Alternator

I believe i need a new alternator. i have a 140 amp right now in my 94 5.7 and i am going to get it tested before buying one. i can get a reman from autozone for 130 (lifetime warranty) but i came across a place who said they can build me a 180 or even 200 amp. i have a 2,000 watt stereo in the car as well. would this beefy alternator be better or will the 140 do just fine? i feel like these cars run through alternators quickly

I believe i need a new alternator. i have a 140 amp right now in my 94 5.7 and i am going to get it tested before buying one. i can get a reman from autozone for 130 (lifetime warranty) but i came across a place who said they can build me a 180 or even 200 amp. i have a 2,000 watt stereo in the car as well. would this beefy alternator be better or will the 140 do just fine? i feel like these cars run through alternators quickly

I think if you went for the 180 or 200 you'd get more life out of that alt so its probably better not to go back to the 140. Btw did the 140 do well? I have a 1000w system and currently am using my stock alt but i was gunna get the 140

I believe i need a new alternator. i have a 140 amp right now in my 94 5.7 and i am going to get it tested before buying one. i can get a reman from autozone for 130 (lifetime warranty) but i came across a place who said they can build me a 180 or even 200 amp. i have a 2,000 watt stereo in the car as well. would this beefy alternator be better or will the 140 do just fine? i feel like these cars run through alternators quickly

with the 2000watt amp you should consider the higher amperage alternators..

the 140amp is good with a 1000watt amp and the use of a one farad capacitor...

you need the amperage to properly drive the 2000watts..
If this is rms power output you will need the 200amp..

when my system is up i get alot of battery bounce and dimming lights with the 140 amp...i guess im going to try the 200 amp cuz i have gone through 3 alternators already

when my system is up i get alot of battery bounce and dimming lights with the 140 amp...i guess im going to try the 200 amp cuz i have gone through 3 alternators already

I am very familiar with vehicle owners that insist on high powered noise makers ,,,,the capacitor 1 or 2 farads is also recommended as this will smooth out the current surges that cause the alternator to get damaged..

these amps have killed many an alternator...

the other suggestion is to install a battery in the trunk /amp area and this then will also smooth out the current surges...you must properly fuse this and be very carefull in the wire/run....install...run the wire outside vehicle along the passenger side frame rail and properly support and use a grommet for penitration into the trunk/car body..this should be tested before install to see if it does the job...it should..

so i got my alternator and battery tested at the place that told me they could make me a 200 amp alternator and my alternator checked out fine but they told me my battery was causing the problem. I took this as good news because i had just gotten my battery a few months back and it was still under warrantee. I took my battery out and back to the store and it tested out fine. This was my biggest concern and now i do not know where to start. what can i check now?

so i got my alternator and battery tested at the place that told me they could make me a 200 amp alternator and my alternator checked out fine but they told me my battery was causing the problem. I took this as good news because i had just gotten my battery a few months back and it was still under warrantee. I took my battery out and back to the store and it tested out fine. This was my biggest concern and now i do not know where to start. what can i check now?

Talk to the guys who set up car electrical systems to support 10kW linear amplifiers they use on their CB radios on the "Super Bowl". There's a device called a 'Motor Maul' that has 3 or 4 batteries wired in series/parallel and can be used to support the draw of those linear amps, without needing a larger alternator. Or, those who hook up 4 and more alternators to their cars for the same purpose.

You don't need the series/parallel thing (you don't need to run your stereo amp at 14-18 volts), but something like this can help you.

so i got my alternator and battery tested at the place that told me they could make me a 200 amp alternator and my alternator checked out fine but they told me my battery was causing the problem. I took this as good news because i had just gotten my battery a few months back and it was still under warrantee. I took my battery out and back to the store and it tested out fine. This was my biggest concern and now i do not know where to start. what can i check now?



