Lester Part #	Ford Part Numbers
2003 - 2004 Mustang Mach I	4G	1999-2002 Civilian Crown Victoria 1999-2002 Grand Marquis	Clutched Alternator Pulley Conventional "I" line controlled voltage sense regulator Note: 2003 - 2004 Mustang Cobra has supercharger pulley where alternator is located on crown vic. Alternator in  03-04 cobra located down low on driver's side of engine.	8436	3R3U-10300-AA 3R3Z-10346-AA GL-580 3R3Z-10346-AB GL-589 3R3Z-10346-AARM GL-582 3R3Z-10346-ABRM GL-589RM
2003-2004 Mercury Marauder	4G	2003-2004 Civilian Crown Victoria 2003-2004 Grand Marquis	Clutched Alternator Pulley PCM controlled voltage regulator	8314	3W3U-10300-AA 3W3Z-10346-AARM GL-547RM 3W3Z-10V346-AARM GLV8-547RM 3W3Z-10346-AA GL-547

Note: Some aftermarket re-manufacturers of alternators may install a regular pulley instead of a clutched pulley to lower cost.

There is also a clutched 6g alternator used in some of the 2005-2006 lincoln navigators and 2005-2006 ford expeditions. Two different alternator models were used in these vehicles, so finding a pre-owned "large case" clutched model that you're after can be difficult because there are a lot of "small case" unclutched models out there. A very limited number of 2003-2004 navigators/expeditions also will have clutched 6g alternators in them. But no clutched alternators were factory installed by ford in the 03-04 navigators/expeditions. Instead, ford issued a technical service bulletin (tsb) to their ford dealerships advising them to install a clutched alternator model if customers came in with certain electrical problems. Do note that the 03-06 navigator/expediton alternators with the clutch will have a 60mm pulley which is kind of large for a crownvic. The 03-04 navigator/expediton alternator (WAI 1-2533-31FD) has an I-FR-A voltage regulator that should work in the 1992-2002 crownvics. The 05-06 navigator/expediton alternator (WAI 1-2668-31FD) has an  FR-SIG-A voltage regulator that should work in the 2003-2010 crownvics.

Regulator Plugs:

Part Number	Comments
WPT-118 1U2Z-14S411-TA	Ford Regulator connector used on Ford 6G alternators and also the Mitsubishi alternator factory installed in 2004+ police cruisers.
WPT-119 1U2Z-14S411-UA	Ford Regulator connector used on both Ford 3G and Ford 4G alternators this regulator connector is also used in the legacy "box body" crown vics with the 2G alternator
WPT-851 5U2Z-14S411-SA	Ford Single cavity male connector used on Ford 3G alternators
Napa ECH-EC261	Aftermarket regulator connector for Ford 6G alternators
Napa ECH-VRC441	Aftermarket regulator connector used on both Ford 3G and Ford 4G alternators
WAI 46-2802 Transpo WAA-794	Aftermarket regulator connector for Ford 2G/3G/4G alternators
Transpo WAA-600	Aftermarket regulator connector for Ford 6G alternators
WAI 46-2804	Aftermarket 3G Repair Harness - Stator Terminal

Note: The same electrical connector is used on the 1998+ crownvic 6G alternator regulator as on the 1995+ crownvic brake master cylinder reservoir fluid level sensor. But the master cylinder reservoir sensor has a ~20AWG wire on pin 3 rather than the ~14AWG wire that you need for a 6G alternator.

Regulator plugs also avaliable aftermarket from:
www.alternatorparts.com
www.napaonline.com
www.rjminjectiontech.com

Alternator->Intake Manifold brackets:

