1992 LX Build thread!

Cool (no pun intended) on the fan. You can probably get away with running it on the short term with the stock alternator - just wouldn't recommend it as it pulls 40 amp on spin up and a significant amount while runniing - but if you don't have all your accessories going at the same time you might not explore the limits of the stock alt.

As for the power to the starter relay - basically the same thing as the positive from battery goes directly to the post - I ran mine to the battery because the battery connection post I have at the battery is the terminal style with a wing nut - so I attach the battery to starter wire, the alternator charge wire, & the 40 amp fused lead to the fan relay at that point. nice thing about it is that it's wasy to disconnect the positive stuff withouth having to unclamp the battery post which wears out quicker. just attach the wires to the post, put a washer on top and wing the nut down....done.

yeah, to be honest these stock alternators scare me enough stock, let alone putting a bigger fan on. we had problems alst week with my girlfriends 92 2.3 alternator not being strong enough.
 
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yeah, to be honest these stock alternators scare me enough stock, let alone putting a bigger fan on. we had problems alst week with my girlfriends 92 2.3 alternator not being strong enough.

I hear ya.... trust me - you will love the 3G. no problems at all with the electricity afterwards.

I like this alternator so much - I'm modding one to work in my 69 Charger....way better than the original 65 amp that barely keeps up with the engine and lights on that car.
 
I hear ya.... trust me - you will love the 3G. no problems at all with the electricity afterwards.

I like this alternator so much - I'm modding one to work in my 69 Charger....way better than the original 65 amp that barely keeps up with the engine and lights on that car.

im sure i'll love it, i ran one on my 92 5.0 F150 and on my 2000 5.4 F150 along with the Mark VIII fan currently. im not new to modding, just this little 2.3L

thats why im not excited about wiring for the fan: ive done it before and am not a fan of it. lol
 
So I have the 3G wiring down, and have a plan for it. Now I'm just trying to figure out the fan. We have no good junkyards around here and I just ordered a new fan relay. Is there a way to use the current one? Or am I going to have to Hastle with returning it (rockauto) and ordering a different one

ETA: this is the relay i ordered if that helps at all. if i do need to return it, i need to find the right part on Rockauto

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=39044
 
Not sure if that relay will help you out - does it come with a wiring diagram and can you fit termials on it?


If you are looking for a new something like this is what to use:

Pilot Automotive/40 Amps 12 Volts replacement relay (PL-RY2) | Relay Kit and Assembly | AutoZone.com

simple wiring to it. run the positive lead that went to original fan to the 86 or 85 termial. run the other termial (86 or 85) to ground.

Then run a positive fused from battery or starter termianl lead to either 87 or 30. then the other to the fan positive wire. then the other wire to ground.

you will have to figure out which is the positive lead on the fan there are 3 wires. I found the one that spins the fan major fast and hooked it to that and the other to a nice ground. I could try to trace them and tell you which termial is which - but a few seconds with a battery will tell you the same thing....

just taped up the 3rd wire and left it alone. i think that is the low speed fan wire - i don't use it...not sure if you would have a way to use it in the Mustang as the fan wiring was either on or off.
 
I do have a few OEM Ford yellow 40 amp relays I acquired from the yard - if you want a few I can send them to you for cost of postage.

that would be very helpful if i need one. what i ordered is what comes up on rockauto under radiator fan relay. its basically a black box with a board inside, plugs right in. i just got it, have not installed it yey. also got my fan in today, early 90's taurus. it has the same plug on it as my factory fan. its seems slightly less beefy than my Mark VIII, but more so than my stock 2.3

and just realized this fan has 2 plug, so im pretty sure its only a 1 speed fan
 
Nice work. I'm going to keep an eye on this one.... just because. Sounds interesting. I do remember one guy on this board had spent a lot of time working on his 2.3 and he even had a progress thread. I can't remember the mans name. It's been a few years. Anyway, he was running N/A .. with Ranger head.. head was ported I think even. Cam from some other car, dont recall. He had a lot done.. wish I could find the thread he was running .. in the end, he dynoed and got 148HP or so to the wheels. He said he couldn't think of anything else to do, without turbo/SC etc. He was just trying to keep it N/A. Maybe you can finish where this man left off. Shrugs .. Would be interesting to see how much you can get out of it. Just whatever you do, NEVER use NOS in it. 2.3's will blow the head gasket in a snap and pool the coolant into the oil. I think actually, a 75 shot is about all that's safe in them.

