160 amp alternator

[jdlmkviii]

Well I just put in a new 160 amp alternator, but to my suprise the volt meter is way down and the dash goes dim at idle.... so what the heck is goin on here? and I noticed I don't have much oil pressure either, it's just about always in the red also... any ideas? thoughts? opinions?

Thanks in advance!

[Elbert]

Originally Posted by jdlmkviii

Well I just put in a new 160 amp alternator, but to my suprise the volt meter is way down and the dash goes dim at idle.... so what the heck is goin on here? and I noticed I don't have much oil pressure either, it's just about always in the red also... any ideas? thoughts? opinions?

Thanks in advance!

what year and model ?

I know on some trucks when you go past 130 Amps it takes some type of special harness (at least thats what I've read) Do you have a multi-meter? What the voltage at the battery with the engine running? YOu can get a decent cheapo multi-meter at Radio Shack or even at Sears. You need to see at least 13.0 volts at the batter @ engine idle. Make sure all your connections are tight and correct. I assume your battery is good? and you have no other problems..

[jdlmkviii]

It is a 1994 C/K 1500

[Elbert]

I talked to one of the parts shop on a high output alternator for my 92K1500, and they made mention that it came with its own harness??

What is the volts measurement at the battery with the engine running at idle?

[jdlmkviii]

haven't measured the voltage yet but I will soon when I get a hold of a multi meter.... but yes I have heard that a higher amp alternator needs a thicker gauge battery wire which is starting to make sense now.... but who knows, I'll get back to ya and see what happens.

[Rs051802]

Did you put the alt in to accomodate a stereo system? If you did then definitely a larger power to battery. I would also recomend a big 3 upgrade. Do not remove original wiring when upgrading, just add the additional. Big 3 is
batt + to alt +
Batt - to block -
Block - to Chassis -
These wires should be upgraded to atleast 4 ga. If it is for a stereo, on a 160 amp alt I would imagine you have 1 ga on the amp. In that event I would go with atleast 1 ga for the upgrades. This will help substantially with power loss both from the engine and elec system.