ALternator HELP!

[djk8705]

NEW QUESTION ADDED to the bottem January 22........ THANKS









Alright the problem is my alternator I believe. I do run a lot of accessories off of my batt. including electric fan, MSD ignition, Subs, and Speakers all around. My check battery light is always comming on and the volt meter is always jumping around like crazy while im driving. I went to Advanced auto and they told me they thought it would be b/c my battery is almost dead and that my alternator must not produce as much as my accessories are drawing. I will take it to a mechanic to make sure it isnt a electrical problem and to make sure the circut is running right. It is a new alternator but i do not know what kind it is. What alternators would you all suggest for me that will make enough amps. Also I do not have any pullies on the car so thats not the problem. PLEASE help me out here so my car will start up in the morning. I have had to be jumped 3 times in the last week and its killing me!


I just bought a yellow top deep cycle optima battery as well..


Thanks

 

[TIMMY2734]

Sounds liek you need a 3g alternator. Check out either PA Paerformance or a guy on ebay named "alterstart" I have the one from ebay and it works flawlessly and is also a very good price

 

[djk8705]

What model do you have of the 3g alternator. There is the 80amp idle and the 100amp idle.... I don't know which would be best for my aplication. How much do the stock 5.0's put out? do u know...?


Thanks

 

[HISSIN50]

dont forget to do the wiring upgrade.

 

[TIMMY2734]

ive got the 150 amp alternator and like HISSIN50 said, definitely run a 4guage wire from the alternator to your battery/solenoid

 

[djk8705]

is there a wireing upgrade kit? or do i need to just go and buy some 4gauge wire .... ?

Thanks

 

[TIMMY2734]

pa performance sells a wiring kit that comes with the fuse. It costs about $50 if i remember correctly. If you do put it together yourself, youd be better off in the long run with a breaker instead of a fuse though

 

[malik641]

timmy is right, im about to get an alternator from alterstart....its only $130 and it has 160 Amp capability with 75 amp at idle, which is the stock amperage for your alternator anyway. The stock alternator is crap compared to what you could buy for a little bit extra $. Not to mention they have a lifetime warranty

 

[HISSIN50]

the wiring kit is a good idea. also read up on it. there are little things to do that if not done, cause problems and long threads in here. LOL.

leave the stock wiring for the alt in place( run new stuff in parallel). you need the resistor that the stock wiring has. i would upgrade the ground strap(s) for the engine (or add more. specifically from alt to block and chassis). you have about double the juice flowing and insufficient ground is real hard on an alt.

if you piece the kit together, you will likely be in the price range of the kit (they dont randomly make up inflated prices...... ok, they do, but not really in this case). you would be close to the same price doing it piece by piece. and you have to know what you are doing. some have done it for less, but seem to use inferior parts or skimp on things. not good if you like your wiring harnesses (we have all seen those threads. "i just did my 3G upgrade and now something smells like it is burning.").

this is just my opinion. and i havent done the upgrade yet (the previous owner installed a stock alt one week before i got the car). so i havent actually seen the kit or used it, but it should be basically plug and play.

good luck. let us know what you go with and how it works.

 

[djk8705]

Would you all be talking about the Reccomended #4 Gauge Power Wire Upgrade Kits. It seems to only be a Power wire though. If anyone has A list of everything they bought when replacing their alternator (upgrading) is would help me out.

Thanks

 

[MadMatt5oh]

Bump for that list

 

[djk8705]

????

 

[TIMMY2734]

All the "power wire upgrade" is a piece of 4 guage wire and 150 amp fuse or so. The price that PA charges isnt as rediculous as it sounds. The cost of 4 guage at a stereo shop will set you back anywhere from 1.50-3.00 a foot. So do the math

 

[HISSIN50]

Timmy, thanks for the correction. i must have had a bad recollection or was thinking of something for one of the other 15 cars. now thinking about it, i can think of what else there is. just need the 4 gauge wire, fuse, a connector, and maybe another thing or two.
thanks again.

 

[jrichker]

Here's websites with pictures...

See http://www.geocities.com/smithmonte/Auto/3G_130A_Alternator_Upgrade.htm - all the tech data you could ever want to know
OR
http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2001/03/paperformance/index2.shtml
OR
http://www.mustangcentral.net/tech/alternator.html - excellent pictures of installation

For the right way to do the wiring. Some people will tell you that you can skip the wiring upgrade, but it will catch up with you sooner or later. A fire in the wiring harness is ugly and expensive.

 

[89Notch]

"leave the stock wiring for the alt in place( run new stuff in parallel). you need the resistor that the stock wiring has."

What resistor are you talking about? Also i bought 1/O wire for 85cents/foot so 2 gauge should be any cheaper. I bought it online though the local store wanted $8/foot !!! I ran a 2gauge charge wire with a 150amp waterproof inline fuse in the trunk, but my battery is in the trunk so thats why i opted for the 2 gauge since the wire is a lot longer. And I also would suggest getting some good ground wires in there, it can't hurt.

 

[djk8705]

There are four options ...
Premium Short
standard Short
Premium Long
Standard long

These are the choices for the 4Guage Wire or whatever it is...

What one will I need for the 93 Lx

Thanks

 

[TRWXXA]

Get the 150 or 160amp 3G alternator from Alterstart (about $120 and $130, respectively).

Get the wiring kit from PA Performance . It gives you everything you need for the upgrade, whereas Alterstart will just send you a length of 4 ga. wire with terminals on the end.

You need either the "standard/long", or the "premium/long" wiring kit. That gives you enough wire (including the big fuse and fuse holder) to go from the new alternator, under the airbox, around the front of the radiator, under the battery tray (where the fuse holder tucks away nicely), and to the battery or starter relay.

Do a search online, and you'll find plenty of step-by-step instructions. The hardest part is trimming the bracket for clearance. Borrow a die grinder if you don't have one. A Dremel or a file takes forever.

 

[HISSIN50]

"leave the stock wiring for the alt in place( run new stuff in parallel). you need the resistor that the stock wiring has.".

sorry. right idea, wrong phrasing. it is needed to maintain proper regulator control. my bad. point was to leave it there.

 

[89Notch]

Basically the reasoning behind it is the Yellow/white wire needs to go to the selenoid for proper regulation control. This yellow/white wire connects into the factory charge wire that goes to the selenoid, so you cant take out the charge wire because its basically just a continuation of the yellow/white wire now that needs to go to the selenoid. I moved my selenoid to the passenger side, and cut the yellow/white wire off the charge wire, ran it to the selenoid, and ran my 2gauge charge wire along the passenger side back to the battery cut off switch and was all set and got rid of the factory charge wire. Whatever works best for ya! I just got my car running with the 3GA on saturday and let me tell ya, it was the best thing I ever did. Never again am I going to charge that car!