A good fan to use are the ones found in the Contour's . It's the dual fan setup and those things move a lot of air. Then probably a god idea to get something like an adjustable fan controller and relay. I know Derale used to make one. A lot of the 5.0 guys used this setup, with either the Contour fan or the Taurus fan. Both move a lot of air. But both need more amperage than stock.

And I know this is off topic, but I recall one of you mentioning about having to get your emissions tested in Florida. I'm not sure where that comes in. I have lived here since '97 and Florida has never required emissions testing.... yet. Thank god. Or I'd be up ****es creek cause my cats are blown out on one car and gutted on the other.
 
And I know this is off topic, but I recall one of you mentioning about having to get your emissions tested in Florida. I'm not sure where that comes in. I have lived here since '97 and Florida has never required emissions testing.... yet. Thank god. Or I'd be up ****es creek cause my cats are blown out on one car and gutted on the other.

We had emissions here in Florida right before you arrived. They ended it in 96 i think. But if we get it back or you move somewhere else, 8 ounces of acetone in the gas tank per 10 gallons of gas will do wonders for the test. Had to do that with a gutted cat on a 280zx turbo to get it to pass, then they did away with emissions....been guilt and cat free since then!
 
and is anyone proficient with photoshop? im thinking about painting the trim black all the way around. the center trim. anyone ever seen this on a Bimini Blue before?

The whole trim, or just the small groove in the middle of it that used to have orange painted stripe in it on earlier years? Hmm, can you take a little constructive criticism? Just a thought but I don't think having the entire trim black on a blue painted body would stand out right. It does seem like it would be a bit flashy. Idk.. just my opinion. Do you have a straight side shot of your car?


Thanks Delray. yeah, I came down at the right time then. Haha
 
i found a pic, and i think i really like it

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and heres a picture of the fan. its from a 1993 Taurus. it seems like it pulls more air, but the motor looks to be the same aize and has the same plug. it does have a full shroud and 6 blades though. so even if it doesnt pull more air, i do believe it will cool better.

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i also received my 3G alternator today, and will start that swap next week along with mounting the fan. then need to pull the old trans, install new and install clutch cable. also ordered new shocks, going to do fluid change on everything including differential. hoping to have her on the road by the end of the month!
 
Never mind. It was hard to picture correctly. It does look good. I just needed to see it in plain sight. Damn.. what the heck. My minds not working correctly right now.. lol. How could I even forget that. How lame I am. My '88 2.3 I had in '95 was the same exact color of blue yours is. And I had the black trim on the side, not body color painted. And the black trim had either orange tape or painted orange in the inset groove of the moulding. It's been too long and somehow I forgot. I'm useless in here LMAO!!

What 3G alternator did you get? That PA Alt upgrade? I know on the 5.0's, I had to grind down the bracket. I'm just not sure if you gotta do that on the 4 cylinders. The Taurus engine is a 3.0L V6
 
I doubt you will notice any power gains. Not sure where you picked up that alternator from. Where did you get it ? What is the size of the stock pulley? I think stock alternator is 100 amp for a 2.3. Or maybe it was 95 amp, I'm not sure . Perhaps someone else here can clarify.
 
Hey Delray, you alive? Lol. Didn't get much done this weekend, I had drill and was told I'm getting promoted next month so still a good weekend. I did get the clutch safety switch and clutch cable installed. Now I can start to bolt the column and seat back in
 
Well I got the steering column bolted back up and clutch cable run. But I've run into a few issues. First being there are 2 plugs/harness I can not find where they plug into. And second being I can't find the location of this fan controller that Rock Auto sent me anywhere. Hopefully y'all can help me out

The connectors. The first one comes out near the steering column and the second is near the brakes

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