Hey everybody, I have a 240 Amp Mechman HO Alternator that I'm trying to install, but the alternator is charging lower than the stock alternator. The HO alternator when it WAS installed, wouldn't allow me to keep the car on for 10 minutes without it dying on me. I had the alternator tested at O'Reillys and AutoZone and it passed both tests. I'm starting to think the problem is my wiring for the alternator. I have one 0 gauge wire going from the positive terminal of the battery to the positive terminal of the HO Alternator and another 0 gauge wire going from the negative terminal of the battery to the negative terminal of the HO Alternator. The diagram I got from Mechman included with the HO Alternator is drawn out just like I have it hooked up. Can someone please tell me how to wire this Alternator up to the electrical system? Or if it's something else? I have a lot of power draw from my electrical system from all the electronics in my Camaro and this would be amazing to have under the hood!
- Thanks, Kyler
More Info:
1989 Camaro RS 305 TBI
Sundown SAE-1500D Mono Amp
Sundown SAE-100.4
Running around 2000 watts total
Energizer battery (maybe the problem from having to charge it so much)
LED Light Strips under dash and front seats
LED bulbs in the interior (every location possible)
and another 0 gauge wire going from the negative terminal of the battery to the negative terminal of the HO Alternator. The diagram I got from Mechman included with the HO Alternator is drawn out just like I have it hooked up.
A picture would help.
Alternators do not usually have negative terminal lugs - they are grounded through the case.
Usually very high output alternators have a circuit breaker in the positive line form alt output to battery +.
From your description above, you might be missing the connection to excite the field of the alt (that little plug on the side).
Edit: I did some Google searches and saw a couple youtube videos.
This alt has a large ground lug attached to the case.
Your field voltage must be missing.
Does your charging idiot lamp on the dash work?
I believe that if the bulb is blown, you will lose that voltage at the alt.
The little plug on the side is plugged in. There is a negative terminal, but idk if my wiring is right. What bulb in the dash are you talking about? A lot of my bulbs on the lower part of the dash (low coolant light, upshift light, temp light) are blown, so should i replace those? Thanks for the reply!!