I have re-read all this posting...so exactly why do you believe the alternator is bad ? whats the problem?

battery is very weakly charged...anything i do in the car the battery drains emediately but then charges back again... for example- i turn my blinker on and the battery bounces with every blink or if i roll the window up the battery drains alot more than it should...it just is alot weaker than it ever has been.

i believe there is something staying on after i turn the car off...possible a bad ground or a short somewhere taking power from the battery because i drove my car about a week ago and i went to start it and it barely started...turned over very slow but started. i have noticed that when cold the voltmeter is high but weak and then if i drive the car around and then start it up when warm the battery is significantly lower on the voltmeter...it stays dead center. i still think it might be the alternator. any thoughts?

i believe there is something staying on after i turn the car off...possible a bad ground or a short somewhere taking power from the battery because i drove my car about a week ago and i went to start it and it barely started...turned over very slow but started. i have noticed that when cold the voltmeter is high but weak and then if i drive the car around and then start it up when warm the battery is significantly lower on the voltmeter...it stays dead center. i still think it might be the alternator. any thoughts?

A quick way to determine if you have current draw.
With car off, turn off everything, unplug under hood light.
Disconnect neg terminal of battery.
Touch battery cable to battery terminal lightly.
If a spark is observed while doing this, you have a current draw.
If you do have a current draw, try unplugging fuses one at a time and repeating above procedure until no spark is observed.
Then you have the offending circuit.
Once you determine which circuit is causing the short, you can now track down the problem.
Hope this helps.

i believe there is something staying on after i turn the car off...possible a bad ground or a short somewhere taking power from the battery because i drove my car about a week ago and i went to start it and it barely started...turned over very slow but started. i have noticed that when cold the voltmeter is high but weak and then if i drive the car around and then start it up when warm the battery is significantly lower on the voltmeter...it stays dead center. i still think it might be the alternator. any thoughts?

your battery is bad....if the connections are good and you are getting 14volts to the battery for charging then bring car to a auto part center that can load test this BATTERY....the buy a 800amp battery ..that way when you use car every 2 weeks it will still have power to start..

when temp is around 10deg f you get 50% battery power if your lucky...

http://innovativewiring.com/

Upgrading the wiring should be the first step.

the alternator guy told me it was my battery so i exchanged it and got a brand new one and same problem still...also when i brought in my battery they tested it and it was fine but still gave me a brand new optima red top...i will check for current draw basen on Blt2Lst's instructions...

the alternator guy told me it was my battery so i exchanged it and got a brand new one and same problem still...also when i brought in my battery they tested it and it was fine but still gave me a brand new optima red top...i will check for current draw basen on Blt2Lst's instructions...

I would look at all the aftermarket non oem equiptment first...

also as mentioned when large current draw is required over oem spec you must up grade the wiring...this means very large guage copper wire,with the connections soldered to the lugs and covered with a heat shrink insulator...

the grounds must also be secure and using the battery ground point is best ,,to reduce resistance in the frame/body...

i think my alternator in my car is bad also...im not sure...but just yesterday my 1000w amp in my trunk was beating perfectly fine...then all of a sudden im not able to crank it up past 8 and have a consistent beat in my trunk...i think its too much power for my alternator because the amp still powers on and beats...its just not loud at all

does anyone know what the problem may be...is it even the alternator or my battery?

btw i have 1000w pioneer amp powering 2 pyle series 15s...each sub is 1000w each...

i checked for current draw based on the instructions...disconnected the negative terminal and touched it to the terminal and no spark...i think my alternator is fine when its cold but when the car heats up it is less powerful or at least that is what it seems like..does this make any type of sense?

i checked for current draw based on the instructions...disconnected the negative terminal and touched it to the terminal and no spark...i think my alternator is fine when its cold but when the car heats up it is less powerful or at least that is what it seems like..does this make any type of sense?


yes! sometimes the alternator windings will fail at a higher temp...this is not that common but it does occur...

as the temperature rises the winding/s can open ..this then reduces the alternator current output...this can be measured with the proper test equiptment..I use an amprobe this pickup goes around the alternator output red wire and gives on a digital MV meter the acutal current that the alternator is putting out.. this test takes a minute to measure ...as nothing needs to be removed...

