BulgersRunner

The lights go dim?

Battery, alternator, or bad wiring?

vital22re

iTrader: (2)

what is your system? power consumption? how old is the battery? whats the alternator putting out?

NorCalWheeler

I think if you don't have a capacitor already you could get one and I think that should fix the problem. I don't know a lot about stereos but I'm pretty sure that would fix it.

camo31_10.50

Capacitor is just a band-aid.

get a better battery (DieHard Platinum or better)

or get an alternator that puts out MORE amps.

upgrade wiring.

NorCalWheeler

hahaha I will openly admit I don't keep a lot about stereo stuff haha

BulgersRunner

Havent checked alternator amps but the amp is for 1300 watts and im only running one 10" that puts out 600.

Battery wise I just replaced a diehard from walmart about two years ago? Because the one before it jacked up early too. Would the alternator mess with the life of the battery if it's running bad I assume? If it is the alternator I'll go toyota dealership unless suggestions imply otherwise. Never had to replace an alternator before so I wouldn't know on wich kind.

Thanks in advance.

camo31_10.50

get your stock alt. rewound.

or SEARCH on here for the CS-144 Alternator swap.

BulgersRunner

Right on. I assume toyota dealership will do that? Alternator rewound that is. They're pretty good at taking care of their product and whenthe money talks.

camo31_10.50

No..toyota will not do that lol.

just search for ALTERNATOR swaps..should pull up some gooooddd info..lots more people out their more knowledgeable on 3rd gens than this guy..lol

Elton

big 3 !

BulgersRunner

Alright will take this to t4r just hadnt been on here for awhile so thought id ask.

Im the type of guy to buy a whole new alternator factory wise cause it fits. :-S

i just put a newer engine in it too so think it could be from the '99 engine I got? I blew the '97 engine I had offroading and the new one I only know had 98k on it.

camo31_10.50

well if you put another factory toyota alternator on there..then you're going to be stuck with the same problem.

whatever floats your boat.

yota_dude

if you look on ebay someone sells 130 amp alternator for 88 bucks. that should help out
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Toyot...item1c15b53ef7

Greg_Canada

I've got an ebay alternator that said "140 amps" i took it to an alternator shop and it measured 80 or 90 amps... if you want a serious bolt-on alternator you need a mean green alternator...
but seriously... you have one 10.... upgrade your grounds to 4 gauge (battery to body, battery to motor) and run a 4 gauge from the battery to the alternator, and to the amp. then run a 4 gauge from amp to body. after that, if it still dims, upgrade your alternator. If it only dims at idle, that's normal....

WestEnd

Your lights dim due to a lack of supply of voltage. So it's all those things combined. Think of your power wires to your amp as water supply lines. The bigger the wire, the more water pressure they can handle... which means more voltage for your amplifier, (and the rest of the vehicle). Capacitors are a band-aid on the real problem... lack of voltage.
The alternator has to generate enough to supply voltage to all of your vehicles electronics... windows, A/C, lights, etc. etc. The factory alternator is designed to handle just enough for what the vehicle was built with.
There's a good worksheet at ohiogenerator.com that you can figure what you really need for an alternator.
The battery is your storage unit for voltage. If it's too small, it can't store enough voltage to operate all the electronics in your vehicle. For your situation, I would get a good quality battery that is as big as you can physically fit in the tray. Stay clear of Optima batteries... they have a high failure rate. Look for the standard Interstate or DieHard with high CCA ratings... the higher the better. It's tough because most Toyotas have the reverse post set up, and there's not alot of big batteries for the reverse post, so you may have to modify your cables.
Make absolutely sure you have good ground connections! For the vehicle and the amplifier. Use 4 gauge wiring, and clean the point of contact to bare metal and Nut&Bolt your ground connection for your amp... simply screwing it to the sheet metal is typically insufficient!
Finally, try to match your equipment's RMS ratings. Ignore the Peak output of the Amp... they are always exaggerated. So if you have a 600W RMS Amplifier output at 2-Ohms, make sure your sub has an RMS rating of 2-Ohms. That makes everything work as intended, and less taxing on your truck's electrical system.

SkidPalace

$400 for an alternator? Holy crap.

rocket

iTrader: (1)

First research the "Big Three" or "Big 3" upgrade and do it.

See custombatterycables.com for additional info and new cables.

Then upgrade your OEM alternator by contacting:
Boyle Future Technology
Phone: 530-888-6290

bigt

do you have a multi meter??
check voltage and grounds

wrxnefx

better battery solved this issue for me.