what is a pulley? this is what it said on the little instruction sheet that came with the alt.
This alternator is supplied with a custom machined "overdrive" pulley. ----Free of charge by the way. ---We HIGHLY recommend not swapping out the factory pully.
With our custom machined pulley you are guaranteed as much output at idle as possible. If you choose to use your stock pulley, you will loose some output at low rpms. (Where it is most important to have the current available.) You will still get the maximum rated amperage, it will just take more rpms to get there.
If there are more grooves on this pulley than your factory pulley, use the grooves that are closest to the alternator. If the grooves happen to not line-up with the other accessories, use the grooves that line up correctly. The belt will NOT jump off or go onto the other grooves unless the belt is extremely loose. If your pulley is larger in diameter, subtract the difference and use a belt size that is half that amount shorter in length.
If you look at the picture, it is the round "disc" in the centre. Factory pulleys are usually much larger in size. He's just telling you to not replace it.
Leave whats on there... Its prob a whole lot smaller than the factory alternator... Which will allow it to spin the alternator internals almost twice as fast... Which further increases idle output.. which is good!
Not to much, Just tell them its a direct replacement. Dont mention anything about a HO alternator because they could use that as a reason to charge you more.
Regular mechanics these days might not even understand why you want to upgrade your BIG 3 so just make sure you get it right.
like MO said, tell them u would like them to installer a alternator... thats about the most they need to know..
the big 3 need to be done in atleast 0ga for best performance.. U can do this, or pay extra for them to do it.. but u will still have to direct them...
If u are confused... u can trace the factory wires from the battery to where-ever they lead to.. u can replace them 1 by 1 with the bigger gauge wire, or leave the factory wires, and ADD the bigger ga wires to the same location...
If you want to save money even further, pre-order a smaller belt for your car from parts store. Whatever the stock is, ask for 1" - 1.5" smaller in length. If not, those moronic mechanics will charge your double or triple AND charge you by the hour.
my stock pulley and the pulley from the picture above doesn't seem to be that different in size. maybe i don't need a shorter belt. this is frustrating. i have the damn ho alt in front of me and i can't do anything about it til this weekend cause i don't have time to go down to a mechanic. maybe i should attempt this myself tomorow. lol.
man i woke up with a bangin headache.... Chad the pulley may look close, but measure it to see the exact difference, smaller helps... a smaller belt would still help the crankshaft grab the belt tighter, and turn all accessories with better grip. lol, u should attempt it yourself, I would say its easier than building a box...
ok ima attempt it tonight since i still have like 2 hours of light after work. if i go to any auto parts store, they would have a plug that fits into that terminal thing right?
im sure u are near a car audio store, get some "ring terminals" that accept 0ga wire, u using 0ga correct? u will need a few rings, the have to attach to the batt poles and the alternator ring bolt. They terminals should be less than 5 bucks for a handfull or ring terminals!
B i was wrong about my stock pulley. its much bigger than the one dom built for me. also if you look at my stock alt there are few cables coming from it. if you look at the ho alt there is only one place for the cables. thats why i am confused. also i think i will need a shorter belt cause the pulley is much smaller on the ho alt.
gold 0 gauge ring terminals retail normally cost more than $5 for a handful.. Average (at least around here) is like $1.50 for a 0 gauge gold ring terminal.. $4 for a screw-type terminal.
ahhhhh, pics is good.. everything that unplugs from your factory alternator, will plug in directly to the HO alt... It can only fit 1 way. Just pay close attention to details!
Remove the factory alternator and match it side by side with the new alt, then make sure the plugs can fit it first.. it should..
Get the parts seperately, I wont get a kit, prob more expensive..
Find your nearest car audio store, tell them u need like 20ft of 0ga wire ($70~), a ANL fuse holder (~15-20), and a 250a ANL fuse(~5-8), a couple of ring terminals (<10), and distribution blks for 0ga! (~10-20) << unless your distblk can take 0ga now.
the cable that goes from the batt to the cars fuse box, leave that alone!!
Buying 0 gauge retail IMO is crazy.. You can get kolossus 0 gauge from knukonceptz (very fast shipping, too) and it's closer to 2/0 gauge than it is 1/0.. For under half the price you'd pay retail.. They also have distribution blocks.
well wire plus shippin prob be the same price.... I have not idea on prices of wire online, but its not light to ship 0ga. I would also discuss prices with the dealer, tell them what u are willin to pay.
ohh my American Bass wiring kit, however I got for 20$ from this kid selling his stuff, brand new in the case! local...
lol damn seth you must shop around for stuff alot. you seem to know all the good deals. thanks for the infos seth. also thanks to everyone who is helping me in this post. i am just nervous about this cause its the first time. i guess i have to do it if i want to learn right?
