New Alternator?

[Mikey Gribble]

Has anybody switched out alternators in your car to increase your power output? I was considering doing this because at times I may have quite a load on my vehicle next season. I remember hearing people mentiong that as a viable option to power issues on here, but then when I was up at the shop that does some of my electrical work this guy told me getting a different alternator won't make much difference. He made that remark after I told him I had heard that a hummer alternator fits in a chevy express van. Any advice or experience with this kind of thing would be appreciated.
BTW I'm not worried about the batteries running down when we are stopped. Even now I keep my car running nonstop when we are chasing. I'm just worried about it being able to handle the overall power requirements.

 

[Kory Hartman]

I was having power problems all last year.

Finally went to a parts store (Advanced Auto?) and had them hook up their battery/electrical system tester. They said my alternator was putting out over 100 amps and that was good for the amount of equip I run.

I then bought a new deep-cycle battery so I can run 30-45 mins without the car on and also hard-wired my inverter to the battery.

No more beeping or blown fuses!

 

[Joshua Nall]

A high output alternator will only make a difference if you really need it, which depends on what you are running. With modern electronics, which do not draw as much current as older stuff, your alternator is probably good enough... if it is in good shape. People that swap out alternators usually do so because they are running something that is drawing a lot of amps... like tons of lights, older amplifiers, etc... It just depends on what you are running.

Josh

 

[D. Hayes]

Like me.

That's a old photo too, more light were added in the rear haha.

Anyways-this totally depends on your make of car. Many newer cars come with just enough alternator power to run the car and that's about it. If you're just running a laptop and ham radio then there's no need for a HO alternator. But if you're running a base line truck and add lights, stereo, winch, ham, then I'd really consider it.

 

[Rob Wadsworth]

I use this gear in my vehicle:
1) 400 watt B&D power inverter
2) Hp 17" laptop
3) Hue cellphone & Tracfone disposable
5) Battery charger for Canon XTi
6) 10/11 meter radio
7) 2 meter radio
8) cellphone amp (seldom used)
The trick is, not to have more than two items in use at one time. The cell phones chargers and the Canon battery charger are kept out of the power loop and usually just there to ensure that they stay charged in case they need to get used a lot. The radios only use more current when transmitting, as they use much less while recieving. The laptop is on only when I'm in the chase area. So, I pretty much avoided going the route for changing out the alternator. Yeah, I'm cheap - but I also don't feel the need to add an extra load to the engine. I suppose if you are in a vehicle with a couple of other people, then the power requirements will increase and a change of alternator would be in order. Or - you run enough light bars to land aircraft - lol!

 

[D. Hayes]

That's not much really. Most systems should be able to handle that all running at once. The regulator should rev the engine like the engine idles up when the a/c compressor kicks on. If you transmitted on both radios at the same time then you might overdraw a enough to make your headlights dim. I'm not sure how much juice the cell amp would draw but everything else is pretty low.

There are a few things you can do to improve your electrical system. Do the "Big 3" upgrade. This is mostly done for people with above average audio system but it would help anyone else with big power needs. Upgrade your electrical cables.

1. Battery positive (+) to alternator – From the positive terminal on your battery to the alternator positive (+) post
2. Engine block to chassis ground – From engine block to chasis. This is to strengthen the ground.
3. Battery ground (-) to chassis ground – From the negative terminal on your battery to your car’s chassis.

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Big-3-Car-Audio-Wiring-Upgrade&id=1411196

There is another recommended upgrade that many don't do. Frame ground to battery negative since most people ground to the frame/body and it needs that fat cable to get back to the negative battery terminal.

I can give links to were I bought my cable and connectors if anyone cares to know.

 

[Joshua Nall]

Like me.

Uhhhh... yeah, haha. Is that a Ford? got so much stuff covering it I can't tell. That's awesome. I bought a 4wd last winter, a Ford f250 diesel, and was super pleased with the freedom it gives you... no more wondering... hmm can I pull off here.. or is this road going to last, etc... I plan on building some sort of roof rack to slide over the windshield for hail and a grill guard this winter.

To get back on topic, that basic/popular cell amp that maximum signal sells draws very little current, can't remember the number on it.

My problem is when I leave my truck off and all my stuff on for an hour or so then start it up, the voltage drop from the starter pulling amps causes my inverter to shut itself off do to low voltage. right now I'm just using the power outlet with a power strip, but I'm wondering if I hard wire the inverter to the battery using some decent size wire if that will fix the problem. Will the voltage drop still occur even of you wire it directly to the battery? I wish I could just disable the automatic shut off on the inverter.

