More power!! Bigger Altenator needed

Ive installed a split charging system on my Primera with a second Bosch battery located in the boot due to the ammount of current drain because of the system. But now instead of having the main battery flattening all the time, im now flattening BOTH batteries!!! I think its time for a bigger altenator that can deliver more Ah to charge both batteries.

Is there anyone on the market that does replacement uprated alternators which will fit into the stock position? I have AirCon on my Primera and what looks like very little space for it to locate.

Do you have any caps?

I will be putting one in, just as soon as i finished paying for it:D along with a Pheonix Gold Proline Driver, but that will only aid bass not power as such. The cap will help produce more punchy bass notes.

Maybe, two more batteries? lol. How many watts are you running now?

hehe.....could do, but still need to charge them:D Im having to use a car battery charger every few days, just to keep it topped up. If the system battery is too low, the amps dont come on, or just one does and its normally the sub amp, so....... i drive around and all i hear is BASS!!! I like my bass, but not that much:D

As for watts.......... i dont really now how you add it all up. Have a look on my spec sheet and see if you know. The link is below.

I would imagine you have ALOT of watts running through the car if two batteries are goin dead from it.

Hey, you said you want a new alternator, but there's little room in the engine compartment? why don't you just attach it to the roof like everything else in your car.

Heh, maybe you ought to consider removing the 1001 neons and other lights you have dotted around the car! They probably use more power than a small town ;)

Seriously though, there is no way that the stock alternator was ever going to power two batteries properly :( I personally don't know of any "high-power" alternators designed with the Primera in mind, but I'm sure that a standard fitment one could be installed somehow.

Either that, or maybe you should build your very own windfarm in the boot - with the amount of air that is no doubt being forced out of those sub's, you should be able to power the whole of Newcastle ;)

Originally posted by Anthony
Heh, maybe you ought to consider removing the 1001 neons and other lights you have dotted around the car! They probably use more power than a small town ;)

Either that, or maybe you should build your very own windfarm in the boot - with the amount of air that is no doubt being forced out of those sub's, you should be able to power the whole of Newcastle ;)

lol!

hehe:D .....cmon guys, this is serious man!! i need to figure out what to do about the alternator.

i think all alternators give as much power as any other one. havent heard of any alternator upgrades either. think you could fit another alternator in the bay and make it work somehow, one for each battery. :rolleyes:

"Kenwood KAC-PS301T 2x200w amp driving subs
Kenwood KAC-PS501F 4x150w amp driving fronts and rears"

from what i can gather, you are only running 350 watts RMS, which isnt very much at all. i think something is wrong.

and unless you are getting a battery light warning, then there is nothing wrong with your alternator. i'm sure it can handle at least 500 watts.

I have a 1000w amp for my Subs and a 600w amp for my mids and highs and I have no problems with my battery going dead.. My lights don't even dim.

The only other thing i can think it may be is the fancy alarm system ive instaaled. I bought it from the US and its one of those Color LCD Pager Alarms with Remote Start, but i cant see how it could effect the battery sooooo much??? I do understand that its 2 way, mening it comunicates with the pager unit, updating it as to the situation on the car, but how can it drain so much power. Any ideas anyone?

Originally posted by P11GT
The only other thing i can think it may be is the fancy alarm system ive instaaled. I bought it from the US and its one of those Color LCD Pager Alarms with Remote Start, but i cant see how it could effect the battery sooooo much??? I do understand that its 2 way, mening it comunicates with the pager unit, updating it as to the situation on the car, but how can it drain so much power. Any ideas anyone?


Well, if you installed even one wire wrong, it could drain the battery excessively, know what I mean? A friend of mine installed foglights on his car, and put one wire wrong, and his battery died completely cuz of them.

I agree, you have a charging problem. I used to run two amps that would draw 175 amps between them (more than 4 gauge can carry). With no problems.

What type of battery isolator are you using and how is it set up?

Oh, if you do really need a bigger alternator, there are a couple of options. Nissan uses pretty much the same alternators in all of their vehicles, so you may be able to look for one from an I30 or something with a larger capacity.

Another option along the same lines is to look at a Canadian model of your car. Canadian models usually get high output factory alternators because it's so damn dark and cold up there. :)

It is also possible to have a stock alternator reqired for more capacity.

Also, Nissan uses the same pulleys on all of their stuff, but different sizes. You can go to a junkyard and so some searching and come upo with larger or smaller pulleys for your different devices. I make cheap underdrive pulleys for my Nissans by doing this. You could do the reverse and get a larger pulley so that you can overdrive your alternator to get more output at the same RPM. You may have to get a slightly longer or shorter belt, but that's not a problem.

P11GT,
Your stock alternator should definately be able to handle what you have.
I think you might want to go check out your alternator to make sure it is working at all. It seems like if you have to manually recharge your batteries every few days that theres something wrong with it. Either that or something is sucking up power all of the time, like someone mentioned before.
Good luck man I hope you get this figured out!

