Alternator recommendations

[MuscleJunkie]

So I'm feeling that since I am running an e-fan and upgraded Kenwood Excelon stereo system - I believe it is time for a more powerful alternator.

Any recommendations on size, make and model. Want something that will last as long or longer than the factory one. It think it needs to put out alot more power too.

Thanks

 

[CDW6212R]

Do you have a problem at all yet with idle current(voltage test)? I have been through two aftermarket 5G units, and both had low voltage at idle using the stock pulley size. They both needed a smaller pulley to raise the idle rpm's, to make enough idle power. I just last Spring swapped a rebuilt alternator onto my last 98, I had lived with the low idle current for over six months. That one is the one suggested more recently, and Summit carried it for about $265, 200ish amps.

The OEM 5G alternator(high option models(140 amps)), is plenty for most vehicles. Unfortunately the 5G model does not have very good aftermarket upgraded options, or many. They are all expensive, and some are low end brands I'd avoid(DB Electronics for sure(plain Jane guts, no better than stock diodes etc)).

I have pondered whether it could be possible to modify the alternator brackets, to make one for the SBF that would take a 3G unit. Those are well supported by the aftermarket, I think they could be better for high current needs. I haven't had any spare time to think about that kind of project.

I would stick with the OEM alternator for as long as you can. If you have a progressive fan controller, the fan current should be moderate. Any kind of fan relay system will draw a bunch of current whenever the fan turns on. That would be worse than most added circuits, even a nice high powered stereo. Most stereos have low current needs, while a lot of amplifiers could pull lots of current. I have some smaller amps that take 15 amps, or around 25 amps, in 60w to 140w total power outputs(super low distortion, and very loud, but high current too).

 

[donalds]

I am running an e-fan

Are you running the same fan as before?
I use a db electronics alternator
it works fine but I changed a few things before I installed it
I tore into it rite away
Installed new skf bearings
I soldered all the connections diodes coils ect...
The parts all checked out real
I installed a new ford oem ford voltage regulator ...you can reuse yours have new brushes installed at your local rebuilder cheap
I then installed everything into the oem alternator case
I installed a smaller pulley
Been less than a year so I'm not sure how long it will last
It does supply plenty of power for my needs
I did make a thread on how to rebuild one
It should be similar to yours

 

[oo7]

I also use a DB electronics alternator. Didn't do jack to it. Works great.

 

[donalds]

I also use a DB electronics alternator. Didn't do jack to it. Works great.

I had to upgrade the bearings
They would have never have lasted with the torture I put on them

 

[CDW6212R]

Are you running the same fan as before?
I use a db electronics alternator
it works fine but I changed a few things before I installed it
I tore into it rite away
Installed new skf bearings
I soldered all the connections diodes coils ect...
The parts all checked out real
I installed a new ford oem ford voltage regulator ...you can reuse yours have new brushes installed at your local rebuilder cheap
I then installed everything into the oem alternator case
I installed a smaller pulley
Been less than a year so I'm not sure how long it will last
It does supply plenty of power for my needs
I did make a thread on how to rebuild one
It should be similar to yours

The DB unit I had lasted about two years, on my SOHC, and I had to change the pulley, plus one idler to allow me to use the same belt. When I went to have it rebuilt later, they said the stator was ruined(possibly due to the bearings being very worn), and the rest of the parts were not as good as the OEM. So they sold me a rebuilt stock alternator for $60, he said they would have wanted about $100 otherwise(no core too). So I got about $40 for that toasted DB unit, that's a big fail to me.

Well done donalds, going through that alternator will likely give you very good life from it. The one I had was supposed to be 170 amps, but as I said, the stator(determines amperage) was ruined, a total loss.

Pricing the 4G models ends up being near to or more than $1 per amp, which is expensive. That's when I wondered if a 3G could be used somehow in the bracket made for the 4G unit.

 

[MuscleJunkie]

Did the police version of the 2nd gen explorer use a bigger/different alternator?

 

[CDW6212R]

No, the 140 amp version is the biggest OEM unit, which should be in tons of trucks with most options. I think the lesser alternator may actually be more rare.

 

[Big D Johnson]

So I'm feeling that since I am running an e-fan and upgraded Kenwood Excelon stereo system - I believe it is time for a more powerful alternator.

