I need someone to point me in the right direction for a stronger alternater on a 97 runner. I have 6 100w hella's and two ff5o's. They've never dimmed other than when I turn on the winch but I dont think anything is at its full potential.

 

how often are you winching and having all the lights on, as the same time?

 

The headlights by themselves dim when I run the winch. Thats why im wondering if none of my lights are as bright as they could be. Its hard to tell if anything dims when you hit all the lights but im sure they are.

 

reason i asked is that, who cares.

you winch and that sucks up, on my warn 9000, around 100-300 (at max) amps.

at the point, i am either standing still (winching out another vehicle) or slowly moving.

if you are alone, winching yourself up a steep hill in the middle of a moonless night, then MAYBE i would worry about the lights dimming.

plus, you have other concerns, like resting (letting it cool down) the winch motor between hard pulls.

am i making sense?

when was the last time you used your winch and needed LOTS of light?

 

http://www.mralternator.com/

Two seconds on google.

 

IMO, I had nothing but bad luck with my 150amp Mr. Alternator. Left me stranded twice.....Choose carefully.

 

Check local places too.
To upgrade my alt on the net is a lot more than it is to get upgraded locally.


There are about six well known shops for this work on the net. Hunt them down for the best reliability and price.

 

I have been thinking about an alt on my 97 as well. Mostly for the stereo and other gadgets I run. What does the stock 97 alt put out. Maybe we could drop in one from a lc or a lexus if they put out more.

 

An alternator won't leave you stranded anywhere, a dead battery and not paying attention to the charging voltage will...

Mine has been perfectly fine for the past 2 years. 190amp of worry free power.

 

www.ohiogen.com (I can help you get that)
www.excessiveamperage.com
Iraggi alternators (sn is traffic jamz on www.termpro.com)

I can't think of any more, but the 1st link is the most expensive but has been super reliable for me. The other 2 are suspect only because of the reviews online. Bad news does travel faster than good news, so choose carefully.

 

In both cases, the alternator brushes died on the freeway (as far as I can assume). The charging light came on only minutes before all the gauges died, along with the truck. 3rd gen's don't have voltage gauges.

Riding an hour in a tow truck, only to get home and change the alternator at 11pm in dumping snow isn't much fun....

Just choose wisely.