I know that there is a small current drain, something like 0.2 amps or something, and the alternator has been checked by the dealers before, when i first noticed the problem with a brand new battery. They insist that its fine. So the only thing i can conclude is that the alternator isnt enough to charge both batteries, therefore im looking for a bigger one. I might ask around to see if anyone can uprate this stock one, if it can be done.

It seems like you would be able to get another alternator from Nissan that can charge more (ie. from a bigger car or something).
It seems really strange that we don't have very many choices for alternators.. or at least choices that actually work! :o

remember the problem i had with flashing lights on the car at low revs? well i changed the battery like you suggested but it made no difference.....Nissan also said my alternator was fine like they have told you.... I changed it anyway and the problem went.... maybe you should just change the alternator.... i reckon this might solve your problems.... only problm is even for a service exchange item from my local motor factors its still bloody expensive !!

The same companys that re-con alternators should be
able to alter the alternators output (probably with the regulator)
so that should solve the prob, but I think its worth gettin
a decent auto electrician to check for other current drains first

yeah, will do Chris, after i get it back from the garage maybe.

hey Kevin, Andreas Miko is selling alternators for $65 shipped, not sure if he will ship overseas, but i can get it for you and ship it to you if you want. he posted on the sr20de forums.

i didnt bother to read all the replies, but im figuring your lights are dimming or maybe youramps and all other accessories are totally outdoing the stock underpowered alternator, my friend there is one solution, sometimes a pricey one, but if you spend good money one time, youll get somethig thatll last you and hopefully with a warranty, you should pick up a high amperage alternator, depending on however many amps your amps and other accessories tend to suck, your the guy with the kenwood excelons on the roof right? lets say 100amps for those and maybe another 50 amps for everything else. so get like a 150-200amp alternator, ohio generator here in the states makes some of the sickest alternators, i found another company that makes aftermarket alternators with potentiometers so you can click up the voltage to about 14.4v and get more wattage from those dinky japanese amps.. (sorry not a fan of japanese amps..other than luxman) so i dunno.. look em up, maybe (meisearch.com) you should be able to find a good reliable alternator, stay away from streetwires though, pretty much youll be getting a big alternator with nissan brackets, just get one for a infinity g20 if your gonna order it from the states..


one love
babir

http://www.ampmanaudio.com/stingeralternator.html

if you end up getting one of these alternators. lemme know.. cause i want one too

Got a Q on those high amp altenators. Do you think all your stock wire harnesses will be fine? Im guessing all were changing here is amperage and not wattage?

Watts = Volts * amps

They are all related, change one, change them all.

(I still don't think his problem has anything to do with an alternator.)

how big is the alternator on a g20, like 75amps or somethin? i dunno.. bigger alternators rule cause your getting the right amt of power to the amps without straining the system, so no blinking lights, i used to work at a car stereo shop and people would always get big amps and never actually beef up the charging system (that is part of the charging system right?) so the amps wouldnt run to their complete potential or whatnot.. i dunno, maybe i shouldve read the posts better=)

sorry
babir

I think that Cap you said you were gettin' might be the answer!
They actually store current for when your amp/subs draw alot.
How many farads is it ??? I don't know what all U got in there, but, I'd say you want AT LEAST 1.5 -2.0 farads.

L8R
f-bOmb!:smoker2:

If his battery is running dry every couple of days then a cap isn't gonna do jack crap.

Originally posted by frogg
If his battery is running dry every couple of days then a cap isn't gonna do jack crap.

well wouldnt the cap store power so the amp doesnt have to suck as much power from the battery? that way less drain :confused:

i agree, like i said before, the cap stores temporary charge to deliver when needed according to the bass line, so if you think about how many time the bass actually hits in one single track, then thats how quickly the current moves in and out of a cap. You still need something to feed the cap i.e. a battery, so, back to my main problem, MY BATTERY IS FLAT!!!

That Cap(s) might help w/ the spare battery. But, if your batteries keep goin' flat every couple days maybe something is constinantly drawing power from your battery. Check your amp(s) relay (toggle...however you have it hooked up). Or check your alarm connections and relays. Like you said that might be the problem.

:hehehe: I think its so funny how it's (trunk) called a "boot":hehehe:

Peace!
f-bOmb!:smoker2:

first off frogg, i dunno how your car pulls it off, but go count your fuses, how much of adrain are you putting on that alternator, i garantee you if you put a bigger alternator in there itll be like a different system since youd be supplying the correct amount of power to those amps, maybe then it would put out a 1000watts, but i doubt.. maybe im wrong, but i was assuming 60-75amps for the alternators we have..

as far as the alternator question and solution goes, personally i was gonna have my factory one rebuilt/rewound by some little store i heard about down here in atl, they do rebuilds and i figured id go check and see if they can rebuild mine to put out about 150.. or somethin, either that or i was gonna look for a phoenix gold alternator for anissan, and maybe get new brackets to make it fit.. or look into ohiogenerator/stinger aftermarket hi amp alternators.. hope it helps

cheers tek - ive looked into getting mine rewound, and i think it can be done locally too. ive gotta go back and see the guy sometime, but im also going to invest in one single deep cycle battery, either optima yellow top or Exide 900 DC http//:www.exideuk.co.uk instead of my two i have now.

i dunno if they carry interstate batteries, but theyre the same as those optima yellow tops, or well wait, no theyre like the red gel cells, but they dont have an optima sticker, i used to have an svr battery, but the shop i used to work at always seemed to get optimas back all the time cause of trouble.. however im assuming its the person who installed its fault rather than the product, since you see optimas everywhere..=), but just ahint if you can get em, they were cheaper, i think i used to pay 140-150$ a battery rather than the 200+ price... im sure the loot could be used for something more fun.. gas or lunch=)..

