If anything keeps us befuddled about classic Mustangs, it is charging systems and storage batteries. You turn the key and nothing happens, or perhaps you get that annoying chatter of a solenoid barely energized by a weak battery. Regardless, it leaves you sitting there waiting for a jump-start. So here's what you need to know about vintage Mustang charging systems and how not to get stuck with a dead player. The charging system includes the generator ('64 1/2 only) or alternator, external voltage regulator, either a charge light or ammeter, cables, and the battery.
Your Mustang's battery stores electricity, averaging anywhere from 12-14.5 volts. Ideally, it will have 14.5 volts with the engine running and the necessary 9.5 volts of direct current necessary to get the engine started. To keep a storage battery at a proper state of charge, you have to return more electricity than you use. Think of your battery as an electrical reservoir. The charging system's job is to keep it full. Lead acid batteries don't like to sit inactive. The more they sit, the shorter they'll live. Batteries remain healthy when we keep them on a regular cycle of discharging and charging. If your Mustang sits a lot, the battery needs to stay on a trickle charge from a battery maintainer or a charger set at the lowest possible amperage. It is suggested you disconnect your Mustang's battery when it is being charged.
Classic Mustangs have an alternator with an external voltage regulator. Original equipment voltage regulators are mechanical with contact points. The voltage regulator is designed to protect the battery from overcharging, which is worse than not getting enough. Overcharging causes batteries to overheat to the point where acid boils out of the vents and creates dangerous hydrogen gas. This is why a new solid-state voltage regulator should accompany every alternator replacement or rebuild.
CAE in Van Nuys has been enlisted...
CAE in Van Nuys has been enlisted to rebuild our '65 vintage 35-amp Autolite alternator. Bob Antounian of CAE tells us they can perform a complete rebuild and concours restoration on your classic Autolite alternator. Pulley, fan, and spacer are removed first.
As incredible as it may seem, we're still starting Mustangs with lead-acid storage batteries in 2010. The lead-acid storage battery's origins go way back 150 years to Gaston Plante, who made the lead-acid storage battery practical for commercial use. For reasons of simple and practical economics, we still use such an archaic source to start and operate our Mustangs today. Ford continues to install lead-acid batteries in new Mustangs because they remain practical and affordable.
Lead-acid batteries yield a powerful wallop to spin starters and energize ignition systems, which is another reason why they remain popular. It is the chemical reaction between lead, lead dioxide, and an electrolyte (sulfuric acid) that creates electricity. When a lead-acid battery is overcharged, it creates hydrogen gas and oxygen, which vents from the battery along with the bubbling electrolyte. If the battery is allowed to discharge, the lead/lead oxide sandwich plates will sulfate and break down. When this happens enough, plates short out and become dead cells. This can happen when a lead-acid battery sits uncharged. For a time, a dead battery offers forgiveness with recharges. In due course, they die from deteriorated (sulfated) plates and cannot be jump started. This has probably happened to you when you tried to jump start a car and it would not turn over under any circumstances.
Because the hardware and case...
Because the hardware and case are made of different metals, corrosion is a given. Soak these areas with WD-40 penetrant, which displaces moisture and penetrates threads.
A battery's state of health can be determined by deep cycle charging (trickle charging) and a load test. If a battery will not support a load after eight hours of trickle charging, it must be replaced. Another time-proven method is checking the electrolyte's specific gravity. When specific gravity falls below 1.225 at 12.4 volts, it is a dying battery. At 1.220, a 12-volt battery is completely discharged.
The key to battery survival is a healthy charging system and that predictable pattern of discharging and charging. When your Mustang has to sit, keep the battery on a trickle charger. The best system is something like a Battery Tender that keeps the battery fully charged. If acid weeps from the vents, the battery is in trouble via overcharging or sulfating plates.
Stubborn fasteners can be...
Stubborn fasteners can be coaxed with heat, which causes the aluminum to expand around steel, freeing up the fastener. Don't overdo heat because aluminum melts at 1,300 degrees F.
Here's a word about battery safety. Remember high school science class when you made hydrogen gas in a test tube? You were instructed to stick a lighted punk in the test tube and the hydrogen gas ignited with a startling noise. This is what hydrogen gas from a car battery does-only bigger and more destructively. When hydrogen gas is ignited, it explodes quickly with a sharp bang, blowing the battery case apart and showering everything close by with sulfuric acid. This is why you must be careful with any lead-acid battery. Sulfuric acid will blind and scar, and it will destroy paint. When jump-starting or connecting a battery to a battery charger, never make the negative cable connection at the battery because there's always a certain amount of sparking no matter how small. Even static electricity near a battery vent can cause an explosion. Always wear eye and face protection along with gloves.
