Booba Posted January 11, 2014 Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 Hey everyone, my car has 232k on it, but the engine has been replaced and every connection has been cleaned (during engine install). Lately I've noticed my lights dimming a bit more than usual, and it's been getting worse. I have my charge wire (from alternator to fuse box stud) and ground wires upgraded, along with extra grounds from the battery to the body and from the body to the block. Also, I have the DIY alternator booster installed. The more the load, the more often it dims, mainly when I'm stopping. I can feel\hear the blower motor slow down, and see all the lights dim, and if I make ABS do something, they dim more. During my 6 months of troubleshooting on the ABS, I found the ABS pump can use up to 45 amps... I have no clue if this thing had been replaced or not so it could very well have 232k on it. My voltage at idle seems to hover around 14.5v, but whenever this happens, it happens so quick I don't see the voltage drop on torque pro. A friend of mine had an extra alternator I'm going to try today, but I was wondering if there is anything else you guys think it could be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psych0matt Posted January 11, 2014 Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 If you're pulling a solid mid 14 at idle I would think maybe you have something else robbing power Either that or perhaps your battery is dying so the alt is having to make up for it? Heck, check your battery terminal connections, and your aux post first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booba Posted January 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 Battery was replaced 6 months ago, but I'm still going to have it checked. As far as the terminals, they are good. I'm wondering if I should run the beefed up charge wire to the positive terminal of the battery instead of the AUX post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psych0matt Posted January 11, 2014 Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 The aux post is known for causing issues if not properly maintained (if it gets loose or dirty), so if it's long enough, it should only take you a few minutes? I would try that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted January 11, 2014 Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 I have the DIY alternator booster installed. Huh? What is your voltage at the stud when someone holds the throttle at 2000 rpm, and you have the highbeams on, heater fan on high, windshield wipers going, rear defrost turned on, radio turned on, etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psych0matt Posted January 11, 2014 Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 Huh? I was thinking the same thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booba Posted January 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 It's a diode you install on the orange wire, if I remember correctly. I can say for sure it raises the voltage a bit, about .2 volts. It doesn't increase the load the alternator can take (amperage), only the voltage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1138 Posted January 11, 2014 Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 That sounds janky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booba Posted January 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 It works though, I can say that for sure. I read about it at GPF and decided to give it a shot. Windows did roll up faster and heated seat gets hot faster as well. Torque Pro shows 14.6-8v at idle, but it still dips into the 13s when my stereo hits and such. If I got a high amperage alternator I'd fix that problem though. I'm reading that I can adapt a CS144 alternator onto my engine which puts out around 100 amps at idle, so I'm all over that. I know the best thing I ever did to my truck was a 3g 160 amp alternator. This is the general idea: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted January 11, 2014 Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 you don't in any way need to raise system voltage above the ~14.4 the regulator tends to target..... any higher is going to cause problems with the battery, among other sensitive components. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booba Posted January 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 Voltage is 14.4 +\-10%, so 14.6 is fine. Everything has worked fine for some time, so I'm not worried about the voltage, right now I'm worried about the amperage. I'm headed out to install a spare alternator so we'll see if it's the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booba Posted January 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 Just swapped in the spare alternator and so far it's better, I'll be upgrading to a CS144 as soon as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19Cutlass94 Posted January 12, 2014 Report Share Posted January 12, 2014 Soo.... whats the point of this thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booba Posted January 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2014 Mainly was to see if there was anything else I should check into while i had everything (power) disconnected. Also, if the alt was indeed bad is there a JY upgrade I could do. After I started this thread I was doing some research and found out about the CS144 alternator upgrade. I'll be doing that for sure, I just need to find out the details of it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carkhz316 Posted January 12, 2014 Report Share Posted January 12, 2014 :shrug:I've always understood 13.8-14V to be adequate on a stock vehicle. My thought's were if you were suspect of a faulty alt., just have it tested Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted January 12, 2014 Report Share Posted January 12, 2014 My thought's were if you were suspect of a faulty alt., just have it tested Preferably ON THE CAR instead of removing it and hauling it to the pimply-faced kid at the parts-store counter. The battery-charging-starting power team should be tested as a group. Battery problems act like alternator problems. Starter problems act like battery problems. Alternator problems act like battery or starter problems...you get the idea. A proper power-team test will verify that ALL the components (and the wire harness connecting them) are inspected for proper operation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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