Upgraging the altanator wire

[tweet02]

How hard is it to upgrade the electrical wire from the altanator to the battery. I have a sound system that will be installed next weekens, and I have to upgrade "THE BIG 3" I saw were the wire starts and ends, but I dont know were it being ran. Any help???

 

[BrooklynBay]

You need to either trace the wiring, or look up the color codes on a schematic diagram. AutoZone has wiring diagrams on their website. You could also download a Ford CD from WWW.FordCDs.Com. The easiest way to trace the wiring is to look at the alternator's wiring harness, and mark down the colors of the wires. Trace these wires, and see where the other end is by its color. You could confirm the connections with a continuity tester.

 

[dynamite196]

You could probably buy the whole thing from a store specializing in audio.

 

[Wrench]

Hmmmm, the wire size that the OEM alternator came with, is exactly what the alternator can handle. I have seen more alternators fried because of oversized sound systems. Changing the wire size is not going to increase the output of the alternator. Always hook the power line directly to the battery with an inline fuse at the battery. Do you know the max. current requirement for your sound system? If you plan on running your sound system without the truck running then get another battery and leave the truck battery out of the circuit. Nothing kills an OEM alternator faster than trying to charge a low battery. If your power requirements are higher than what is standard, then get a high-output alternator and then you will need to increase the wire size to match.

 

[dynamite196]

just out of curiosity, what's the stock system rated for as far as current goes?

 

[Wrench]

That depends on what model xploder you have

 

[expo5.0]

wrench- how exactly will adding a larger wire add any stress to your alternator. you said it is "all it can handle".

I agree the stock alt isn't "hampered" by the current cable sizes (to any appreciable degree), but at the same time a slight gain may be shown with larger wires, and no damage is likely to result.

 

[BrooklynBay]

AlDive upgraded to a heavier gauge wire in one of his threads with a stock alternator, and only saw a minimal increase in voltage. The thicker wire has less resistance, and is capable of carrying more current.

 

[tweet02]

audio forums

I have been reading in 3 differnt audio forums, and that is said all over the forums, "CHANGE THE BIG 3" Its been stated the the larger guage wire will keep the current flow staedy, and you will see less of a dropage in the volts, as the amp or amps pull for current. I was thinking about a after market high output alt, but herd bad things about putting aftermarket atls in, and they have made the electrical systems go crazy. Im going to see how much current this system is going to require, and then I wil;l post it, and maybe we can all figure out what I need to do!!

 

[expo5.0]

if you do post what you'll be running i'll be able to tell you how far you need to go alt wise etc.

 

[Wrench]

Expo5.0 - A more accurate statement might be that the alternator output is matched to the wire size. OEM's are not about to spend a dime more than what is needed.

 

[expo5.0]

correct- so... so long as the stock cables are good enough to support the existing equipment they will let them go. therefore, some gain might certainly be seen by making them larger, right?

 

[Fredness]

The factory wire is guaged for the use of the factory installed equipment + some "slop". If you install more electronics you are going to put more of a strain on the factory system. A larger wire will help, and if there is ANY increase in voltage, it proves there was a problem. Don't assume that because it is factory, it good, wires degrade over time and their internal resistance increases.

What we are looking to increase is the current handling capacity of the system (amps). A decrease in voltage is a sign of insufficient current handling.

If the larger wire "fries" a system, it was improperly installed or just plain not right. If you have a 200 amp peak load on a 95 amp alternator, guess what?