Alternator Upgrade?

[discostuee]

Hi,
I have a VP v6 in my 4runner. I have alot of electrics and spots on the truck. My problem is ive just put in a akai 1200w amp, 12" sub and 2x 7x10 speakers. Now the lights dim when i pump the volume. I have 4awg wire to the block / chassis.

Is there any mods i can make to get more juice from the alternator or can i use another alternator with more power (my mate owns a wreckers yard) .


cheers all.

[Morton]

I think for a start you should look at running 2 or 0ga wire to the amp from the battery, and similar for the amp ground. Look at getting a good capacitor for the system too, if you're getting sudden bass spikes.

An alternator putting out more amps would be good, but in my experience they don't charge so well at low revs, so you may still run the risk of your battery running flat at idle.

[immortality]

make sure you have a real good battery, clean all terminals etc and also upgrade the battery -ve to chassis cable with 4g cable. it also can't hurt to replace the alt to battery +ve with the same 4g cable

[VrWagz1]

You'de need to calcutate how much current you are drawing or if you know somone with the right meter just measure it. I think the alternators are good for 70amps. You may go close with everything on. but how often are you gonna have all your spotties on and the stereo cranked for hours on end.

Your lights will dim for sure with those loads as the battery will loose voltage as you draw high currents out of it as it has an internal resistance. A bigger alternator will not fix this. The best thing you could do is reasearch some batteries and buy a good big one.

[immortality]

i though all holden 3800 engines came with 85amp alternators? a high quality battery is your best bet.

[1991_Vn2nV]

i though all holden 3800 engines came with 85amp alternators? a high quality battery is your best bet.

Yeah they are 85 amp.