Hey Lloyd, I'll try to answer some of your questions. I'm sure I won't know all of them since I'm doing it without a book for now, but others will chime in too with any luck.
Lloyd said:
-I know the black/orange wire and the yellow wire from the mustang are connected with a fuse link that connects to one of the large posts on the starter solenoid (not sure which post).
I'm figuring here, from what you're saying, that the Black w/orange stripe is the large main output of the alternator and the Yellow is the sensing wire that tells the internal regulator how the battery is doing. That sound right?
If that's the case then they would go to the starter solenoid/relay on the BATTERY POSITIVE side of the relay. The other side goes to the starter and so is only energized when youi're starting the engine. When the relay is oriented with the main body "UP" then it's usually the left side large terminal. But whichever side, it's the one that has the battery cable hooked directly to the positive side of the battery. That's how your battery will charge from the alternator.
Lloyd said:
-Purple start wire goes to start post of solenoid (is that one of the small posts, which one?)
Yes, to the small terminal (also on the left if I remember). It's marked with an "S" (for switched, or start) on some relays. The other terminal is marked with an "I" (for ignition) and would probably not be used in your new system. The "I" terminal is to give an extra jolt of 12 volts to the ignition coil during the start process. It's possible you might still use it depending upon which ignition system you're using.
So the purple goes to the "S" terminal and will energize the relay and starter when you turn the key.
Lloyd said:
Red battery- battery side of starter solenoid (do I need a fuse link? what size?)
Is this the larger (maybe 10 gauge?) red wire from the Centech Harness that you're referring to? Or the battery cable itself? I'm assuming the red from the harness for now, so yes, it goes to that same left side large terminal with the battery and alternator output cables, to take battery power to all the accessories in the system. Including the fuse box and ignition and light switches and such.
Did you opt to use the original ammeter still? If so then you will probably have two deal with that when you get to the large (same size as the red one) Yellow wire coming out of the harness too.
It (the ammeter) is cool to have, but with higher output alternators and just the basic safety issues of running all that power throughout the harness, you're better off not utilizing that gauge as it was wired from Ford. I love ammeters, but I won't use the factory one either when I do these jobs.
And yes, some kind of protection is called for here. Fusible link OR fuse. Either way. I like fuses myself, but have used the fusible links more often.
I'm sure someone will have some feedback here, but you'll probably end up using about 60 to 75 amps or so, if you use a fuse. For a fusible link, I think you end up with the largest rating you would normally find in a standard auto parts store. Something like a 14 gauge link I think? Don't remember. Fuses are safer and easier to replace if something goes wrong and you have more versatility when choosing ratings normally. On the other hand Ford and GM and many others have used links for years with good results, so it's up to you. Hopefully others will tell you of their experiences here.
Lloyd said:
Green Reg. S. wire- does it connect to the green/red mustang alternator wire?
This is where I'll have to go get the book. Just to make sure. Only later when it's not 90° in my room! But for now I'd say yes, they're a direct hook up. Usually that's a switched power source to energize the internal regulator and give it something to compare system voltage with the direct battery voltage of the yellow wire. But that's just memory talking. So wait for someone else to confirm, or me to get my book.
Lloyd said:
white I term post - where does it go?
That could be a standard stator wire, or more likely, judging by the description, that ignition jumper wire that I talked about earlier.
The Ford one is usually Brown, but the Centech could be white. Ford uses white for a stator wire which is used in the system with idiot lights, but not gauges like the Bronco has. In a Bronco it would be for the electric choke on a carburetor, but not used here.
Now that's if it comes FROM the alternator, but it sounds like it's in the harness, so you might double check it with your Centech literature to see if it lists it.
Sorry. I should know that one by heart since I'm a low-grade Centech dealer and installer. But it's been awhile since I put a Bronco harness in and for some reason I can't recall the Ignition wire being white. Sorry.
Lloyd said:
big yellow alt. wire - where does it go?
If I remember, that's the other end of your main charging circuit and would normally have been hooked to the alternator output (on a standard 1G alternator) if re-doing a stock system using the aforementioned Ammeter. It's basically a big loop with the Red + battery wire talked about in the third question.
I hope that helps you. Normally I wouldn't have answered without my trusty wiring diagrams handy for fear of setting you down the wrong path on something this important, but since everyone else was either out having fun wheeling or dying of the heat and hadn't gotten to your thread yet, I figured I'd start the ball rolling with what I knew.
Besides, haven't given one of my ten-thousand word replies in awhile so figured it was time...
Hah! Sorry bout that.
Paul