Yea Tek you're probably right. I've always wondered why my system hasn't hit harder, considering how much power i'm putting to the subs.
I have a 100amp fuse and a 30amp fuse. It's kind of amazing that my battery doesn't go dead.
How much (general price) would be.. say, a 150amp alternator?
Thanks alot man :)

im ordering my yellow top today, should be here by the weekend. priced at £182.13 UK all in, you convert that over, i think a bit pricey, but as long as it works.

okay a 150amp alternator, last time i checked with ohio generator, i found an alternator that was universal for imports or somethin, well nissans, so i guess the plugs will all be the same, but it was 600+, thats why i was gonna either take my factory alternator and have it rewound, but i was also looking at the suggestions ive been hearing aboutjust using an infinity alternator, maybe the q45 goes over 100amps, thats be awesome if it was 150amps=), but to be honest.. the price is always too high on a performance alternator.. but then again what garantees quality on a rebuild, i mean are alternators prone to breaking, or once its rebuilt it stays good? just curious


thanks
babir

but yo, frogg, imma look into the alternators for a g20, ill check your year too.. and let ya know what i find, k? thats the same for anyone else ont he board thats interested..

okay a 150amp alternator, last time i checked with ohio generator, i found an alternator that was universal for imports or somethin, well nissans, so i guess the plugs will all be the same, but it was 600+, thats why i was gonna either take my factory alternator and have it rewound, but i was also looking at the suggestions ive been hearing aboutjust using an infinity alternator, maybe the q45 goes over 100amps, thats be awesome if it was 150amps=), but to be honest.. the price is always too high on a performance alternator.. but then again what garantees quality on a rebuild, i mean are alternators prone to breaking, or once its rebuilt it stays good? just curious


thanks
babir

but yo, frogg, imma look into the alternators for a g20, ill check your year too.. and let ya know what i find, k? thats the same for anyone else ont he board thats interested..

yea yo.. btw P11GT, that is a really high price, i wonder how much itd cost to ship a battery from here, itd have to be one of those biohazard packages or somethin wouldnt it since its a corrosive/acid or whatever

the optimas are gel batteries i believe and are totally sealed, well thats the general idea. they can withstand vibration aswell so shipping should be easy. but ive ordered it now and payed the price for it.

Originally posted by P11GT
Ive installed a split charging system on my Primera with a second Bosch battery located in the boot due to the ammount of current drain because of the system. But now instead of having the main battery flattening all the time, im now flattening BOTH batteries!!! I think its time for a bigger altenator that can deliver more Ah to charge both batteries.

Is there anyone on the market that does replacement uprated alternators which will fit into the stock position? I have AirCon on my Primera and what looks like very little space for it to locate.


The Gawd has heard ur prayer and I will solve ur problem quickly!


Who did ur install???
When u decided to go on 2 batteries did u add a dual battery isolator???
I doubt u did and they solve ur problem quite quickly. If you do have one list your electronic accesories and I'll help you out brotha

just reading back thru most of the replies.........
ive now installed a 1.0 Farad Cap, and its producing a lot more crisp bass, but as i guess before, still need to charge the battery to supply the system. still havent found someone to re-wind my stock alternator yet, but im gonna have to, as im relocating the battery to just one, in the boot, as i need the space for the turbo conversion.

If your stock alternator is working fine all you really need is a good battery and a large capacitor close to your amps. 1.0farad is good up to 1000wrms system. I've got a a tad over 1000wrms in my car and I'm running a 3.0 farad cap. Probally the largest cylinder style capacitor on the market. Aftermarket alternators designed for car audio like Gold Quest, Streetwires, Stinger, and most of the well know interconnect/wire companies will cost you between 600-800 dollars. The beauty of our G20's over other imports is our stock alternators are strong. Most Hondas have weak 35amp alternators and our's are well over twice that to support all standard power windows/seats/locks/alarm/etc. etc. I'd suggest rewinding your stock alternator only if your you have some super SPL competition setup with crazy high current amps like MMATS, US amps etc. Personally, I'd go with a good battery and overkill with the a capacitor it acts just as good as a second battery. Mine is a MA Audio 3.0 digitop cap, you might want to look into Alumapro 5 or 15 farad caps. since you bought one allready buy one for each amp. my 2 cents...

I heard our alts are ford style. soooo you could get the alt from one of fords largest vehicles and pray that it'll fit