Sustaining Power at IDLE

CamJ255 · 06-02-2007, 05:58 PM

I'm just wondering what kind of power the stock alternator will put out at idle.

My problem is that I will need to sustain for now about 1000 watts at idle for 3-4 hours and eventually closer to 2500 watts RMS.

What is it going to take to be able to do this?

This is mostly going to be used for the fact that I camp a lot and my car plays host to field parties 2-3 times a week so i want to bring out my DJ equipment and just run it out the back of my car.

If the car can handle that much of a drain at idle then I guess I will buy the inverter if not then maybe it will be cheaper just to get a portable generator??

CamJ255 · 06-07-2007, 04:34 PM

bump

Wagonized · 06-08-2007, 06:36 AM

generator is your best bet...

but you could also put a couple good batteries in and have your truck revved constantly with a HO alt to do the trick.

Or truck off with a large battery bank.

Generator is cheapest though.

*Jason94sport* · 06-08-2007, 09:39 AM

I would not idle your X 3-4 hours straight, 2-3 times a week. Your going to kill your truck.

For what you want to do a generator makes much more sense. You can get a good 5000W for around $1200 these days.

Wagonized · 06-08-2007, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason94sport

I would not idle your X 3-4 hours straight, 2-3 times a week. Your going to kill your truck.

For what you want to do a generator makes much more sense. You can get a good 5000W for around $1200 these days.

idling wont kill your truck?

schmidlkofer · 06-08-2007, 03:13 PM

generator would be better.... fuel cost would be lower....cost of a generator is not much. and you dont need to worry about the stress oon the truck.

CamJ255 · 06-08-2007, 04:35 PM

truck will be fine, i did it last summer 5nights a week for 3 months but I was only pulling at max 1200-1500 watts. Probably 600RMS. It held together quite well and never had a power problem. A drain of 2500RMS is quite significant however. I would be interested to know the exact power output at idle.

For now I think I will look into buying a 3000watt generator.

I have never seen one of these in real life but If i can find one small enough it would be sweet to strip it down and attach it to the frame where the spare tire is. Hopefully I could wire an electric start from inside the cab. Add a few batteries and attach the fuel line to the actual tank. Wire it to turn on when the batteries dropped to a certain voltage or a certain amount of current is being drawn. I'm glad I have no interest in reselling this truck. haha.

Anyone have any other ideas?

I will keep you all updated. To my knowledge I will be the first to attempt this.

CamJ255 · 06-08-2007, 04:37 PM

Also, last summer I ran a chest freezer that was fit to the back of the truck and rigged like a fridge. It will be nice to put that back in. But for anyone who has thought of that it lasts for about 4-5 hours on a single battery.

*Jason94sport* · 06-08-2007, 08:53 PM

Well the stock alternators put out 12-14(or so) volts at idle. A 95 amp alternator would put out about 65 amps at idle. A 130amp alt would put out about 90 amps at idle.

So for watts at idle you'd have to convert that. I know there's a formula somewhere that will do it.

CamJ255 · 06-09-2007, 09:14 AM

its watts = volts x amps

so, generator is obviously my best bet. The car wouldnt be able to sustain power long enough with a drain of 2500 watts.

06-02-2007, 05:58 PM	#1
CamJ255 Wannabe Elite Explorer Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 15 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	Sustaining Power at IDLE I'm just wondering what kind of power the stock alternator will put out at idle. My problem is that I will need to sustain for now about 1000 watts at idle for 3-4 hours and eventually closer to 2500 watts RMS. What is it going to take to be able to do this? This is mostly going to be used for the fact that I camp a lot and my car plays host to field parties 2-3 times a week so i want to bring out my DJ equipment and just run it out the back of my car. If the car can handle that much of a drain at idle then I guess I will buy the inverter if not then maybe it will be cheaper just to get a portable generator??

06-08-2007, 03:13 PM	#6
schmidlkofer Wannabe Elite Explorer thornton, colorado. 94 XLT Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 912 Vehicle Specs	generator would be better.... fuel cost would be lower....cost of a generator is not much. and you dont need to worry about the stress oon the truck. __________________ green 1994 ford explorer with 36 inch irok super swampers on 17's

06-07-2007, 04:34 PM	#2
CamJ255 Wannabe Elite Explorer Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 15 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	bump

06-08-2007, 06:36 AM	#3
Wagonized Wannabe Elite Explorer abbotsford bc 97 5.0 limited Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 740 Vehicle Specs	generator is your best bet... but you could also put a couple good batteries in and have your truck revved constantly with a HO alt to do the trick. Or truck off with a large battery bank. Generator is cheapest though.

06-08-2007, 09:39 AM	#4
Jason94sport Elite Explorer South FL 93 Sport 2WD 5 speed Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 3,487 Vehicle Specs	I would not idle your X 3-4 hours straight, 2-3 times a week. Your going to kill your truck. For what you want to do a generator makes much more sense. You can get a good 5000W for around $1200 these days.

06-08-2007, 04:35 PM	#7
CamJ255 Wannabe Elite Explorer Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 15 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	truck will be fine, i did it last summer 5nights a week for 3 months but I was only pulling at max 1200-1500 watts. Probably 600RMS. It held together quite well and never had a power problem. A drain of 2500RMS is quite significant however. I would be interested to know the exact power output at idle. For now I think I will look into buying a 3000watt generator. I have never seen one of these in real life but If i can find one small enough it would be sweet to strip it down and attach it to the frame where the spare tire is. Hopefully I could wire an electric start from inside the cab. Add a few batteries and attach the fuel line to the actual tank. Wire it to turn on when the batteries dropped to a certain voltage or a certain amount of current is being drawn. I'm glad I have no interest in reselling this truck. haha. Anyone have any other ideas? I will keep you all updated. To my knowledge I will be the first to attempt this.

06-08-2007, 04:37 PM	#8
CamJ255 Wannabe Elite Explorer Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 15 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	Also, last summer I ran a chest freezer that was fit to the back of the truck and rigged like a fridge. It will be nice to put that back in. But for anyone who has thought of that it lasts for about 4-5 hours on a single battery.

06-08-2007, 08:53 PM	#9
Jason94sport Elite Explorer South FL 93 Sport 2WD 5 speed Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 3,487 Vehicle Specs	Well the stock alternators put out 12-14(or so) volts at idle. A 95 amp alternator would put out about 65 amps at idle. A 130amp alt would put out about 90 amps at idle. So for watts at idle you'd have to convert that. I know there's a formula somewhere that will do it.

06-09-2007, 09:14 AM	#10
CamJ255 Wannabe Elite Explorer Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 15 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	its watts = volts x amps so, generator is obviously my best bet. The car wouldnt be able to sustain power long enough with a drain of 2500 watts.