Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Voltage Regulator Replacement - alternate donors?

As easy as they are to remove on some cars (Taurus, for example), I thought it might be worth swapping in a junkyard-pulled VR rather than the whole alternator. Two questions...

1) Are all the Ford VR's that physically look the same as the one on the Contour, actually the same part? For reference, here's the p/n directly off a VR that I removed from a '95 Taurus: F4ZU-10316-AC Does anyone have the p/n off the VR used on the Contour?

2) If I only want to swap the VR, does that make for an easier job on the Contour? Even if the VR can't be removed with the alternator in place, maybe I can just loosen the alternator and move it enough to provide clearance?

Any and all feedback appreciated.

Brad

No input on this one? I'm pretty sure that the Ford VR's are the same, so my more pressing question is regarding whether the VR can be replaced with the alternator in place. I see lots of good info regarding alternator replacement with the V6 motor, but this is a Zetec. You would think that would make it easier (more space) with the I4 motor, but you never know.

See my other post on VR replacement... Generally speaking, I suspect the answer is "yes" here. The only challenge is the early cars which have a different quick-connector which I've not seen on any other application (not that I looked to hard).