Arts89Iroc

How many Amps does the alternator for a 88 350 TPI put out? Im going to replace it and need to know if i should get one with more amps out of it or keep it stock

macertheracer

that is your call, although it would be nice to have more Amps to run your sub. th Alternator will only generate the power that is needed, it will not over generate (as long as the regulator works properly)

crytical point

Stock should be 105 but that is ***** out and at idle will make like 40-50.

I bought my 220Amp from www.springhillautoelectric.com and that man works out great prices and will custom make them. I got the 220 with overdrive pulley and large post for $230 and he custom builds per customer and ships fast.

Arts89Iroc

Damn only 110? that sucks, is powermaster a good brand? I notice there is a significant voltage drop when the cooling fans kick on and also turning up the sub on my car

crytical point

Powermaster is a good brand but expensive

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...140+4294908198

http://www.springhillautoelectric.co...d&productId=68

365$ gets you 200amps and a 1 year warranty

215$ gets you 220amps and a 5 year warranty

If it was a small difference I would make a big deal but $150 is alot and for less.

1ADan

iTrader: (4)

What are you running for amplifiers? One sub, one amp is not going to really do all that much damage on a stock alternator. My last Camaro had 2 class a/b amplifiers (one for components, one for sub) and never had any dimming issues. If you're running a newer sub amp thats class-d (80+% efficient compared to the 60% or so class a/b), you should have no problems.

kcallais

And if you really want to be on the safe side, add some capacitors.

crytical point

Capacitors are just bandaids and are far from safe (watched a brand new one burn a car to the ground). If you just upgrade your alternator you will have no problems and all your lights will be brighter and it will give you room to build up.

I was running two a/b amps on the stock alternator with big 3 and my lights would still dim until I got it over 1500. But I would try and get it done right with a new alternator, big 3 wiring, and a optima battery or any other deep cell.

1ADan

iTrader: (4)

I completely forgot to mention the "big 3" upgrade. Definitely will help and least expensive upgrade of everything mentioned so far.

Arts89Iroc

I only have a 1000 watt amp, 1 phoenix gold 10, and my aftermarket deck, thats pretty much it, without going into any detail whats the "BIG 3"

bald_noggin

iTrader: (1)

Big Capacitors (1 Farad or larger) are good for sub-woofer amps. Especially when your cranking the audio up and you're pushing some big bass.

Really big audio systems have the ability to drop the cars voltage down to a point where the audio head unit or amplifiers reset themselves. The problem being that a when a big bass transient comes along, the alternator's regulator can't respond quick enough to compensate for the sudden increase in current it needs to provide and as a result of this increase in current demand, the voltage drops. The capacitor acts like a big instant reservoir for current and can supply enough to get past the bass transient which may only last milliseconds.

So unless you have a really big system, a stock alternator will do fine and you should not need a capacitor.

Big capacitors, when charged can be as dangerous as charged car batteries. You don't want to go short circuiting them! They can arc, overheat, damage themselves and cause flash burns.

Mind you, that's not to say that you can't have some fun! Check this out:
http://tesladownunder.com/CanCrushing.htm
He uses capacitors from a heart defibrillator! It's worth the read even if it may be technical.

1ADan

iTrader: (4)

The Big 3 refers to the main power wires you have under the hood; negative battery to chassis (ground), positive battery to alternator, and engine block to chassis (ground). For most people, 4ga would be more than adequate, especially considering stock in these cars is usually 8ga or smaller. For this kind of job, I usually pick up a 4ga amp wiring kit, as you'll get more than enough to do all 3 and then have leftovers. Feel free to run it in addition to what you've got now, as it won't hurt to keep the old stuff in place. Personally, and its not required, I always like to fuse the positive to alternator wire for safety sake.

Arts89Iroc

Is there anyplace online i can get the 4gauge wire kit for my Fbody?