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Alternator?

3K views 25 replies 7 participants last post by  XR8XTC 
#1 ·
Just wondering how big the Alternator in an EA is? Went around to a few car audio stores and they all say that there quite large, around 80 amp, and that the largest affordable one is somethin like 90 amp out of a commodore. They told me anythin higher than that and your lookin at thousands of dollars! Can anyone confirm this?

I need to know cos a big stereo upgrade is planned and I wont bother upgrading the alternator if it's not necessary.
 
#2 ·
hey
as far as i know the stock one is 85A in an EA. the EF has a 110amp alternator with a different pulley, but should fit if you swap pulleys. EB ones are supposed to be of two types - the 85A bosch one and a higher power mitsubishi one.

the ef got an upgrade cause of the electric thermofans.

cheers

Jase
 
#3 ·
Yep the later falcons, EF/L have 100A+ alternators.

I'm running a little under 1000WRMS, with full electrics, and I don't have charging problems. I use the standard EA alternator (Re-built it myself) and I'v got the biggest Super Charge battery I could fit in the battery holder in the bay.

I can't complain.
 
#6 ·
wouldnt you be better off trying to keep 14v to the amplifiers rather than 12v?

i can drop the voltage a full volt on a big note (14-13v) when i crank my system, at 2000rpm. this is with a 6 month old bosch 85a alternator fitted... and i dont have anywhere near the amplifier power of you guys!
 
#8 ·
LOL...
If I have my headlights on, foot on the brake pedal, and have it system al full volume, my volt gauge will sometimes touch the 9V area.
I did some testing on my car to see if this had a big effect on the system.

I used a few batteries in parallel to increase the current supply, and I found that the extra batteries only helped out when the engine was under around 1200rpm, with headlights
on etc. Otherwise, there was absolutely no audible difference.

I have had my setup in for 3 years now, and only spent $125 on a battery in that time, and $40 on my alternator.
 
#9 ·
Well?

What do you guys think I should do? I will be runnin two 1000bd RF amps and an apline 1507?

Should I:

a) Get a better alternator and Change the current bettery with something like a marine one?

b) Get a dry cell battery (round $400-$450) and use a cap?

c) New alternator, dry cell bettery and cap?
 
#10 ·
personally, id get an optima and a better alternator.

theres no point having a cap if youre not keeping up the voltage to the amps! a cap is useful if youre power wires cant handle the current over the distance from the battery to the amp - with 0 gauge you should be fine... i think caps are all show. spend the hundred bucks somewhere else.

how much is a "high performance" alternator? if you theyre too much, just get a wrecked EL-AU one.
 
#11 ·
re

I've got a EB Fairmont V8 & at one stage wanted to upgrade my alternator to something bigger....I called up ford & they told me the stock V8 alternator is $1200!!!!! I then tryed calling a mate who works for ford & the best price he could get it for is $800... Does anyone know if I can rebuild my standard alternator to pump more amps or is there an alternator that is around 100amps or more that can replace my 85amp.... Any help would do because I am not paying that much for an alternator...A mate of mine got quoted $450 from bosch for a 300amp alternator so why the f*ck would I pay $1200 for a stock one....
 
#13 ·
re

Well that's the price he says he got quoted anyways now how much of that is true is beyond me as I don't know what's the going price is for them but I am 100% sure that an alternator for a Ford Falcon EB-AU V8 costs $1200 directly from Ford....I have rang 4 different places and the price difference was only about $50 more or less...
 
#14 ·
Get it re-conditioned!!!! I worked for an auto elec for a few weeks and all I did the whole time was reco Alternators and starters.
There are very few things that can go wrong with these units, and even though it would usually cost them anywhere from $16-50 to reco them, around $120 aint too bad for a change over alternator, and it should work as good as a brand new one.

As for modifying your alternators, a mate of mine works in a place that make and modify electric motors and generators, but they will charge you a mint.....

RMYEARS, I would advise you to leave out the capacitor whatever you do.
 
#15 ·
Thanx Bass_Crazy...BTW what size alternator would I need because I've got a fully optioned Fairmont (All The ghia options besides Leather Interior/Ghia Mags & LSD)...I have also installed a Twin Thermo fans as well which drains a bit of power when it comes on (you only notice it at idle as the gauge makes its way down to 12v...) I have the following stereo gear (some of it is allready installed & the rest is waiting to get installed)

1 x PPI 4040 4 Channel Amp 4 x 60w RMS
2 x Alpine F407 4 Channel Amp 4 x 60w RMS
1 x Phoenix Gold XS250 2 Channel Amp 2 x 250w or 1 x 500w RMS
1 x Philips 4 Channel Amp 4 x 80w RMS
1 x Alpine F1507 2 Channel Amp 2 x ???? RMS

