My alternator is dead and I am about to replace it. I plan on adding a system later on with upgraded wiring to accomidate the extra power needed. I would like to know if there is a cost effective way to upgrade the alternator. Possibly from another Honds/Acura model.
I have a 90 LS 5 speed. I did a search and found nothing.
Try looking for a 3AG alternator, it puts out 130 amps and should be adequate for what you need.
Thanks for the response. I did a quick google search and did not come up with much. What car is that out of? Or better yet do you know of anywhere to find one?
I think you can usea 88-91 acura legand for it and change the pulley. I think the allternator is ratted at 110 amps instead of stock Interga of 80 amps
can anybody confirm this?.. also as for stock of 80… auto parts store ones are 70 :\
Does the alternator from a 91 Legend actually work? Also I have checked the voltage under heavy load on the battery and everything was fine even changed the brushes on the alternator, but my lights dim like crazy at night could it still be the alternator?
I assume you have checked/cleaned/redone all of your chassis grounds and power connections? FCM is always saying that’s the first thing to do when experiencing problems like yours.
The only cable I haven’t redone is the Battery to ALT one. The problem is pretty bad when I have a heavy load on, like on a cold night (heater defroster, lights+) the car even vibrates like crazy cause the idle also drops. I just have run out of things to check and do and want to see if I upgrade the ALT for the Legend one (if it works) will fix my issues.
This thread takes it back. Its my old account that I can’t get the password to.
I ended up getting a rebuilt 135 amp off Ebay. I’m not alternator expert but I do know that when the wires are re-spun during a rebuild they can be made to have a higher output. It really wasn’t a bad price either, about the same as the local stores charge for the 70amp standard ones. I also redid the grounds with larger cables, redid the negative cable and topped it off with an Optima battery. No issues with power whatsoever. I’m only running a small 600 watt 4 channel amp. No subs but I am confident it would handle another thousand watts no sweat.
i’m going to try the legend alternator swap in a few days. the pulleys are not the same as the legend one has one or two more ribs than the teg one. the pulleys are also not interchangeable as the legend alternator has a thicker shaft. the . as far as i know, only 92 and up alternators have the higher output. the older legend alternators are rated the same as the teg ones.
Depending on how much power you are going to use. In my car I have 2 Amps and 2 Subs with 4 gauge wire factory alternator and a 1 farad cap. My lights NEVER dim and I have been using this system for about 6 years on the same battery. Not sure if the Optima batter has a big part in it. You don’t need to upgrade the alternator unless you going to use really big amps. I would invest in a 1 farad cap and test out the system before you go and upgrade the alternator. Either way you should use a cap so its not so the system is not so hard on the battery. I am running 400-600 watts on my subs (cant remember for sure what size they are) and never had a problem.
are you sure the alternator is performing correctly? putting out roughly 14.5v? assuming it is, you are either drawing too much current, or not enough. do you have any aftermarket load? ie stereo system, fog lights etc.
a simple technique to pinpoint the circuit causing your issue is to run the car w/ as much load as possible. start pulling fuses one by one. when you’ve reached the fuse that, when pulled, remedies the issue, the problem lies in that circuit
you can use a multimeter or 12v test light for this procedure. just have it measuring the voltage drop of the entire car while under load. the test light should stay out until you’ve reached the circuit that has the problem
to the OP, therealkroysc, how is that ebay alternator holding up? i’m dealing w/ dimming lights as well…i have a 800 watt amp and a 10" subwoofer, i upgraded my battery to an Odyssey battery because my old battery was reading low on amps (almost less than half)…but lights are still dimming. i was told to get a cap and go from there…they say 1 farat per 1000 watt amp as i’ve google researched. but i’m just curious if that ebay alternator is still working for you
im looking into the 130 amp ebay ones myself and still considering running a 1 farad capacitor just to be safe. bc i am running a 400 watt 4 channel and a 600 watt single channel for my subs and im also running HID’s and i drive with my fog lights on all the time, so im thinking of putting in my optima red top, 1 farad, with ebay 130 amp altenator.
i may have to eventually do the same…i’m planning to get a 1 farad cap anyway
Is there a link on the correct way to re-do the grounds? I have no idea how any of that works, but I want to upgrade or put in new ground wires. most info on this is spotty is why I ask. i want to know where i can get the wires, what size, do they sell kits?
im just gonna buy this and then a grounding kit heres the links to what im gonna order, i think this will be more than enough with an optima battery in there too
So you don’t need different sized wires for the different grounds? That seems to be a good price. 5 point is 5 wires I’m assuming? How many grounds do our cars have in the engine bay total?
i havent touched my alternator yet, but my grounds are good and i’ve added a cap…my lights are still dimming. anyone on the alternator upgrade yet and how the alternator is holding up?
I would invest in the cap first or some type of small battery like a oddissy or kinnetic. most people I know just use a small storable battery to juice theyre hight output systems.