Alright man I have heard from SO MANY people regarding what I should do and a million answers. I got a 150 Amp HO alternator and my stock 3 wires are 8 AWG. Do I need to upgrade to 4 AWG or is that 8 fine? People (including the guy who I got the nator from - mr.alternator.com) said I will not need to upgrade. I was also told that the voltage produced is DC so I don't have to worry!!? lolol I have no idea on where to go from here and to top it off the wires look like they all run together into a big long mass of electric tape under the hood >_<! So instead of me spending the time on it (im lazy) I was going to pay a shop to do it; turns out most of the local shops wont touch anything electrical in that manner. So my other question is where should I go and look for a place that will change "the big 3"?
Try the place that you get your car worked on, I am getting my HO alternator put on by my mechanic. That shouldn't be a problem for your mechanic either. Call before you go and ask him, call around if he can't do it.
in upping my alternator from stock 90amp to 160amp the instructions said to drop down to 4gauge from 8gauge. at first i did not. Within days the battery/check engine light came on and deep bass moved my voltage meter (along with headlights). idle was ok. just deep bass
i swapped to 4gauge and have not had the issue repeat.
"I was also told that the voltage produced is DC so I don't have to worry!!?" That has nothing to do with choosing wire. Wire is chosen based on the current it has to carry, voltage has nothing to do with it. That's the reason industries use high voltage lines, because you can run a higher voltage and lower current to get the same power, and use smaller wire to deliver the power because there is less current to carry. The only difference between AC and DC in respect is that AC is constantly changing, and generates inductance in the process. It has no effect on choosing wire size.
As far as somewhere to upgrade the wires, any alternator shop should do it, really any mechanic should be willing to do it. It's just three wires, and they only need crimp connections on their ends, so I don't see why you'd have a big problem changing them yourself in little time, unless your car is a wiring rat's nest under the hood.
i upgraded the alt in my 98 chevy blazer to a 160 amp. the upgraded 4 guage wire is a must and can be bought at discount auto parts. i have the alternator charging one optima in the front and another in the back! I dont have any problems witht the system or my lights. plus the instructions that came with the alternator said it is required.
Well the problem is that im a lazy @ss and done feel like taking apart the plastic wire protection tubing surrounding everything under the hood. My normal mechanic says he wont do it... :/ lol. So will running the low gauge wire up the voltage or no?
Anonymous
Posted on
kevin you said you got two optimas did you need a battery isolator
Damien, Get off your lazy $ss and put that 4 guage wire in. The reason amplifiers use thick wire is because there is less resistance , that means more juice (amp draw). It may not be noticible on a voltmeter the 4 guage wire will charge your battery better. On my blazer it took 2 minutes to put the 4 guage in. Its only the wire going from the back of the alternator to the battery.
Anonymous
Posted on
so i need a bigger alternator a battery for up front and one for in back?with this will i need a cap? if i do how big?and what would be the best size alternator ? i will be running 2 15"x.x.x. and 2 hifonics 1800.1 brutus amps at 1 ohm please drop a line or to thank you very much everybody
The two main reasons you use large wire with current draw are 1) Because the wire has more resistance, it can't carry the current that a larger wire can. This causes insufficient power to the amplifier, causing sagging voltage rails, leading to clipping and possible damage of the amp due to overheating and abuse of the components 2) Again, because of higher resistance, the temperature of the wire itself is increased. When you do this, you risk melting wire insulation, risking a dead short by the wire hitting metal, which can damage your electrical system, start fires, and possibly make your car burst into flames. Results aren't pretty.
I want to do the BIG three...anyone please tell me where the power wire on the alt is located? is it the black hooded-shaped thing that snaps onto the shiny nub on top of the alternator?