alternator ???

[vxfocus]

anybody know if the 96 trooper acura slx 3.2l alternator will with the vx 3.5l
im lookin to get a high output alt but can only find one for the above application.
thanx for any help

[evillecutter]

not sure about the alternator but when i bought my a/c compressor it said it was for a honda and when i got my starter it said it was for an acura (which is a honda) - if you are not going for an exact replacement by ordering the model # of your alternator i would jsut order it and see if it fits - snowballs chance in hell anyone on the phone or at a parts store will be able to tell you - if you do order one most places will pay for the shipping back if you tell them it was the wrong part - good luck

[vxfocus]

thanx

[jmayer40]

Cheaper to have rebuild. 30-50 bucks

[tom4bren]

He's looking for a high output altenantor though so a simple rebuild isn't gonna get him what he wants.

[evillecutter]

if you do find a beefed up alternator that fits please let us know where and what model

[tom4bren]

Contact etlsport. He had one & can probably give you some insight. His is currently FUBAR though because of some electrical issues he had.

You can also try these guys:

http://www.motorcityreman.com/high-amp-alternators.html

[vt_maverick]

Reviving this thread. I'm finding that my CarPC is dragging my battery pretty hard - to the extent that my two year old Diehard Platinum battery drops to 50% capacity or below after sitting for just a couple of days. I haven't had any problems starting the VX, even after she sits for 4 or 5 days, but because the CarPC's power supply is configured to detect low voltage/capacity conditions and prevent the system from powering on and thus destroying your remaining capacity (pretty neat huh?) I'm occasionally running into situations where it won't come on until after I've reconditioned the battery for several hours on an external charger. This leads me to believe perhaps either my alternator is starting to weaken or I'm running too much tech gear without a heavier duty alternator.

I'm almost certain the 3.2 alternator won't work for our trucks, but if you Google "Isuzu 3.5 high amp alternator" you do come up with a number of alternatives. My question is two-fold: (1) does anybody have experience with a heavier duty alternator, and (2) how much amperage is too much? The link below lists alternators up to 175 amps when the stock alternator generates only 90 amps (if my research is correct). What is the effect of that much extra power? Do I run the risk of overcharging the battery, burning up the wiring, blowing fuses, or ruining other electronics? Looking for any and all input here.

Thanks!

http://www.qualitypowerauto.com/catalog.php?item=287
http://www.qualitypowerauto.com/images/13744.jpg

[vt_maverick]

Interesting reading:

http://www.maniacelectricmotors.com/will-a-high-output-alternator-damage-the-ecu-pcm-ecm.html

So maybe we just need bigger battery cables and we're good to go? I read another article that said belt rerouting might be required but that sounds bogus to me. But how does a HO alternator generate more amps anyway? I assume it'll have a slight MPG impact too right?

[bartmanS4]

Power sources will provide current demanded by the load device or in the case of a direct short they will provide the maximum amperage they can until something burns open. I believe a high output alternator is simply ABLE to provide higher amperage than a standard output one. I don't know but they may run at a slightly higher voltage but this is controlled by the voltage regulator. Think of voltage and current in terms of a water source travelling through a hose. Voltage is the pressure and current is the volume of flow.

[vt_maverick]

Well I tested the alternator output with the PC on, music at full blast, GPS signal booster engaged, OBDII reader active, rear and side mirror defrosters on, cruise on, A/C on, fan on high, and 35W bi-xenon brights on and it says 13.8/13.9V and 73%, but that percentage may or not mean anything because the manual says that's "relative output compared to 'normal' alternators." Of course the manual doesn't tell you the number it's using as normal, hence why it's more or less useless. :rolleyes:

So maybe my alternator is on the way out? :confused:

[tjh]

What car pc are you using? Home Built Or did you purchase a ready built one? I've been wanting to do a build. I'm just a bit of a procrastinator, I'm pretty close to being fed-up with my Kenwood Pile-o- Dog Sh*t dvd receiver.

[vt_maverick]

Home built by LiquidVX. I need to do a build thread but I've been procrastinating since I'm not satisfied with the fit and finish just yet. I calculated its max draw at only 46W so I'm wondering if maybe the problem is a dying alternator.

[etlsport]

Have you had the battery tested? An internal short within your battery would drop your voltage to around 10V quickly so your pc may not power up but the vx would still start off of the 5 good cells. AGM batteries use very thin glassmat separators that are prone to internal shorts from very low voltage, undercharge and physical abuse. (I am still a huge fan of agm type batteries and die hard platinum batteries but they are not without flaws)

As far as your alternator... has it been tested? A clamp on type ammeter would tell you how its doing quickly. Keep in mind that a typical HO alternator can only provide 75A of current at idle and will not start to produce high current until 1200rpm or higher. I had a 150A alternator I believe it was alterstart brand. It performed well but my battery light was always on for some reason I never figured out and after a couple years the voltage regulator quit, so it was producing 18+volts. When that happened the trans locked in 3rd gear and the engine went into safe mode. Only way to get it home was to remove the serpentine belt and drive directly from the battery. By time I figured out what happened I had fried my abs module, rear camera and most of the lights in the car.