Autolite Alternator Specifications
| Stamp Color | Amp Rating | Minimum Speed RPM | Amp Rating RPM |
| Purple | 38 | 400 | 2,000 Cold |
| | | 2,900 Hot |
| Orange | 42 | 400 | 2,000 Cold |
| | | 2,900 Hot |
| Red | 55 | 400 | 2,000 Cold |
| | | 2,900 Hot |
Alternator case halves come...
Alternator case halves come apart like this to expose the rotor and armature.
Removing these connector nuts...
Removing these connector nuts releases the stator and rectifier (diodes) assembly. Most alternator problems occur due to diode and shaft bearing failure.
Brush block removal is next,...
Brush block removal is next, which completely strips the case.
Front case bearing removal...
Front case bearing removal is next via three self-tapping screws.
This is the rotor. Pay close...
This is the rotor. Pay close attention to the slippers, connections, and shaft surfaces. Because this alternator has just 35,000 miles, wear is minimal. CAE can clean up the slippers, check continuity, and put the rotor back into service. Minimum allowable slipper diameter is 1.220 inches.
CAE checks the rotor for proper...
CAE checks the rotor for proper continuity, which is a fancy term for "complete circuit." Any breaks in the circuit are unacceptable.
The stator/rectifier is also...
The stator/rectifier is also checked for proper continuity and current flow. Because diodes are electrical check valves, allowing current flow only in one direction, there should be current flow one way but not the other. If a diode is bad, there won't be current flow in either direction.
Slippers are dressed to give...
Slippers are dressed to give the brushes a smooth contact surface.
Here's everything needed for...
Here's everything needed for a complete alternator rebuild-rotor, bearings, brushes, and springs. The rotor has been inspected and dressed. Rotors are replaced whenever the slipper is worn beyond minimum or there is an open circuit.
New brushes are installed...
New brushes are installed in the insulation block with springs and an installation pin. Make sure skin oil and other contaminants don't get on contact surfaces.
CAE can do everything from...
CAE can do everything from a basic rebuild to full-scale concours restoration. For roughly the same price as a new or rebuild alternator from a discount house, you get a "like new" alternator from CAE.....
....Here, a pitted pulley...
....Here, a pitted pulley gets its own restoration treatment where pitting is filled with a high quality filler, dressed, and painted satin black.
A new bearing is driven into...
A new bearing is driven into the main case. CAE takes extra care to ensure the case isn't damaged during this process. Note the tumble-cleaned case and like-new finish. CAE does not paint cases with aluminum paint. You get a genuine factory original look in natural aluminum.
The stator/rectifier is assembled...
The stator/rectifier is assembled with insulators and readied for installation.
The brush block is installed...
The brush block is installed next with the installation pin in place to hold the brushes. The installation pin sticks through the case. By the way, minimum acceptable brush length is 5/16 inch.
The stator/rectifier assembly...
The stator/rectifier assembly is secured to the case as shown. Do not overtighten fasteners.
The shaft bearing is pressed...
The shaft bearing is pressed into the forward case. The bearing retainer is installed using three screws.
The rotor is installed next....
The rotor is installed next. The shaft should be dry so it has a clean bearing fit. You don't want shaft slippage inside the bearing.
When you install the three...
When you install the three case screws to join the case halves together, use white grease on the threads for corrosion prevention and ease of removal next time.
With case halves secured,...
With case halves secured, we're ready to pull the brush installation pin.
Fan, spacer, and pulley are...
Fan, spacer, and pulley are installed next. Nut should be torqued to 60-100 ft. lbs.
All CAE alternator/starter/generator...
All CAE alternator/starter/generator builds are tested before shipment.
Our completed 38-amp Autolite...
Our completed 38-amp Autolite is complete and headed to Gary Schweitzer in Michigan for installation on his '65 Mustang World's Fair Magic Skyway convertible. All Gary will have to do is roll on the orange Autolite stamping and mark.....
.....National Parts Depot...
.....National Parts Depot set us up with a new alternator harness. And by the way, if your fan and pulley are yellow cadmium plated, CAE can do that too.