i think my alternator in my car is bad also...im not sure...but just yesterday my 1000w amp in my trunk was beating perfectly fine...then all of a sudden im not able to crank it up past 8 and have a consistent beat in my trunk...i think its too much power for my alternator because the amp still powers on and beats...its just not loud at all

does anyone know what the problem may be...is it even the alternator or my battery?

btw i have 1000w pioneer amp powering 2 pyle series 15s...each sub is 1000w each...

your noise maker problem may be a bad, melted speaker coil.....check the ohms on the speakers...high power amps will drop power when the output current goes too high, this is to protect the output module...

as the power is increased if the frequency is very low the speaker coils get quite hot ...and then the coil fuses together....

i dont even know where to begin to check for all of that lol..i think im just going to take it past best buy to see what the problem is...someone also told me maybe i need to turn down my amp also..

but if it is the coil...is that a cheap/quick fix?

i dont even know where to begin to check for all of that lol..i think im just going to take it past best buy to see what the problem is...someone also told me maybe i need to turn down my amp also..

but if it is the coil...is that a cheap/quick fix?

the coil is internal to the speaker...as power from the amp enters the speaker it produces a strong magnetic field that varies with the frequency and amplitude...this then pushes the speaker cone in and out moving air this creates sound...

with an ohm meter resistance is measured ..and the resistance must be close to the rated speaker impedance...

normal sub wolfer resistance would be 2 or 4 ohms...if it reads 0-1 ohm the coil is shorted....if it reads open [no resistance] the speaker will not produce any sound...

thanks...i got the problem fixed yesterday...it was a bad ground...had to get it re-wired...

next im going to need a custom fit box..if its not one thing its another with cars lol

...i feel like these cars run through alternators quickly

Mine is original. 1994 w/130K on it. I have higher wattage lighting, as well as 200W of add-on lighting, and I have no such problems.

http://mysite.verizon.net/strey/files/1994SSFront.jpg

I have a 2,000 watt stereo system that most likely caused the damage to the alternator...is that an impala or a caprice?

With that much wattage, you might even want to consider a second alternator, although I'm not sure how it would be mounted on the stock LT1 belt drive system. There is plenty of room in front, but not many good ways to mount one. You best bet might be to install an aftermarket high current stator kit, but those are really only good for a sustained 160 or so amps, and only about 100A at idle. You might try to fit a Delco 40SI (300A) alternator in the stock location, but it would be tough, and it would take 6-7 horsepower just to turn it under load.

BTW - That's one of the 6,400 or so Impalas made that year.

thanks...i got the problem fixed yesterday...it was a bad ground...had to get it re-wired...

next im going to need a custom fit box..if its not one thing its another with cars lol

the ground wire that was the problem.. Is this the ground for the amp....?

yes it was for the amp...now i dont even need to turn my volume past 8 because it beats alot harder than before..i guess it was faulty/bad wiring..

now i have to deal with my flowmasters backfiring...not sure why they are doing this..they only do it when i am driving on the highway..i was told it may be my carb

yes it was for the amp...now i dont even need to turn my volume past 8 because it beats alot harder than before..i guess it was faulty/bad wiring..

now i have to deal with my flowmasters backfiring...not sure why they are doing this..they only do it when i am driving on the highway..i was told it may be my carb

BECAUSE of the age the rust corrosion will interfere with using body grounds for high current devices...it would be best if you ran a ground wire from the amp ground to the battery ground point in the engine bay...

the back firing is it thru the exhuast or intake....sounds like exhaust...
I would check compression of the cylinders...

that back fire noise comes from the back of the cars..the pipes...i may need to take it to the shop to see what thats all about...i just had the carb tuned up last summer because when i purchased it the carb was out of wack and the idle was high so it was suckin up gas like no tomorrow...hopefully its not an expensive fix...ive spent enough money last wk on this car...i need to buy school books lol