Part Number	From	To	Comments
F4AZ-10153-B	1992	1995	For old all aluminum intake manifold with old component layout 3G Alternator Supercedes F1VY-10153-A and F4AZ-10153-A
F6AZ-10153-A	1996	1997	Plastic X-Over 3G Alternator
F8AZ-10153-EA	1996	1997	Service Aluminum X-Over 3G alternator
F8AZ-10153-AE	1998	2000	Plastic X-Over NPI Intake Manifold 6G Police Alternator
F8AZ-10153-GA GY-1543	1998	2000	Aluminum X-Over NPI Intake Manifold 6G Police Alternator
F8AZ-10153-BA	1999	2000	Plastic X-Over NPI Intake Manifold 4G Civilian Alternator
F8AZ-10153-FA GY-1542	1999	2000	Aluminum X-Over NPI Intake Manifold 4G Civilian Alternator
1W7Z-10153-BA GY-1452	2001	2002	Plastic X-Over PI Intake Manifold 6G Police Alternator
1W7Z-10153-DA GY-1455	2001	2004	Aluminum X-Over PI Intake Manifold Ford 6G Alternator 2004+ Mitsubishi Police Alternator
1W7Z-10153-AB	2001	2002	Plastic X-Over PI Intake Manifold 4G Civilian
1W7Z-10153-CA GY-1454	2001	2004	Aluminum X-Over PI Intake Manifold 4G Civilian
3W3Z-10153-BA GY-1554	2003	2004	Mercury Marauder DOHC Only ??Supercedes 3W3Z-10153-AA??
9W7Z-10153-A GY-1566	2005	2009	Aluminum X-Over Ford 6G Civilian Alternator 2004+ Mitsubishi Police Alternator No raised area to protect fuel rail crossover hose Fuel rail crossover hose relocated towards back of engine on later cars Supercedes: 5W7Z-10153-BA GY-1552

Note: The engine appearance cover may need to be replaced with a different unit after a different alternator bracket is installed. The appearance cover serves no mechanical purpose and is cosmetic only. Many police departments remove this cover as soon as their cruisers are placed into service, and never reinstall it.

Note: The alternator upper bracket in the 1998+ cars serves two purposes. It's a crash bracket to protect the fuel rail in a really high energy frontal collision. It also holds the alternator stationary so the bottom mounting bolts aren't overloaded. The normal mounting load on this part is very minimal, and some people have run their crownvics without this bracket installed for short periods of time without a problem. Some have even run their cars for years without the top alternator bracket installed, but others have had the bottom two bolts break leaving them stranded on the side of the road without any front engine drive accessories rotating anymore. Do note that without the waterpump spinning, engine coolant will really heatup and your engine could be damaged beyond economic repair or seize up all together.

6W7Z-10344-AA GP-749

2004-2008 Police Interceptor Clutched Mitsubishi Alternator Pulley Supercedes: 4W7Z-10344-AA GP-748

Here is a graph from the 2003 police interceptor modifers guide showing a graph of the 6G alternator shaft speed versus alternator output. Keep in mind that the alternator is overdriven and spins faster than the engine crankshaft.



Here is a graph from the 2004 police interceptor modifers guide showing a graph of the 190amp mitsubishi alternator shaft speed versus alternator output. Keep in mind that the alternator is overdriven and spins faster than the engine crankshaft.

Here is a special service message (SSM) from the ford oasis network with some info about police interceptor engine idle speed and how it relates to alternator charging ability.

17611 2003-2004 CROWN VICTORIA POLICE INTERCEPTOR - LOW CHARGING SYSTEM VOLTAGE AFTER EXTENDED IDLE
SOME 2003-2004 CROWN VICTORIA POLICE INTERCEPTOR VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT LOW CHARGING SYSTEM VOLTAGE AND/OR A DEAD BATTERY AFTER PROLONGED IDLE WITH ACCESSORIES ON. TO SERVICE, REPROGRAM THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM) TO THE LATEST CALIBRATION LEVEL USING WDS RELEASE B29.9 OR HIGHER. THE NEW CALIBRATION RAISES THE BASE DRIVE IDLE FROM 544 TO 600 RPM, NEUTRAL IDLE REMAINS AT 800 RPM. THE NEW CALIBRATION ALSO DETECTS WHEN THE BATTERY VOLTAGE DROPS BELOW 11.8 VOLTS DURING AN EXTENDED IDLE AND WILL RAMP THE IDLE SPEED UP TO MAINTAIN BATTERY CHARGE. IN NEUTRAL THE IDLE SPEED WILL SLOWLY RAMP UP TO 1100 RPM. IN DRIVE THE IDLE SPEED WILL SLOWLY RAMP UP TO 800 RPM. THE IDLE SPEED WILL RETURN TO THE BASE VALUES (600 IN DRIVE, 800 IN NEUTRAL) WHEN THE BATTERY VOLTAGE RETURNS TO 12.5 VOLTS OR HIGHER.
EFFECTIVE DATE: 03/09/2004








