75amps=not enough

[90GSTforME]

Well I'm a little dissapointed with the alternators in our cars. Maybe not you canadian guys with 90 amps.
I'd really like something more like 120 amps.
Anyone know of aftermarket suppliers with such a product?
Headlights that dim a lot when bass hits make me mad.

I've also heard that the galant(90 amps) will bolt right in.
Anyone know about this?

Any replies are helpfull.

[Redsand187]

You can goto MRalternator.com and ask if they can rebuild your stock one bigger. OR you can buy one that they have made for another vehicle and custom mount it.

[91TalonAWD]

I had a 90 Eclipse T, and had no headlight dim at all. Just buy a 1 farad capacitor, don't get a new alternator unless you are going to do some EXTREME SYSTEM in your car. I had a US Amps USA-400 (retails $1000+ draws some SERIOUS amps, 1200w @2 ohms, had it running at 1 ohm)and USA 150 ($500+)running off of the stock system with a 1 Farad Autosound 2000 cap and never had a problem at all. Alternators are extremely expensive and you don't really need one unless you are running some seriously insane equipment. What amp are you running to get the lights to dim? And at what impedance?

[91TalonAWD]

BTW, a good cap should run you around $120 new, compared to $600+ for a new alternator.

[90GSTforME]

Wow i had no idea a new alternator would cost that much.
Maybe mine is on its way to death because my headlights will dim with my rockford 360a2 bridged to a perfect12.
This amp isnt crazy at all but I love it.

Also my rpm's will dip a little at idle when I do certain things, like step on the brakes or the bass hits hard, rear defog on, and so on. I dont really understand why rpms would drop with increased electrical demand.... Does an increased demand increase the difficulty of spinning the alternator? Do they work on some kind of clutch that engages more with more demand? Or does it pull power from ingnition?
Sorry If i seem dumb. I mostly understand 12V systems except for the alternator.

[mark93]

You can look around for way better prices on aftermarket altenators. i paid 400 for a 170 amp altenator for my car and you can find a 1farad cap for about 60-70dollars(just dont buy name brand!) If you are interested e-mail me and i will send you some internet sites you can check out for more info on helping get rid of your lights dimming problem.
check out http://www.bestamericaind.com .. they have caps and altenators

[Stephen]

Dont fret too much, my car has the same symptoms as yours. And all I have is a MTX Thunderpro 12 and a 600w California. However my lights do not dim with the bass(im using only one channel at 4ohms) but my rpms dropp when i do clutching/defrosting etc. maybe i need a new alt, i dunno.

-=Stephen 95 Tsi Awd m.green

[91TalonAWD]

Before buying a new alternator, put in a cap, I am almost positive it will cure all your problems, and you can find generic ones for @$60-$70, name brand for $100+

[90GSTforME]

Hey 91talon What kind of setup do you have?
Ever tested SPL?
I've always wanted and still do to get a Rockford 4 channel to match my 360a2 and I figure I'll get a cap then to make sure power is supplied.
Btw, Caps store power to deliver on bass hit and so on right? So when bass is not hitting they charge off the battery?
Whats the output voltage of a cap? I've read up to 20 V but that doesnt sound too desireable.

[Redsand187]

Caps will not solve the problem completly. A cap is just like a lake blocked by a dam. When more water (power) is needed the flood gates open (power is drawn out of the cap) and all the power is used up very quickly. (apoximatly 2-3 seconds for a 1 farad cap with a 1000w system) Caps take about 10 seconds to fully charge. And when they charge they are draining power from your charging system. So what is the answer. Make the charging system better. witch is the battery and alternator. And sense the battery is only 12 volts(and is mostly only good when the car is not running) and a alternator puts out from 13.8 to 14.4 volts when the car is running, get a new alternator. A new alternator doesn't have to cost 600 bucks . I would goto a local alternator shop and tell them your problem and that you need a bigger alternator, and they will help you. Try to get them to rebuild/rewind your alternator if possible.(this is the most cost effective way) If you have any car stereo magazines you may have noticed everyone is moving from caps to battery's and Alternators, these guys do this for a living and they only do what is best. Think about it, a cap will kinda work(halfass), but if you upgrade to anything bigger you may be wondering why your lights are fine for a couple seconds then dim like crazy for a few more seconds then are fine then... My best advice is not to goto a stereo shop with this problem because they will have you buy 500 bucks worth of stuff that you don't need and still not fix your problem, (it makes sense to me, Alternator problems see the alternator guy) ;) I have lost all trust in car stereo shops, everyone that I have gone to is just full of typical salesmen that just know more then the average guy, and a lot of big words to scare poeple. :)

[Redsand187]

damn that was long, sorry this is one thing that I feel the average guy doesn't know and really should know before doing this stuff. Remember DTSS Don't Trust Stereo Shops crutchfield included.

[91TalonAWD]

I agree with you on the alternator if you have the money, upgrading the charging system will cure it, but in his case he is only running a Punch 360@2, I believe a new alternator would be a bit much unless he plans on getting more put in, I think an alternator vs. $50 for a cap, I would use the cap. Like I said, I ran a US Amps USA-400 (at one ohm mono) and a US Amps 150, http://www.usamps.com off the one farad cap with all 2 guage wire and never experienced a problem. I just don't think there is enough current draw to call for an upgraded alternator. If you plan on keeping the car for an eternity, I would get a new alternator because your stock is eventually going to die, but if you are staying at the current level of draw, I personally would not get the alternator upgrade unless I had the money laying around. From my experience I have been fine with just a cap, but you can choose either, if you have the money I would go for the alternator, but on my budget I would spend the <$100 for a decent cap.