Any recommendations on size, make and model. Want something that will last as long or longer than the factory one. It think it needs to put out alot more power too.

Thanks

I have a 98 mountaineer upgraded electrical and stereo system with a double din kenwood I have replaced all the factory speakers with JBL components have them running off a kenwood 800 watt amp which is powered by 4 gauge wire all the way back from the battery and 2 runs of 00 ga coming from the same location (batt) and a 1800 watt audiopipe 1d wired down to 0.67 ohm ruffly pushing 3 skar 8" zvx's I believe and other than the big 3 upgrade which is not entirely done as far as the wiring I actually only have to run my aux ground from the alternator to the frame everything else is done but long story short these 8s are hurting alot of people's feelings and I have my stock alternator and not capacitors or extra batteries the only time I have an issue is when I'm getting around 143 and up in dbs my headlights will dimming everytime it hits hard so I'm not sure how much power you trying to make but common rule of thumb is for every 800-1k watts you should have another battery after starting with the alternator I honestly have a hard time believing that I have made it this far with out a catastrophic failure of some sort when I do upgrade the alternator I'm going to use a 300 amp mecman just for good measure but if you not doing crazy stuff a 225 250 should be everything you need

 

[MuscleJunkie]

I have a 98 mountaineer upgraded electrical and stereo system with a double din kenwood I have replaced all the factory speakers with JBL components have them running off a kenwood 800 watt amp which is powered by 4 gauge wire all the way back from the battery and 2 runs of 00 ga coming from the same location (batt) and a 1800 watt audiopipe 1d wired down to 0.67 ohm ruffly pushing 3 skar 8" zvx's I believe and other than the big 3 upgrade which is not entirely done as far as the wiring I actually only have to run my aux ground from the alternator to the frame everything else is done but long story short these 8s are hurting alot of people's feelings and I have my stock alternator and not capacitors or extra batteries the only time I have an issue is when I'm getting around 143 and up in dbs my headlights will dimming everytime it hits hard so I'm not sure how much power you trying to make but common rule of thumb is for every 800-1k watts you should have another battery after starting with the alternator I honestly have a hard time believing that I have made it this far with out a catastrophic failure of some sort when I do upgrade the alternator I'm going to use a 300 amp mecman just for good measure but if you not doing crazy stuff a 225 250 should be everything you need

What is the big three upgrade? Regarding Kenwood - do you happen to know what are the best Xover settings in the headunit speaker settings section for the stock speakers (2000 Limited with the best stock system they offered that year with 8" sub). I have Xover settings available for the front, rear and sub but not guidance on how they should be set for the stock speakers and sub

 

[Big D Johnson]

So I'm feeling that since I am running an e-fan and upgraded Kenwood Excelon stereo system - I believe it is time for a more powerful alternator.

Any recommendations on size, make and model. Want something that will last as long or longer than the factory one. It think it needs to put out alot more power too.

Thanks

What is the big three upgrade? Regarding Kenwood - do you happen to know what are the best Xover settings in the headunit speaker settings section for the stock speakers (2000 Limited with the best stock system they offered that year with 8" sub). I have Xover settings available for the front, rear and sub but not guidance on how they should be set for the stock speakers and sub

Big three basically all it is is adding much larger wires from you batt and alternator without removing the old ones so heres how is goes
I used 0ga
Add one from your alt to the batt the hot side of alternator to the hot on battery
Upgrade the ground on the batt as well as the alternator run both ground from the battery to the frame( make sure you have good connections everywhere you add cable for instance the grounds make sure the paint or grease is completely off and cleaned to bare metal)
So hot wire from the alternator to batt
The ground at the battery and at the alternator to the frame and yes u used inline fuses between the alternator and battery just incase but any stock alternator will be much more powerful just by upgrading your wiring it makes a huge difference also that way when you get to upgrading the alternator your wiring is ready to handle the larger load

 

[Mbrooks420]

What is the big three upgrade? Regarding Kenwood - do you happen to know what are the best Xover settings in the headunit speaker settings section for the stock speakers (2000 Limited with the best stock system they offered that year with 8" sub). I have Xover settings available for the front, rear and sub but not guidance on how they should be set for the stock speakers and sub

You upgrade the power, ground, and alternator feed wire for less resistance. What Kenwood amp? What’s the fan draw?