As you can see - shipping through them isnt that much.. And honestly, good luck finding 0 gauge at a local retail shop for $3 a foot.. Most places (again, in my area) Charge at least $4-$5 per foot.. And it has nearly 1,000 less strands than the KnuKonceptz equivalent.
Chad - you dont have to change any stock wiring.. Just add to it. Since electricity will take the path of least resistance, extra wire wont hurt anything.
Well if you guys are worried about price I did post a link above, cheap but good sh!t. If you can solder I would suggest doing your ring terminals that way. Crimps in my honest opinion are the lazy way of doing it and can have bad results later on, trust me! Go to a welding supply house and as for copper 1/0ga lugs, better quality. Polo.
Here is a paint image I made of how I upgraded my big 3.. (very easily..) I'll list what the gray numbers are below the pic..
1. This is my upgraded alternator to battery wire. I run my 0 gauge wire to a distribution block a short distance from my alternator, then have 0 gauge wire going to my front battery, and a 0 gauge wire going from it back into my car. ** The reason I do this, is it's a good way to avoid running like 3 feet of wire to your front battery, then running a wire from your battery back.. It pretty much just saves you from having to double back on your wire.. And the less wire length, the better.. (can save like 5 feet by doing this.. 2.5ish from alt to battery, then the 2.5ish that you'd use re-covering the distance on your way back to your vehicle cabin). Also, makes it MUCH neater, as far as the number of connections go to your battery, especially for you guys that dont have side & top mounts, just one or the other.**
2. This wire is my upgraded Battery to Chassis wire. I also run a seperate 0 gauge wire back to a distribution block near my amps/2nd/3rd battery as a dedicated ground that originates at the the point where my connection to the chassis is made. **Doing this - it's not only upgrading one of my big 3, but it's also like I'm running an un-interupted line of 0 gauge back from my front battery.**
3. This is another 0 gauge wire with a ring terminal I put between one of my alternators bolts, and the mount. This acts as my engine to chassis. **The reason I chose this spot, is because the main reason you need to upgrade your cars engine to chassis, is for your alternator.. So actually having a ground wire attached TO your alternator, is more efficient than upgrading the wire where the stock counterpart is. (Basically, lets my alternator ground directly to the battery, since this wire is also attached to the ring terminals where my battery to chassis ground is made). Pretty much, lets your alternator ground - without going through your engine, that's grounded somewhere else to the chassis. Think of it, as like keeping your ground wire as short as possible, and your engine being like 4 feet of un-needed wire.**
All the wiring shown in this diagram, is added to all of the stock wiring. (The dashed black line, is my dedicated ground..it's dashed since it's not a mandatory part of upgrading your big 3.) I left it all in place, as removing it serves no good purpose..but actually does just the opposite.
I'm not 100% sure about your alternator, but to me, it looks like the one you have as your 'ground', is really your power, and your 'power', is your plug in that should be identical to your current alternator.. (think of it as like a remote turn on for your alternator). The ground would be where it's bolted to your engine.
CHAD NO!!!! The bolt on the back of the alt is POWER and lots of it, lol. Technically it is case ground, meaning by bolting to your engine which is already grounded thus grounding the alt also. The wires for the plug in is to supply power to the regulator and for your battery light. Unhook the belt before you start not to mention disconnect the battery. To get your belt off locate the idler pulley and using a boxed end wrench (mine was 15mm) on the bolt in the center of the pulley and push in on it either clockwise or counter clockwise dependant on your engine. You will notice the pulley moving (takes a good amount of pressure) under a lot of spring pressure. try and hold it down with your left arm while using your right hand to slip it over the pulley end. Once it is off JUST the pulley for the alt, gently place it so it won't fall and you won't have to do the belt from scratch, meaning don't let it fall for you will be looking for the belt routing diagram real quick, lol. I would go to Auto Zone or such and invest in a Hase book appropriate for your vehicle, worth the $14. Polo..
thanks polo. after your explanation there i think i got it. i can do this. i will attempt it this weekend. i wasn't sure how i was going to take off the belt but you just explained it to me. thanks.
also, i couldn't find a book on my car at autozone. the latest book for my car is the 2000 model. mine is 2005.