16489 2003 CROWN VICTORIA/GRAND MARQUIS - MIL ON, DTC P1246 (GENERATOR LOAD INPUT FAILED) AND BATTERY LAMP ILLUMINATED
SOME 2003 CROWN VICTORIA/GRAND MARQUIS VEHICLES BUILT BEFORE JUNE 17 2002, MAY EXHIBIT A BATTERY LAMP ON WITH A DTC P1246 (GENERATOR LOAD INPUT FAILED) STORED IN PCM MEMORY. TO SERVICE, REPLACE OR REPROGRAM THE PCM AFTER FIRST RETRIEVING THE PCM TEAR TAG INFORMATION. THE TEAR TAG INFORMATION IS LOCATED ON THE PCM OR LOOK AT THE 'A' POST ON THE DRIVERS DOOR. IF THE PCM HAS ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TEAR TAGS: CHV1, FJA1, BOD1, DNA1, AEC1, MOR1, PER1, THE PCM MUST BE REPLACED. THESE PCM'S WILL NOT ACCEPT A REPROGRAM EVEN THOUGH THE PCM WILL INDICATE THAT IT HAS THE LATEST CALIBRATION INSTALLED. ALL OTHER PCM TEAR TAGS CAN BE REPROGRAMMED TO THE LATEST LEVEL USING WDS RELEASE B22N.3 OR LATER.
EFFECTIVE DATE: 12/19/2002






20477 2004-2009 MULTIPLE VEHICLES - PCM CONTROLLED CHARGING SYSTEM DIAGNOSTICS
SOME VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE "SMART CHARGE" SYSTEM MAY EXPERIENCE AN ILLUMINATION OF THE CHARGE INDICATOR OR THE FOLLOWING DTCS: P0620, P0625 OR P0626. THE SMART CHARGE IDS TEST IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A COMPLETE TEST OF THE CHARGING SYSTEM INCLUSIVE OF THE LAMP CIRCUIT; GENERATOR OUTPUT (RANGE AND LOAD); AND A RIPPLE TEST FOR THE DIODE BRIDGE. USE OF THIS TEST IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE WORKSHOP MANUAL DIAGNOSTICS FOR ISOLATING SPECIFIC CIRCUIT ISSUES WILL INSURE COMPLETE SYSTEM DIAGNOSES. ADDIITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THIS TEST IS AVAILABLE ON THE 'TECH TIME PLUS' LINK ON THE 'PTS WEBSITE'. THE IDS SMART CHARGING SYSTEM TEST IS AVAILABLE UNDER THE 'TOOLBOX' TAB BY SELECTING 'ELECTRICAL' AND THE 'CHARGING SYSTEM TEST'.
EFFECTIVE DATE: 10/10/2008










was taking a close look at the thick 6 guage wire which connects the alternator output post to the underhood fusebox on a 1999 crownvic. the wire is tin coated near the end where the ring terminal lug on the alternator is located. but underneath the insulation, the wiring is unplated copper.

the tin coating helps prevent corrosion and the heat associated with corroded electrical connections. this coating is particularly important if you live in the northeastern or midwestern united states where chloride salts are applied to the roads during the cold winter months to clear snow/ice.

if you are making your own custom alternator wiring to allow for installation of a high output alternator, you can purchase tin plated ring terminal lugs and tin plated battery wire from this marine supply place:

http://www.genuinedealz.com/

this place will also crimp lug connections with expensive professional tools that you are unlikely to own for $1.00 per crimp. and they also will apply adhesive heatshrink tubing over the connections so that you can make connections just like the oem ford wires had to keep out water & salt. do note that these crimp connections will be of much better quality than the ones that you can make with a $20 hammer crimp tool from ebay.