My alternator craped out on me last night. I think it couldnt handle the load when I turned on my a/c, HIDs and the compressors. anyone got suggestions? Maybe a high output alt? How many amps? just really confused. I dont want to install a 170 amp alt if I dont need that much. Will this 90 amp be enough?
http://www.northwestoffroad.com/parts/alternators.html

 

i used a 96 saturn SC-1 140amp alt.

the bottom bolt works just fine(you have to use a saturn bolt tho)

and i just extended the upper bracket as the adjuster hole is clocked at 3:00 instead of noon. wiring is pretty simple.


imho you should shoot for the moon when upgrading your amp, and dont forget your battery and cables (pos&ground). a stereo,amp, fog lights and all the accessory, will be about 90 amps. if you go as high as possible you dont have to worry about upgrading again when you get butt warmers, or electronically actuated surface to traffic missiles.

 

im pretty sure your compressors are over loading your alternator.. but yaa good luck installing your new alternator..

just wondering how much were you looking to spend?

 

Hopefully not over $200. You got the hook ups???

 

Heres a few . . .

I gathered up a couple for you. Ive worked with Acealternators before, nice alternators and starters even better, and yet not the super high mark-up ! These both fall under your budget price of 200$. Read their reviews, Highly rated sellers both of them !

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Alternator-Toyota-4Runner-85-92-High-Output-160-AMPS_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247QQcategoryZ33573QQihZ023QQitemZ360021981743QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/89-92-TOYOTA-4RUNNER-PU-HIGH-OUTPUT-ALTERNATOR-170-AMPS_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247QQcategoryZ33573QQihZ003QQitemZ130190642986QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V

L o w N l o u d

 

Nice Find!

Thanks LownLoud,

I also was thinking of a upgrade as I have dual Optimas, lights, amp. Now I can install this alt. and keep my recent stock new one as a spare! That is what these forums are about!

 

Your Welcome

You are very welcome, glad to help. I upgraded my stock alternator to a 150amp. I did what some call the big three upgrade. I left the stock charging wire intact since theres really no need to remove it. I added a 4 gauge wire with platinum ends to my Optima battery with sideposts, I added a 150 amp anl fuse and holder to it and it still used the stock plugin harness in the back for the dummy light and so on ! I upgraded the neg cable to chassis to 4 gauge. I also upgraded the chasis to engine block to 4 gauge cable. I used about 15 feet of Stinger audio pro wire ! To anybody that doesnt know that in addition to upgrading the stock alternator to a higher output the BIG THREE should be considered ! Depending on what connectors and wiring you used . . . $ 175 - $ 300. Me I probably went to far and spent around 380$ ! I hope this helps you guys !

The big three is :

1 - Alternator charge post to battery

2 - Neg battery post to Chassis

3 - Chassis to Engine block

* * * Stormracer, I would keep your dual batteries and upgrade to this high current relay and take full advantage of your storage capacity ! You can use this relay for up to 200 amps which will include your new H.O. alternator, plus its and easy upgrade considering you already have wiring for the relay, which you could upgrade if you really wanted to !

http://cgi.ebay.com/STINGER-SR200-HIGH-CURRENT-RELAY-ISOLATOR-DUAL-BATTERY_W0QQitemZ310023254953QQihZ021QQcategoryZ14932QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

L o w N l o u d

 

Thanks...great info! my next question or questions are, is it ok to put in a high amp alt (lets say 160amps) when all the accesories I have are two viair compressors (uses 23amps each)? I do use my a/c alot in the summer. I dont plan on putting in any amplifiers for stereo. I'm just afraid of getting somthing to big. How should I calculate what alt I need. I also heard that high amp alts don't charge to well at idle. Is this true? I'm sometimes parked and idling while my comps are running and waiting for my pressure to build up. Sorry for all the question. Just want to do this the right way and not have my battery explode or have a overchargeing issue. Or is it ok to add a HO alt just to be prepared in case I add more accesories in the future.

 

O.k. this is why I'm trying to find out as much as I can....


Re: Will a High Output Alternator Fry my car's Electrical System?

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all i have to say is that alternators can and will fry your car.. i had a brand new chrsyler 300M just put 2 JL 13W7, and 2 JL 1000/1, and a JL 300/4 in there had a HO alternator put in was a 200amp.. have a 1/0 gauge from the alterator to the battery... and this is what happened to my car when i got two miles down the road after having all the work done....

