andlours

iTrader: (1)

So when it comes to the whole charging system of my truck, I'm pretty uneducated. I replaced my alternator last November because I could tell my old one was going out. It worked great and everything was fine until recently i saw that when i would turn on my headlights the charge and brake light would flash on really quickly. From what it sounds like, this means my alternator may be going bad again. I am currently running a CB radio, a 2000W amp, and offroad lights from my single battery. I was wondering what would be the best approach the beefing up my charging system. Would running a dual battery setup help or would putting in a larger, better alternator be a better alternative? I'm eventually looking to add a winch and a few more offroad lights. What would be the best solution to this problem? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Andy.

olharleyman

First off start by checking the brushes instead of replacing the alternator 4crawler.com has all the info and the parts needed to do it and it way cheaper then replacing the alternator.
That said what I did was get a battery isolator and a set of battery's one I use to run the truck the other runs all the extras i.e. my winch radio amps extra lights (8 150 watt) ect. all on a stock alternator.
Its one wire to both battery's and one to the alternator and no need to flip between battery's works great and well worth the money spent I no longer have the head light fade from the bass in the stereo and all the power needed for both power for the truck and power for the extras all while running at the same time.
I can winch jam and light up the night with no battery issues at all. OH YA one last thing I did have to turn my overflow bottle sideways and put my second battery laying on its side but its a OPITMA dry cell as you can see in the pictures

andlours

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the advice. That's what I think I'm gonna look at doing. I have plenty of room for one since i relocated my air intake (see picture). Do you have a more detailed thread in a build up thread or anything about the exact way to do the install?

habanero

Olharleyman, I gotta love those connector protectors on the Sure Power, nice.

LOTS of info on dual batteries. Guess the alternators on the 86 are internally regulated? Something you'll want to know for a set-up like above, if I remember correctly. I've got dual batteries in my 3rd gen, using a different set-up.

Thinking out loud a bit....if the draw is consistently over what the alternator can handle wouldn't you rather go with a higher output alternator over dual batteries? Off road lights, winch, no, but the amp? Would that be a situation? The alternator can still only put out so much no matter how many batteries you have, if it never gets enough break that it can recharge the batteries before you shut the thing off.....?

andlours

iTrader: (1)

You make a great point habanero. I'm thinkin that I may just do both a dual battery system and a larger alternator. I just don't want to mess with charging issues anymore. I guess I've got a lot of searching and a few more questions ahead of me. ha