Upgrading the cabling in the car will help by reducing resistance and voltage drop but if the alternator or battery has a problem it wont help

I cant remember how we hooked everything up but the first place I would look is to pull the fuse for the pc and see if it is drawing excessive current while it is off. If tyat is the case you will need to find a way to stop it or get a larger battery or maybe a second battery to handle the extra load when the car is off.

[vt_maverick]

Eric - I have one of those DieHard 6V/12V Battery Charger & Engine Starter units (part #28.71225) that Sears sells. Is there any difference between that unit and the battery / alternator testers you suggested? And I agree about not getting the full amp level at idle, but if a HO alternator generates 75A at idle, how much less would the OEM alternator generate? (I'm asking because I don't know.) Dude that sucks about burning up your electronics, we came close to having that happen in the wife's Axiom just before Christmas but thankfully it was intermittent so we were able to limp it to our garage without incurring any damage (at least that we know of yet).

The way it's wired is there's a power cable coming directly off the positive terminal of the battery that runs through the firewall and to a 12A noise filter under the center console (it's grounded to the screw on the e-brake handle base). From there the power is (I believe) split directly between the screen and the computer. The aforementioned safety power supply is hooked up to the computer only so that you still have power to the rear camera and touch screen even if the computer is off. The lack of a safety power supply between the battery and touch screen means there's a constant draw on the battery to illuminate the on/off/sleep status light on the dash. Whether it's actually draining the battery or the battery just has a dead cell is anyone's guess.

[Cobrajet]

Have you considered some type of battery tender from PulseTech (http://www.pulsetech.net/) or Battery Tender (http://batterytender.com/)? I use the Battery Tender on my Torino, Mustang, and occasionally my lawn tractor, while the PulseTech keeps my motorcycle battery ready. I used to replace a lot of batteries. Is your alternator factory original? I had a replacement alternator in my Mustang, and it would kill the batteries in only a few months. Turned out the pulley on the alternator was too large, causing the alternator to spin too slow at idle, creating too little voltage/current to maintain a charge. The lights would dim, and the radio turn off when I hit the brakes. My favorite auto electric shop installed a new pulley and it's been fine ever since.

[vt_maverick]

I've looked into those in the past but never followed up - maybe it's time to do that. EDIT: I was thinking of the Battery Brain Tom posted about awhile back. I use the trickle charge setting on my DieHard charger whenever she's going to sit for awhile (2 weeks in Wisconsin for example) and that does a solid job. The reason I'm looking at the alternator is because the computer wouldn't come on after a solid 30 minutes of driving the other day, which makes me think somehow the battery voltage isn't being fully recharged during driving.

That's a good thought on the alternator, I'll have to check for a part number later today to see. Frankly it wouldn't surprise me, I think the PO did all his repairs with the cheapest parts possible. :(

[Mile High VX]

Frankly it wouldn't surprise me, I think the PO did all his repairs with the cheapest parts possible. :(

Dang CO VX owners...:bwgy::smilewink:bgwo::bgwb:

[etlsport]

Eric - I have one of those DieHard 6V/12V Battery Charger & Engine Starter units (part #28.71225) that Sears sells. Is there any difference between that unit and the battery / alternator testers you suggested? And I agree about not getting the full amp level at idle, but if a HO alternator generates 75A at idle, how much less would the OEM alternator generate? (I'm asking because I don't know.) Dude that sucks about burning up your electronics, we came close to having that happen in the wife's Axiom just before Christmas but thankfully it was intermittent so we were able to limp it to our garage without incurring any damage (at least that we know of yet).

The way it's wired is there's a power cable coming directly off the positive terminal of the battery that runs through the firewall and to a 12A noise filter under the center console (it's grounded to the screw on the e-brake handle base). From there the power is (I believe) split directly between the screen and the computer. The aforementioned safety power supply is hooked up to the computer only so that you still have power to the rear camera and touch screen even if the computer is off. The lack of a safety power supply between the battery and touch screen means there's a constant draw on the battery to illuminate the on/off/sleep status light on the dash. Whether it's actually draining the battery or the battery just has a dead cell is anyone's guess.

That is good for charging and will test cca but im not sure about voltage. To be honest i have never messed with the testing functions on one. It is fully auto so while youre in the 2a auto mode it is working like a trickle charger. Make sure that you have it set in the agm mode too.

If you do have a shorted cell you could be overcharging too and burning off electrolyte while its hooked up, that would make the problem worse. If you run by an autozone or advance auto they will put a load tester on the battery while its installed and can tell you if there is a shorted cell. Sears can do this too but it would probably take longer though if there is an issue you can fet it replaced right there.

If you can I would throw a clamp on type ammeter over the power cable going to your computer to see exactly how much it is drawing while its off. Usually alternator issues show up with other symptoms so I am not convinced but cant rule it out yet either.