 

[Ric Burney]

My problem is when I leave my truck off and all my stuff on for an hour or so then start it up, the voltage drop from the starter pulling amps causes my inverter to shut itself off do to low voltage. right now I'm just using the power outlet with a power strip, but I'm wondering if I hard wire the inverter to the battery using some decent size wire if that will fix the problem. Will the voltage drop still occur even of you wire it directly to the battery? I wish I could just disable the automatic shut off on the inverter.

I have a 500w inverter hardwired and still had the same problem you just described this year. I just had a camera power supply on it but had to remember to shut it down before stopping for gas, etc.

 

[Drew.Gardonia]

My problem is when I leave my truck off and all my stuff on for an hour or so then start it up, the voltage drop from the starter pulling amps causes my inverter to shut itself off do to low voltage. right now I'm just using the power outlet with a power strip, but I'm wondering if I hard wire the inverter to the battery using some decent size wire if that will fix the problem. Will the voltage drop still occur even of you wire it directly to the battery? I wish I could just disable the automatic shut off on the inverter.

anytime you leave equipment on that is in the vehicle and wired to the vehicle's wiring system or hardwired to the battery you're going to have a voltage drop, and you could potentially run the risk of running your battery dead and causing your regulator in your amplifier to work harder than it should be, thefore shortening the life span of the alternator, and the battery.

just make sure you turn your stuff off when you're through with it and you'll be fine.

another option would be to wire your power wire from your power inverter, and any other equipment to the accessory power wire on your radio or your ignition switch as this will ensure that it goes off when the vehicle goes off. however if you do this, be sure to purchase a proper wire terminal post, to hook it all up, otherwise if you go splicing a bunch of wires into one wire, you'll overload the system and fry something or start a fire.

another option is to install a relay cutoff switch and mount the switch to the dash or some place where you'll be sure to flip it, (route your power wire for your accessorie(s) (ie power inverter, radio, etc) through the relay, and then to the battery) and this will instantly cut power to those items so you don't run the battery dead.

but depending on how much equipment you're running, you may need a vehicle electrician to take a look at your setup, and give you some recommendations, and go from there.

vehicle electricity is nothing to play with and if you don't know what you're doing, let a professional deal with it. just tell them you want everything to shut off when the vehicle shuts off, so you're not draining your battery or killing your alternator's life span.

 

[David Wolfson]

I don't think that will fix the problem because the starter load does drop the voltage at the battery. I've experimented with various configurations that deal with this issue, but also can fit within a 10A limit imposed by an accessory socket of a rental vehicle, and provide a circuit isolated from the auto-body ground for some degree of lightning protection.

The variation I'd suggest is:

1) Get a deep-cycle battery of the same physical type (if possible) as your truck battery, e.g. a Kirkland from Costco. This can supplement your truck battery in an emergency.
2) Get one or two 12v multi-stage constant-current chargers designed for Pb-acid batteries, e.g. a Xantrex 5A (http://www.xantrex.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=119).
3) Get one or two inexpensive ~100W auto-sensing inverters that don't have an alarm, but just turn themselves off if their input or temperature is out of bounds. They're $20-$30 each, when you can find them at places like Crustco, WallyMart, etc.
4) Run the constant-current charger(s) plus interruptable low-power a/c appliances, e.g. phone and camera chargers, off the inverter(s).
5) Float the output of the c-c charger(s) into the battery.
6) Power your 12v stuff off the battery.
7) Configure the battery, c-c charger(s) and related cords/sockets into a crate than can be wheeled into the room for security and topping off the battery at night; or have enough c-c charging capacity so the battery is kept topped off in normal daily operation and lock it down in the truck.

BTW, HP makes a dc/dc converter that fits many of their laptop models. Besides avoiding the extra voltage inversion the converter has a handy little button that shuts off simultaneously charging the laptop battery. This saves a significant draw off a limited 12v supply when you need it.

Hope this gives a few useful ideas you can adapt for your own situation.

 

[Rob Wadsworth]

Well, after reading some of the comments/input for proper electrical use - I think some small changes in my setup can be made.

The alternator that is in my Honda CR-V probably has an internal voltage regulator. So - running the lead from the alternator direct to the battery (if not already done this way) would be an improvement.
So would establishing a second ground lead.

Since I am not drawing that much current, I see no need to put a $300 high-output alternator in. Sure I have an air conditioner and electric windows, but I keep an eye on how much load I am giving the system.
I DO think that a deep-cycle battery will be in order and will probably replace the existing battery with one as soon as it needs a new battery. In the meantime, I see no immediate need to take a perfectly OK battery out of service and waste money. Although a deep-cycle battery for my car is probably $50 more than a stock one; I think the extra load overall would warrant the change - since it would also give me some reserve if the engine is shut off and some gear is still running.