 

here ya go

Your welcome on the info ! The worst thing to do is use the original alternator and burn one up every year or so, that stuffs hard on electronics. These aternators I listed are big, they put out power, but, they only put out what the system is requiring. In my case at full draw, I can pull anywhere from 108 amps to 138 accordingly. In your case The alternator and almost every charging sytem has either a internal regulator ( such as your truck & mine " built in the alternator " ) and some an external regulator. Anyways its the regulators job to tell the alternator to stop charging the batteries when charge is no longer needed. You can go to big, but thats like 200 - 400 amp models, double stacks and so on. Double your stock output first, dont go for a model thats 3 times what you need! But, for these two I listed, They are internally regulated, they will fully charge sytem and shut off when nothing is needed. Most stock alternators in a toyota pickup are 55 - 65 amps, some 70 amps ! By the time you use you a.c., your air system, your stereo, your lights,, even your turn signal your pulling a hella lot for that charging system and overworking a under-powered alternator for your needs. As for high output alternators not charging well at idle, ask the manufacturer or supplier what the idle charge is, mine is 85 amps which is far higher than the stocks full output, and then unleashes as I increase RPM to full power. Therefore, if you are idling and running accessories, you will have the power without idling up or killing things, a weak charging system is the # 1 cause of electronics failure. If you dont plan on adding hella things to the sytem just upgrade to a slightly lower model. I would never replace a stock toyota alternator with the OEM model mainly because of price ( $105 - $285 ). These upgrades are way cheaper and will last you longer and provide your charging system the power it deserves and your electronics will love you for it ! I posted a 130 amp model that would probably work perfect for you ( if you have the v-6 ) and your needs. What engine do you have again ? Search for ( Toyota high output alternators ) on EBAY and youll find some killer prices. Car audio forums are the best place to search. If you upgrade that stocky, your electronics WILL last longer.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TOYOTA-ALTERNATOR-4RUNNER-V6-HIGH-OUTPUT-130AMP-88-92_W0QQitemZ140208402560QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item140208402560

 

s h i * * y

Did you ever figure out the direct cause of the fire ? What was the brand of the alternator ?

L o w N l o u d

 

Thanks again....looks like I will be getting a HO alt and doing the big three. that way I won't have to worry when I change my mind about a sound system. I'll try and ask the ebay seller about the power curve on the alt. oh and I have a 22re.

 

Dont know what happened. I just came across that in another forum. Maybe he didn't complete his big three. Says he installed 0/1awg to the battery.

 

this one . . . .

If I was you I would do this one as a very good upgrade considering your ride & plans, I bought my 150 from these guys, super fast shipping and worked/works awesome .


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Toyota-4Runner-Truck-High-Output-Alternator-120A-85-95_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247QQcategoryZ33573QQihZ022QQitemZ350019899651QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V

L o w N l o u d

 

every alt should have some kind of regulator to prevent it from over charging. as long as its a 12v alt and things are functioning correctly there should be no issues.

im also curious as to the cause of that fire..

 

I'll try to post some pics and do a write up as soon as I get it done.

 

my god that pic keeps looking worse every time i c it

ShoNuff hit it right on the head there, very good point. My guess if I had to, would be (1) not fused or fused improperly (2) someone jerry-rigged the stock harness (3) Faulty alternator . That should not have happened, thats what fuses and regulators are for and Ive never seen one hooked up properly do that, someone screwed up somewhere !

L o w N l o u d

 

where do I get those anl fuses and do I just match the fuse with the alt amprage? 160 amp alt=160 amp anl fuse? Also, when my alt went out I, had no warning lights on the dash. Is there a warning light?

 

here ya go

I bought my supplies from http://www.hifisoundconnection.com/Shop/Control/fp/SFV/30046 & Ebay, alote of good deals out there, just take your time and price shop. When you fuse a system or line you are fusing for the max capacity of a line or device on a line, In your care I would use a 4 gauge wire minimum if footage of total line is less than 8 - 10 feet ( which it should be ). I would not use any smaller wire than 4 gauge and I would fuse a minimu of 160 amps. There are more fuses than ANL, but I like those best. Search around youll find em, HIFI shows corrisponding products so its easy to match. Feel free to email if more questions !

L o w N l o u d

 

that link didnt go to the breaker, so search for this SCB150 ive never seen that site, but it puts crutchfield to shame for selection and ease of use.

thats actually the same circut breaker i use, never buy a fuze again.

also remember that you want the big "fuze" on the big draw or usage. not on your stock wiring or to things like the ecu or other gauges. your stock fuses will be fine for their purposes. if you increase the size of the fuze it will allow that much more power to go through a system designed for less, resulting in a fire.


when i was researching this a few years back, i was looking for a OEM alt like the caddy alts or maybe a marine alt. i found some crazy 200+amps for ships that did not have a regulator, you bought em seperatly as some ships run on differnt volts depending on what country they were made in. alot of older (pre 1980) alts had external regulators too. with out a regulator or a poorly matched setup will cook a battery quite fast, i bet thats what happened to that fire pic.