Alternator upgrade for high power stereo...

F

figgie

Supramania Contributor
Mar 30, 2005
5,225
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Twin Cities, Minnesot-ah
Anthony

the alternator load sense is taken from a junction inside the car cabin.

My guess is it is not the alternator...
though a more EFFICENT altenator is not a bad thing :)
 
QWIKSTRIKE

QWIKSTRIKE

475rwhp459torq an climbin
Apr 3, 2005
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Some where out there
www.cardomain.com
figgie;1606137 said:
Anthony

the alternator load sense is taken from a junction inside the car cabin.

My guess is it is not the alternator...
though a more EFFICENT altenator is not a bad thing :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply Figgie, but now can you tell me where that is so I may run a test on connections and out put ?
 
Gargoyle

Gargoyle

New Member
Mar 13, 2006
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Portland, Oregon
I actually purchased, and am currently using the Suprastore Polished alternator listed above. The polish is pretty but not needed obviously for output. :) It is working great for me so far. I used to idle at a light with my stereo, defrost, fog lamps, and heat going and watch my dash and headlights dim with the bass beat. Doesn't happen any more, the alt gauge will dip a bit with the beat but all the lights are solid.

Brian
 
MarkIII4Me

MarkIII4Me

Project OVERKILL!!!
Apr 10, 2005
1,249
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Charleston, SC
The factory power and ground wires are not only small, but the ground points can corrode over time. Take a large wire (0/1ga is good) and run from battery to alternator, battery to frame, and frame to block. Be sure to clean all ground points. Believe it or not, in many cases this alleviates the need for a larger alternator.
 
thedave925

thedave925

Since 9/16/05
Nov 9, 2005
626
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East Bay, Cali
I've relocated my battery to the rear right corner, in a battery box.
2 awg (american wire gauge) to the alternator, 2 awg to the rear shock tower, oem ground from block to front left shock tower.

What exactly causes ground loop noise? You know, that annoying whine that gets louder/higher in pitch with the engine when the stereo is on...
Would it be, my amplifier in the rear not sharing the same ground point as the head unit in the dash, and the voltage of the patch cable between being the 'noise conductor'?

I've even seen kids in highschool that had in their battery relocation (get it close as possible to high power amplifier) a large gauge ground running from the block to the battery negative terminal.
They said that is 'highest efficiency', and that other ground points weren't as important when it comes to clean power to the amplifier.
I understand it but don't see the sense in running 2 large gauge runs to the rear like that, especially considering cost and dont forget adding in more fuses.

Thanks,
 
3p141592654

3p141592654

90T
Oct 11, 2005
3,816
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Thousand Oaks, CA
The whine is from the imperfect rectification of the AC power produced by the alternator to DC. It is typically solved using a low pass filter on the power feed. You can find a few capacitors that the factory added to suppress this noise. It has nothing to do with ground loops, which is a different source of noise.
 
FullNelson

FullNelson

New Member
Sep 17, 2007
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Coastal Georgia
I just solved mine. I tried many different grounds and in cases multiple grounds for the amps and Hu. No Go. Turned out to be a bad RCA, also look out for the RCAs to share to close of a space with the power wires when routing to the back, I spaced mine on the opposite sides of the car
 
thedave925

thedave925

Since 9/16/05
Nov 9, 2005
626
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0
East Bay, Cali
Thanks for that 3p. So I could install a filter at the ground point of the head unit to achieve this noise suppression?

I have a shielded patch cables, the high end 4ch and a mid level 2ch by Monster brand, running the right side of the car, and power running the left. Can't remember if they cross paths at the amp tho...

One time years ago, a parts counter guy told me that upgraded alternators can cause wire harnesses to catch fire, so I told him they make a sprayable cooling gel to prevent that lol (FYI it doesn't exist, I only BSd him back)
Wires only get hot when there is a lot of draw through them when they are under sized (too much resistance). So how does one expect a 500w amp to run off oem 16awg power. NO, you run a dedicated supply and fuse for it lol.

What kind of supply margin is ideal when purchasing a capable alternator? Ie, my running system is 130a, i need a 20% margin so 150a alternator is fine
 
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