 

[Ben Holcomb]

My small alternator in my Ranger ran everything just fine once I hard wired to the battery. I would have problems with the inverter dying after the car was off ~5 minutes. I'd also have a drop in voltage when I started the truck.

Now that I have my 07 F-150, I haven't had either problem. I sat for probably a good 30-45 minutes with everything running, then fired the truck back up, and the inverter didn't even miss a beat.

I'm only running 12 gauge wire, everything is connected with Powerpoles. It makes things really easy to change around from vehicle to vehicle and to connect/disconnect.

 

[D. Hayes]

First thing I did was changed out to a optima yellow top deep cycle, upgraded all my main electrical to 0/1 gauge. You can either supplement stock wiring or just remove it. I removed it. I bought the wire and terminals from http://www.knukonceptz.com/

I ran a 0/1 gauge wire direct from the battery inside the cab to a distribution block. From there I can power my 1000w inverters and yaesu 8900 with no sweat. My laptop pulls from the cigarette plug with cell phone off the laptop. The inverter charges batteries and powers my HV30 and what ever 120v stuff I happen to bring. I have a secondary laptop monitor that runs off the second cigarette plug.

Ben thanks for bring up powerpoles those look smart. I'm going to have to add that to the setup this spring.

 

[Brandon Sullivan]

All my equipment is hardwired direct to the battery. Targus Laptop Supply is wired inline with the inverter, and then ran to battery also..

I have a high output 160 Amp Alternator, and an optima red top battery..

All my equipment goes into a "Charge Guard" which is located on top of the battery. This serves to shut all my equipment off either when battery voltage gets low, or shuts it off when the timer runs out. A series of dip switches in the charge guard can determine the time it runs from 15 mins to 8 hrs.. When you start your vehicle back up, it will turn on all your equipment automatically.. Pretty neat device..

I can run all my equipment for an hour while I eat during a chase and have no worries at all if my car will start..

 

[Joshua Nall]

just make sure you turn your stuff off when you're through with it and you'll be fine.

I leave all my stuff on the whole trip and kill and start my truck constantly. Sometimes I'll sit in one place for 2 or 3 hours. My truck came with factory heavy duty dual batteries, so I'm certain I could go 6 or more hours and not drain the batteries enough to effect starting. The problem is after I sit for a while, when the starter kicks in and starts pulling juice my inverter kicks off, causing my laptop to shutdown, video recorder to stop, etc... which is a pain.

1) Get a deep-cycle battery of the same physical type (if possible) as your truck battery, e.g. a Kirkland from Costco. This can supplement your truck battery in an emergency.
2) Get one or two 12v multi-stage constant-current chargers designed for Pb-acid batteries, e.g. a Xantrex 5A (http://www.xantrex.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=119).
3) Get one or two inexpensive ~100W auto-sensing inverters that don't have an alarm, but just turn themselves off if their input or temperature is out of bounds. They're $20-$30 each, when you can find them at places like Crustco, WallyMart, etc.
4) Run the constant-current charger(s) plus interruptable low-power a/c appliances, e.g. phone and camera chargers, off the inverter(s).
5) Float the output of the c-c charger(s) into the battery.
6) Power your 12v stuff off the battery.
7) Configure the battery, c-c charger(s) and related cords/sockets into a crate than can be wheeled into the room for security and topping off the battery at night; or have enough c-c charging capacity so the battery is kept topped off in normal daily operation and lock it down in the truck.

BTW, HP makes a dc/dc converter that fits many of their laptop models. Besides avoiding the extra voltage inversion the converter has a handy little button that shuts off simultaneously charging the laptop battery. This saves a significant draw off a limited 12v supply when you need it.

1-7... that's interesting. I actually had thought about a separate battery with a separate inverter just to run the stuff that I wanted to never loose power but never thought about charging it with a charger run off the the inverter wired to my truck. I'll have to put some thought into it. The ideal thing would be to disable the automatic shut off on the inverter I have, as the voltage drop only occurs the very short time my starter is pulling juice... the problem is not with my factory batteries draining sufficiently to cause problems, even after I sit for a very long time.

I've not had much luck with DC converters, they give my camcorder fits, but if Dell made a 12 to 24 volt converter for my laptop then that might be an option, as long as it didn't cut out when I started up. I'd really like to continue running my laptop and camcorder from the inverter though.