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2001 Ford Explorer XLT Alternator replacement

Devinlamb23

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June 30, 2018
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City, State
Goodletsville, Tennessee
Year, Model & Trim Level
2001 Ford Explorer XLT
So idk to much about vehicles and their mechanics but i bought a Powermaster Alternator - Alternator - Ford 3G - Large Frame Transverse Mounting - 200 Amp - 130 Idle - 6 Groove Pulley - OE Only - Natural for my 2001 Ford Explorer XLT 4.0L SOHC. I bought it from partsgeek.com because it was cheap and multiple people recommened the website. If you're wondering why 200 amps its because i am trying to run 2 12 and 1000 watt amp so i bought high amps just to be safe because when i first put the system in the guy wired it wrong and ruined the stock alternator and battery. I now have it wired correctly. But anyways so i have friend that was going to put the powermaster in for free. But he says it is a different mounting from the stock one he took out he also stated that the powermaster has 2 connector spots where as the stock one taken out of it only had one we didnt hook it up because he was afraid to hook it up and mess things up more. So any advice or help is appreciated i spent 250 on this alternator and if it doesnt fit then i will be spending more on a smaller 130 amp alternator which im not sure is enough to handle the system. Maybe it will be maybe it wont honestly i know nothing about nothing right now teach away ive been learning alot through this whole ordeal its alit more complex than i ever would have thought. I really would like to get this Alternator installed so i can start driving again and finally have my system working properly.
 



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Return the 200 amp alternator. What brand is your amp? 1,000 Watts should be no problem on the stock 130amp alternator.
 






If you can post some pictures
If it was me I would install the factory alt
And use a couple of single Farad capacitors
One by each amp
130 amp is a lot of current
Or a second battery in the truck
 












A second battery is overkill, and a can of worms you don’t want to open over 1,000 watts.
 






1000 ant much your right but it sounded like he kinda wanted overkill but yea a second battery is kinda a can of worms I wouldn't even go 1000 watts to much for me 200 watt amp to fill out the factory head unit with a 8 or 10 inch sub
 






Return the 200 amp alternator. What brand is your amp? 1,000 Watts should be no problem on the stock 130amp alternator.
Its a kenwood...... Also the website states that for parts that are electrical can only be returned unopened obviously i opened it to figure out it didnt fit. None of the packaging is damaged so hopefully theyll refund me my money. If they do not. Is there anywhere i can take this thing to possibly get my money back without just posting it for sale and waiting for a buyer that wants that exact alternator.
 






1000 ant much your right but it sounded like he kinda wanted overkill but yea a second battery is kinda a can of worms I wouldn't even go 1000 watts to much for me 200 watt amp to fill out the factory head unit with a 8 or 10 inch sub
Wasn't really going for over kill i just dont know anything about car audio or the electrical systems of a vehicle. So was just trying to play it safe because i do know the alternator wont put out more than i need but if i need more than its putting out ill be right back to square one again.
 






If it’s a new Kenwood you will have no problems with a 1000 Watts on the stock equipment. You won’t necesarily need a cap if you use a big, quality power feed and a solid ground.
 






If it’s a new Kenwood you will have no problems with a 1000 Watts on the stock equipment. You won’t necesarily need a cap if you use a big, quality power feed and a solid ground.
Awesome thank you for clearing that up for me i appreciate it.
 






Awesome thank you for clearing that up for me i appreciate it.
Any time. Any other questions feel free to ask. Don’t forget a fuse at the battery!
 






I would at least use a cap due to voltage drop in that long positive power feed
When them amps hits a very low tone it will experience voltage drop
If you want to learn how to calculate the drop in your power feed you can look up the equations
On line

To each his own when them amps drops below 11volts the equations change greatly resistance goes up

It will work as described above
My years experience in building / repairing amps for fun I have seen amps fry output transistor s
Power supply s if your amp has 2
Most of the time it's a power supply issues

An easy way to tell if voltage drop is happening look at your headlights at night when the amp is hits low tones if they dimmed your way out of spec for your amps

Hope it helps
 












Thanks for all the advice guys its much appreciated so about this Powermaster 200 amp alternator that i have according to PartsGeek you cant return any opened electrical parts sooo what can i do with this thing to try to atleast gwt some of my money back?
 






craigslist? eBay?
 