WRONG = DO NOT DO THAT... DO NOT DO THAT^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Like Polo said...
The Bolt to the back is the POSTIVE form ALTERNATOR! Run 0ga from that bolt to POSITIVE of the battery!!
The part u labeled as power, is actually where u plug your gauges harness into!! This is what shows your voltage reading on the dashboard..\
Anything metal resting on the engine frame will be grounded!! SO when the alternator screws into place, it will be grounded!! However U can upgrade the engine to ground connection, by adding a 0ga cable from the NEG of the battery, to the alternator MOUNTING bolt!!! that will screw it back to the frame, with a ring terminal!!
Chad what Polo said about the belt, also, it should have the belt diagram on the radiator support!
well i think it was last night, I put my 300a HO alternator in, in the dark @ 10pm, In 10 mins, I wont rub it in Chad.. Kinda got loss, ears kinda hurt now too... Get more pics in the day light tmrw, hadnt even drive it today. was in my other car, Cadillac.
okay i got what you are saying. i am going to leave all the factory cables there and just run 0gauge from the bolt to the battery positive straight. also check out this picture. that is the idler pulley right?
YES!! I think that is a 15mm, try it. The bigger the wrench the easier it will be. Turn it to the left and slip the belt over the alts pully. You should not need a shorter belt either. Polo..
yepp, idler pulley, get a wrench on there and pull... It will release the tention on the belt, so the belt will pop off easy... Yea, re-use your belt like Polo said..
o i c. hey seth your diagram helped me alot. i know how to upgrade the big 3 now. i am gonna leave all the stock wiring like you said and just add the 0gauge from the alt to batt straight. also before i mount the alt, i will attach a 0 guage cable going to the batt negative. i will change the batt ground to 0 guage though. thanks.
specail thanks to B, polo, and seth. you guys really helped me understand. i will attempt to change my alt saturday and i hope things go okay.
damn B you are lucky your alt is right there in the front. mine is down pretty deep in the engine. i will attempt it today. i hope things go well. as soon as i take out the stock i will post a pic of it. i can't wait til get my alt in cause my voltage meter is beeping cause my voltage is dropping below 11.5v at volume 18.
okay i attempted to change the alt. i got the belt off, the connectors, and one bolt off. i don't know where the f**k the other bolt is. i think i have to go from below for the other bolt so i jacked up my car to look and couldn't find one. this sux. so i just put everything back the way they were.
btw, polo you weren't kidding about when the belt comes off all the other pulleys or whatever you call them. it took me 30 minutes just to put the belt back on. lol.
haha, when the belt comes off the pulleys... lol man the diagram should have been on the radiator support... 30mins... atleast u know how to do the belt part now..
here are the pics to compare. the picture clearly shows that i received the wrong alt from dom.
also in the meantime i wanted to upgrade the big 3. look at the picture below. the part i circle, i can add 0 gauge from there to the battery neg right?
Sorry to hear that! Repackage it and get it back out to him tomorrow with pictures of your old one if possible. I have a really weird looking one and hard to get he flound me a large case unit and it fit perfectly. I thought for sure he would have screwed it up but not a chance! Keep us posted, Polo..
yea that sux big time B. i have to wait another couple of weeks now. at least i know how to take out my stock alt now. the mechanic was nice enough to show me what i should do.
Drop Dom an e-mail right now and go to the post office and ship it out today. I would priority mail it to get it to him quicker and demand he reimburse you for shipping! Polo...
yea, Dom will send u off a new one, b4 he gets the old one... try to work something out! Express your distrubance... Also explain that you paid to take it to a store, then they couldnt do it, cause its the wrong size... That was a expense also.. ETC.
Man, I broke my box last night... I was beatin so freakin hard!!! I may sell my system to this guy... lol I told him 3Gs... so he thinkin... I SHOOK the entire complex!! People came out the ballcony on the 3rd floor, talkin about their walls were shaking... DEAF SQUAD!
you are just straight crazy man. lol. disturbing the peace like that.
i will send him the old one today. he did give me his phone number so i will call him later on today. i can't tell him i already paid for the mechanic B. any normal mechanic would know as soon as they look at my stock one without taking it out that the ho alt won't fit.
yes!!!! dom is rebuilding another one for me right now. he said he made a mistake and built the honda accord 4 cyl ho alt. he said they are different then the 6 cyl. he will have it shipped out this week which i am very happy about. nice guy on the phone.
---We 