I’ve ran pretty big inverters, 2-3 amps, and ran a 9500 pound winch with virtually no upgrades. These put out a lot of juice, especially for a classic vehicle.

 

[Big D Johnson]

Big three basically all it is is adding much larger wires from you batt and alternator without removing the old ones so heres how is goes
I used 0ga
Add one from your alt to the batt the hot side of alternator to the hot on battery
Upgrade the ground on the batt as well as the alternator run both ground from the battery to the frame( make sure you have good connections everywhere you add cable for instance the grounds make sure the paint or grease is completely off and cleaned to bare metal)
So hot wire from the alternator to batt
The ground at the battery and at the alternator to the frame and yes u used inline fuses between the alternator and battery just incase but any stock alternator will be much more powerful just by upgrading your wiring it makes a huge difference also that way when you get to upgrading the alternator your wiring is ready to handle the larger load

One last thing watch CAF CAR AUDIO FABRICATION CHANNEL on YouTube he can explain the xover settings and anything else that you can ask about wiring an how big of alternator you may need hes awesome very informative

 

[Mbrooks420]

I’ve never seen anyone leave the factory wiring when doing the big 3. It’s a bad idea, electrically, can start a fire, and paralleling non-equivalent wire gauges just isn’t done.

 

[CDW6212R]

... (2000 Limited with the best stock system they offered that year with 8" sub). ...

The stock high option(MACH) stereo in the 98-01's use typical OEM speaker wires to the five speakers, high level signals, and four go through the console wiring. That was made for all lows to go to the sub only, and the highs go to the door speakers.

What amp is that Kenwood Excelon using, just the internal amp? The powered HU's won't need any extra current, and as said it would take a lot to need more with most external amps you might use.

That Mecman brand didn't make a high amp 4G alternator when I was looking years ago(if they do, it'll be $400+ for similar amps as other brands(they were very high priced per amp)). The one on Summit was up near 250 amps(I forgot), but $265 then. Most high amp units you find won't be 4G's, they'll be 3G alternators, which are very common from the aftermarket.

 

[MuscleJunkie]

The stock high option(MACH) stereo in the 98-01's use typical OEM speaker wires to the five speakers, high level signals, and four go through the console wiring. That was made for all lows to go to the sub only, and the highs go to the door speakers.

What amp is that Kenwood Excelon using, just the internal amp? The powered HU's won't need any extra current, and as said it would take a lot to need more with most external amps you might use.

That Mecman brand didn't make a high amp 4G alternator when I was looking years ago(if they do, it'll be $400+ for similar amps as other brands(they were very high priced per amp)). The one on Summit was up near 250 amps(I forgot), but $265 then. Most high amp units you find won't be 4G's, they'll be 3G alternators, which are very common from the aftermarket.

Maximum Output Power : 50W x 4 (MOSFET Power IC)
3 Preouts (5V)

Here are the additional specs of my head unit

Specs | DDX9902S | eXcelon | CAR ENTERTAINMENT | KENWOOD USA

Welcome to KENWOOD USA Site. In pursuit of further value creation by integrality our three core business segments and establish [ mobile & home multimedia system ] business

www.kenwood.com

 

[Mbrooks420]

If it’s just a head unit, don’t bother with any upgrades. First on my list would be door speakers, followed by a better sub/amp. Zero reason to plan for more draw without an additional high wattage amp.

 

[CDW6212R]

Maximum Output Power : 50W x 4 (MOSFET Power IC)
3 Preouts (5V)

Here are the additional specs of my head unit

Specs | DDX9902S | eXcelon | CAR ENTERTAINMENT | KENWOOD USA

Welcome to KENWOOD USA Site. In pursuit of further value creation by integrality our three core business segments and establish [ mobile & home multimedia system ] business

www.kenwood.com

Yeah, that shows 10 amps for the deck. I'd wait also, until you have a lot more current draw to need something else.

I've settled on trying to fit my small amps under the rear seats. The Nakamichi amps I have need to be mounted fins up if possible, so making space under the seat to allow cooling, and the seat to fold down, should be interesting. I had no trouble with that in my Lincoln, under the parcel shelf in the trunk. The truck however is interesting to hide and amp. I'm hoping to bury the small JBL mono amp behind the quarter panel trim.