Thanks for all the advice guys its much appreciated so about this Powermaster 200 amp alternator that i have according to PartsGeek you cant return any opened electrical parts sooo what can i do with this thing to try to atleast gwt some of my money back?

Did you use their website to verify that the part should fit your car? If so have you called them about it. If their site says that it should your car (and the mistake is not yours) then they should take it back.
 






Did you use their website to verify that the part should fit your car? If so have you called them about it. If their site says that it should your car (and the mistake is not yours) then they should take it back.
It does say it fits my explorer on the website as it does on another website as well. And honestly it may, but it isnt a direct fit and the person whose swapping them out to me is quite knowledgeable but seems to be uncertain about it. Possibly do to it being mine and not his own. But if the 130 amp is enough then i dont even need it and if i can get a refund it would save me $150.
 






It does say it fits my explorer on the website as it does on another website as well. And honestly it may, but it isnt a direct fit and the person whose swapping them out to me is quite knowledgeable but seems to be uncertain about it. Possibly do to it being mine and not his own. But if the 130 amp is enough then i dont even need it and if i can get a refund it would save me $150.

Did you pay for it using a credit card? If so you can dispute the charge and maybe get your money back, but maybe not.
 






It does say it fits my explorer on the website as it does on another website as well. And honestly it may, but it isnt a direct fit and the person whose swapping them out to me is quite knowledgeable but seems to be uncertain about it. Possibly do to it being mine and not his own. But if the 130 amp is enough then i dont even need it and if i can get a refund it would save me $150.

As long as you didn't do anything to it to try to "adapt" it, call them up, tell them that you only took it out of the box to see if it did fit up and check the electrical connection and that you found that it did not. Stress that their website shows that it should fit and that you want to exchange it for one that will fit. At most they might try to get you to pay for shipping (and you should be getting some cash back). Good Luck and let us know how it turns out for you.

PS. it might be a good idea to take some pictures of the old alternator showing the differences. You will need to say more than it doesn't fit, you will have to explain why it doesn't fit.
 



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So idk to much about vehicles and their mechanics but i bought a Powermaster Alternator - Alternator - Ford 3G - Large Frame Transverse Mounting - 200 Amp - 130 Idle - 6 Groove Pulley - OE Only - Natural for my 2001 Ford Explorer XLT 4.0L SOHC. I bought it from partsgeek.com because it was cheap and multiple people recommened the website. If you're wondering why 200 amps its because i am trying to run 2 12 and 1000 watt amp so i bought high amps just to be safe because when i first put the system in the guy wired it wrong and ruined the stock alternator and battery. I now have it wired correctly. But anyways so i have friend that was going to put the powermaster in for free. But he says it is a different mounting from the stock one he took out he also stated that the powermaster has 2 connector spots where as the stock one taken out of it only had one we didnt hook it up because he was afraid to hook it up and mess things up more. So any advice or help is appreciated i spent 250 on this alternator and if it doesnt fit then i will be spending more on a smaller 130 amp alternator which im not sure is enough to handle the system. Maybe it will be maybe it wont honestly i know nothing about nothing right now teach away ive been learning alot through this whole ordeal its alit more complex than i ever would have thought. I really would like to get this Alternator installed so i can start driving again and finally have my system working properly.

Welcome to the forum.

Unfortunately you bought the wrong alternator. That 3G alternator only works on the OHV 4.0, all the way back to 1991 Explorers. The 302 and SOHC V6 engines both use the identical 4G alternator, which has the power connector on the top, not the back. They both have three mounting holes, but they are not the same bolt pattern(one hole will not line up).

If you couldn't hook it up, you should be able to return it. Tell them you discovered it wouldn't bolt in due to these differences, and they should believe you that you never used it.

I learned all that in 2006 with my 99 SOHC truck. It had no alternator from the JY I got it from, and they gave me one from another truck. I got the connections hooked up to be able to run the engine to check it, change the oil etc. The alternator light was on immediately because the wiring is different. I used that 3G model in my 91 Explorer later.
 






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