Who is running the most amps on the stock alternator?

grunge311 · 03-14-2007, 11:45 AM

Who is running the most amps on the stock alternator? and how many amps of juice are you pulling after market?

My iraggi HO alternator is on its deathbed, and I can't get a hold of anyone their to make good on the lifetime warranty I bought so I might have to go back to the stock alt.

I recently upgraded to more effecient amps (audison) so while I upgraded my sound I dramatically reduced the electrical strain on my system. so maybe I don't need the HO alt anymore?

My amps, + other aftermarket equipment have a total of 150a fuses on them, the most I would ever use for long periods of time would be the stereo which is total fused at 120a.

Is anyone else running stock alt pulling that kind of juice? do you have any electrical issues? how long have you been running like that?

I had 210a of amplifiers in my truck, and ended up frying my stock battery (no longer hold a charge) so I upgraded to a optima, and the HO alt and haven't had any problems, but now my HO alt is dying and I don't know what to do.

bestatchess · 03-14-2007, 12:10 PM

What exactly is the problem with the alternator?

I would be on him like a rabid wolverine to honor the warranty.

Can you measure what you are actually drawing to the amps (e.g. with a clamp meter)?

grunge311 · 03-14-2007, 12:21 PM

Figures, that I try to get ahold of the guy for 5 days, with his cell number, email, and buisness phone and as soon as I post here he calls me back!!

He needs me to send it in so he can repair it, then send it back meaning I need to swap the OEM back in there anyway, at least until he fixes the one. Which sucks since I will probably pay someone to do it twice now instead of once.

grunge311 · 03-14-2007, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bestatchess

What exactly is the problem with the alternator?

I would be on him like a rabid wolverine to honor the warranty.

Can you measure what you are actually drawing to the amps (e.g. with a clamp meter)?

The alternator is howling with a high pitched loud whine at the engine with every rev, a mechanic took a listening device to it thinks its a bearing.

I have a clamp meter.. I also have no idea how to use it. What do I set it to and where should I clamp? it would save me a ton of money and trouble if I knew if the stock would work for me.

Justintoxicated · 03-14-2007, 04:41 PM

I'll be running 120 + 50 amp fuses on the amps I'm puting in next week. However my main fuse is only 160 amps or so.... Guess I will find out if I ever actualy pull that much power by wether or not I blow that ANL fuse.... I can let you know then!

The stock alt is good for what about 60-80 amps at idle? ....

I think I will need a HO alt as well (eventaully) but I will force myself to install it myself that way if/when I have problems I will also be able to swap back to stock myself.

I hope it is not tooooo difficult...

bestatchess · 03-14-2007, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grunge311

I have a clamp meter.. I also have no idea how to use it. What do I set it to and where should I clamp?

The + power cable that goes to your stereo amplifiers goes inside the confines of the clamp. You set the meter according to whatever settings it might have to read DC amps and read the display. This will tell you how much the stereo is drawing.

If you put the + cable from the alternator inside the clamp, you can read what the alternator is putting out.

TIsTAN · 03-14-2007, 08:20 PM

i have 3 alpine amps that total to 200A alone. no dimming lights ever and my headunit as well as volt gauge consistently report 13ish volts under normal listening volume. one day i was able to run my entire system for what seemd to be 90 minutes near full blast before the main 80A fuse blew. i just recently upgraded to two kinetiks in jan for the heck of it (600 and 1800, inline for now, isolated later) and still doing good. no noises, engine still starts up quick and with oomph. going on 9 months now.

**t22a80** · 03-14-2007, 08:33 PM

I have 2 ARC XXK-2500's one is bridged for the sub and the other is stereo for the comps. Total its about 1700 watts. I dont have any problems but I do need to upgrade my wires.

Justintoxicated · 03-14-2007, 09:28 PM

Just because you have large amps does not mean your gettgn the msot out of them. I would be a bit concerned if I saw 13V too often.

grunge311 · 03-15-2007, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bestatchess

The + power cable that goes to your stereo amplifiers goes inside the confines of the clamp. You set the meter according to whatever settings it might have to read DC amps and read the display. This will tell you how much the stereo is drawing.

If you put the + cable from the alternator inside the clamp, you can read what the alternator is putting out.

Mine only does AC voltage.. I put it on the main power cable and it read 6, is there a formula I can use to figure out what that means in DC voltage?

My Iraggi was always at 13, but thats because I kept the larger pulley on the HO because the one he ships with it won't work with the titans belt.

Iraggi told me that was fine, I was just shorting myself ~20 amps.

Wiscdave · 03-15-2007, 07:28 AM

My punch 601s - 300 rms*2 with a born 2100 watts total max dims the interior lights on the stock alternator pushing 2-P3s with no headlights on.

bestatchess · 03-15-2007, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grunge311

Mine only does AC voltage.. I put it on the main power cable and it read 6, is there a formula I can use to figure out what that means in DC voltage?

Not that I know of. I think you have to have an AC/DC clamp meter. I have a Fluke i1010 which is an AC/DC current clamp attachment for DMMs and I know that Fluke has others which are AC only. The way mine works is that you plug the clamp into a DMM. The clamp outputs 1mV = 1 amp, regardless of whether it is AC or DC. You have to set the DMM to mVDC to read DC amps and to mVAC to read AC amps. The only adjustment on the clamp is to zero the reading with nothing within the confines of the clamp.

grunge311 · 03-15-2007, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bestatchess

Not that I know of. I think you have to have an AC/DC clamp meter. I have a Fluke i1010 which is an AC/DC current clamp attachment for DMMs and I know that Fluke has others which are AC only. The way mine works is that you plug the clamp into a DMM. The clamp outputs 1mV = 1 amp, regardless of whether it is AC or DC. You have to set the DMM to mVDC to read DC amps and to mVAC to read AC amps. The only adjustment on the clamp is to zero the reading with nothing within the confines of the clamp.

Yeah I double checked mine is the cheapo AC only model.

Sears here I come
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...seBVCookie=Yes

bestatchess · 03-15-2007, 08:08 AM

I would pop for a true RMS meter. The $79.99 one at Sears is true RMS. There are a bunch of them on Ebay & Amazon. I don't know which ones are any good.

bestatchess · 03-15-2007, 08:12 AM

OOps. The $79.99 Sears model doesn't do DC current.

Here is one that specs true RMS and DC current. (I don't know if it or any other meter is any good).

http://cgi.ebay.com/True-RMS-AC-DC-c...QQcmdZViewItem