[Edited by 91TalonAWD on 11-02-2000 at 11:13 PM]

[Ginuwines_TSI]

Hey Man I work at Best Buy and I have a punch 360a11 and
a punch 400a4 and I have a Rockford cap and I dont
have any problems with my lights if your running 4gauge with a cap and there 149.99 you wont have any problems and if
you do still get the dimming and its before 30 days just
take it back and go from there I dont think you need
to spend all the money the other guy was talking about


Reggie

[hdswanny]

an excellent way to keep high voltage(13.8-14.4v) when car is running is to run bigger gauge wire than you think you need. but this is the important part, and a lot of people don't realize it...upgrade the ground for the batt to the chasis and to the block with 1/0 or 2/0 gauge wire. this was prolly already explained but oh well, your stock charging system BARELY has enough umph to run all your stock accessories. upgrading the ground wires allows more current to flow through without being restricted. its kinda like your exhaust. stock is restrictive, where the 3" lets the gases escape more quickly.

caps will work ok for very shorts bursts(like redsand said) but the best and cheapest thing to do is to have your 75a alt rebuilt/rewound for 120a+. i have to do this yet, i tried getting a est from a local alt guy but he kept telling me to bring it in. sooo, when i do this i'll let you know how much i was charged.
i'm not positive, but i know Ohio Generators(many dbdrag competitors work with OH Gen) rebuild alts, and i think it was about $250 to get one rewound.

[mark93]

1/0 to 2/0 wire is WAY excessive(not to mention expensive) a short run of (2-3ft) 4guage wire is more than enough to handle around 150 amps of current.

[tanner261]

$250 seems like a little much for rewinding an alt.

Does anyone know if the stock DSM alt. can be rewound?
The alt. on my Toyota is as big as it can be in stock form. Thus I am required to get an aftermarket alt. http://www.mralternator.com has a 120 amp for around $170, but they don't sell direct replacements for DSMs. Try e-mailing him to find out if yours can be rewound. His responces to me have been timely and complete.

[hdswanny]

you can get away with 4gauge but bigger is better(i don't think overkill is a bad thing when it comes to current). it all depends on your needs and http://www.meci.com has low prices for 1/0 and 2/0 power wire from monster cable for around $0.80 a foot. thats a pretty good deal, not too expensive.

[jza]

Heath! Wasssaaaa!!

ok 90gst, you stated that you are dissapointed but never mentioned if your lights are actually dimming or what. If what is happening is that your lights dim only on hard bass notes then a cap will be fine. However if everything is flashing constantly you're do for a new alternator. Keep in mind that even if you have a 10kW rms amp, if you have good ears, you still won't be using more than like, say 100W during regular listening, espectially in a dsm being a hatchback. Meci is a good deal but they have like a 15-20 ft. min. order on wire :(. But 4 guage will do though, just make sure you sand off any paint from the ground spot.

[91TSIAWD_Mark]

$0.80 a foot for 1/0 ga.!!! Damn thats a good deal. Even if you do have to buy 15ft spool, that's a good deal. You could run it to the boot and replace the wimpy wire there. I'm sure I've got atleast 12' of 4ga in my car. And I bought it at a local car sound shop for $3/ft.

[hdswanny]

just checked for the power wire at http://www.meci.com
it is $0.80/ft. the meci part # is 630-1800.

[1.8L_2slow_lol]

Hey, i have a 600 watt amp driving 2 10" rockfords (bridged) and 2 pioneer 6x9's, and i've never had any problems with my lights dimming or anything. It's not capped and I have 4 gauge power and ground cable. Maybe its because the 6x9's dont draw much juice. I have a stock alternator, and I have a 1.8L. If i have the interior lights on and my stereo is cranked, the interior lights dim a little bit, other than that no problems. Eclipses are awesome as far as how the sound travels through the car and all that. Kind of a pain to try and run the 4 gauge through the firewall though.

[jayntguru]

I didn't see anyone ask what sort of batery you are running?

I have an Optima Yellow Top (no cap) and it works just fine. Lots of power, too.

(MTX Pro 3002 has 90 amps of fuses, Pro 754 has 60 amps of fuses, that's 150 amps, without throwing in the fuel pump that's running off the stereo wiring).

The ground upgrade was also a good suggestion, 4 gauge is fine if you keep the factory lines, too. On my Optima, it works out good, the stock wiring goes to the top posts. On the side posts, I found a pre made ground cable that was just long enough to bolt to the chassis,, and I run the amps power wire directly off the side post, too.

-Jay

[mark93]

If there is anyone that needs a higher output altenator.. say 170amp i have one for sale on the DSM trader in the car audio section. Just fyi!

[Lotito1]

I was having the same problem. My lights would dim and my deck would even shut off at idle. I would have the trouble at night when I had most of the stuff running but not during the day. I had my electrical system checked at the local autoparts store and everything was fine. I thought it was the battery or the alternator. I stood there with my head stuck under the hood (where it usually is) and I realized maybe it was the belt slipping. I bought some belt dressing and put a teaspoon of ajax on the belt and problem solved. I guess sometimes it's a simple fix....