Chief_Yota

hey everybody,what will it do if i run a higher output alternator,and the current draw is too high,ive upgraded grounds and wires from atlernator to batterie batterie to frame and frame to block,with some 4 gage wire. and i got some 8 gage for the body gorunds.and i got another 4 gage from case of alternator to frame.i currently runin 12.6 volts with STOCK alt when idle and 12.v when my fan is on.every time my fan goes,the lights dim!and im just about to upgrade my wiring harness of my headlights.

other than the fan ,and high output headlights(comming soon),i got nothin else that take more juice.its just my fan when im at idle in traffic,the voltage can go down to 11 even 10. what should i do?

tc

Take it to AutoZone, Advance, Sears, etc and have both the battery and the alternator tested - it could be either one.

thefallman

sounds to me like you need a new alternator anyway. a highout put alternator isnt going to put out more then 14 or so volts (the same that your current one should be putting out) its going to put out more amps. which will obviously help with the dimming headlights and other issues but from what you discribe with the voltage issues it sounds like your alternator or at least your voltage regulator is on its way out.

EDIT: tc is right it could be the battery too

InternetRoadkill

High output means high current... not voltage. The stock 4R alternators are rather wimpy.

ewong

what "high output" lights are you running?

HO alts usually dont do as well at idle as OEMs do (tho they do put out more current at highter than idle)

Where are you measuring the 12v?

thefallman

as said earlier voltage really has nothing to do with it. its how much amps he's drawing and how many amps his alt is cabable of producing.

Chief_Yota

ok first,ive rechecked today my voltage on batterie,and i got 14.4 on startup ,and 13.9 fan working,and 12.2 engine shut.so i guess im fine.i guess the wires upgrade really did somethin,i havent checked my system since.

thefallman

okay dude you missed something somewhere so let me repeat it (VOLTAGE DOESNT MATTER) thats going to be the same on all cars no matter highoutput alternator or not. That is controlled by the voltage regulator in the alternator. Your voltage regulator is set to provide aprox 14.5 volts when in opperation and your battery will provide aprox 12 volts when alternator is not in opperation. this is once again going to always be the same on all 12V Cars and Trucks. A high output alternator puts out more amps then a regular alternator not more voltage.

What will tell you if you need a high output alternator is how many AMPS you are drawing and how many amps your alternator can produce. if your headlights are dim its probably because they cannot draw enough amps. Think of Voltage as Pressure in a water hose and think of amps as the flow of that hose. You can have all the pressure in the world but if you dont have a large enough flow to supply that pressure somewhere the pressure doesnt doo a hill of beans. The flow is limited by the pump (aka Alternator).

You need to calculate your amperage draw with all your accessories on. then figure out how much your alternator can produce. you need to have an alternator that produces probably 1/4 more at least amps then you need inorder to keep your battery charged and everything working properly

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

^^
what he said. Modern single battery systems are 12v systems. Adding a higher output alternator will not affect your voltage. It will upgrade your amperage, which is what you want.

Stock your alternator is putting out ~65 amps. If you are running extra aftermarket parts such as amps, stereo, lights, GPS, etc, you will want to upgrade to an 80amp+ unit.

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

btw if the AMP draw on the system is too high for the output of the alternator, it can cause an onver heating problem, or a fire. Its sorta like overloading an outlet at your house. Of course, thats what fuses are for, but you never want to get to the point where you are popping fuses.

thefallman

but he wont pop fuses for drawing more amps then the alternator cans supply because its not drawing enough amps to pop the fuse cause its obviously trying to spread the available amps out over too broad a group of accessories and overloading the alternator. t

he only way he would pop a fuse is if he had a grounded alternator with a fuse in the ground. because it would be drawing to much ground current trying to generate enough amps. but with the current setup he will just probably overheat the alt and blow it out. if hes drawing to many amps.