1 x PPI 6 1/2" Speakers
1 x Kicker ZR Splits
2 x Earthquake Magam 12" Subs (600W RMS each)
1 x Kenwood 7" x 10"
1 x Cerwin Vega 12" 250w RMS

How do I work out what size alternator I need. Will I need to run a Capacitor...I already have a Dry Cell Battery Installed....I am planing to run 0 gauge to the back & then run 4 gauge to the amps through a seperator....etc

Any help in regards to the alternator size etc. would be apreciated

BTW Bass Crazy could you find out how much does your mate charge for a reco alternator to handle all that stereo gear...It's a 92 Ford Fairmont V8 (EBII)

Thanx in advance
 
#16 ·
Is there any chance you would be able to get the Current drain figures of all the amps? This will be needed in the selection of a main fuse for the 0 guage, and will also give you a good indication of what alternator you need.

The owners manual usually has these specifications, or you can estimate it by the size of the fuse used on the amp.

What you have to conceder is that if an amp is said to drain for example, 120A, this is only at full load, and most amps probably wont even hit this figure until they start to get hot etc.

I’ll see if I can get in contact with that dude for ya.

Ciao.
 
#17 ·
Oh, by the way, I like the sound of your setup.... mmmmm.. MAGMA... aagggrrrrrrr!!!!

I was ohh so close to gettin those babies a few years back, but I could not get a lift to the other side of the city to pick them up... I was only a young fella.

OK, enough form me.
 
#18 ·
1 x PPI 4040 4 Channel Amp 4 x 60w RMS (40amp Fuse)
2 x Alpine F407 4 Channel Amp 4 x 60w RMS (40amp + 40amp fuse)
1 x Phoenix Gold XS250 2 Channel Amp 2 x 250w or 1 x 500w RMS (60 Amp fuse)
1 x Philips 4 Channel Amp 4 x 80w RMS (40 Amp Fuse
1 x Alpine F1507 2 Channel Amp 2 x ???? RMS (60 Amp Fuse)

This is the rating of all the fuses on the amps. The total comes in at 280amps....Please don't tell me i will need a 280amp+ alternator to run all the amps + accesories... If I can't get the shit to work there is going to be a big clearance sale of a lot of stereo gear..
 
#19 ·
Magma's

Hey I was going to get the MAGMA's as well, I had two 15's on layby but they rang me up three days later to tell me that they had no more in stock and that they don't sell them in OZ anymore, I was gettin an alright price too, little under 1600 for both.

Just wonderin if it's possible to get front splits recoiled? If it is I wanna get my old MOMO front splits fixed.
 
#21 ·
jbolger said:
personally, id get an optima and a better alternator.

theres no point having a cap if youre not keeping up the voltage to the amps! a cap is useful if youre power wires cant handle the current over the distance from the battery to the amp - with 0 gauge you should be fine... i think caps are all show. spend the hundred bucks somewhere else.

how much is a "high performance" alternator? if you theyre too much, just get a wrecked EL-AU one.
Do u no how a cap works?
Go out and buy a decent size cap, or run two or three smaller caps in parallel with each other.
Now play a big bass tune, low and long notes r best, then install the caps and do it again... After doing that there is no way u will say they r all show! Alot of ppl have the same opinion as you and that is mainly because they dont no wot they do, and have never heard the before and after, they REALLY make a difference.

:hy:
 
#22 ·
I'm kinda leaning towards getting a cap, I've heard alot of views about caps, and most people say they do make a difference. Also all the proffesional car audio places I went to recommend them.

Basically from my understanding a caps purpose is to deliver a constant stream of power to the amps without large drops in voltage. When a low frequency is played that requires alot of power, sometimes the battery cannot handle it and this drops the voltage, this is were the cap kicks in to give it that quick burst of energy it needs to stay constant. Correct me anyone if I'm wrong.

OK this is my final decision. I'll find out how many amps my alternator is. If it's 80 or higher i'll get a drycell bettery and a 1 or 1.5 farad capacitor. I'm hoping that this should be enough. If it's not I will then look at either getting a second cap or I'll look into getting a new alternator.
 
#23 ·
XR8XTC, i know what a capacitor is and how one works. i also know that car audio amplifiers contain capacitors which will make a secondary one outside the amp redunant in all but the most high performance situations.

a 4ga cable is capable of carrying ~120A with acceptable power loss. rmyers is using 1ga cable in his stereo setup. such high current cables mean the car battery can provide current to run the system at all times.

capacitors are useful in "peak times" - which are short, loud bass kicks, for example. long low bass notes, which require a continual current source, can not be provided by a capacitor.

where you would require a capacitor is if you had a low capacity battery, or cabling that wasnt up to scratch. otherwise, its just a chance for a retailer to get another $150 out of you.
 
#24 ·
I had a chat to my mate and he said quite boldly that they only do Industrial work now, and that they don't bother with small jobs like car alternators :dead:
Anyhow, I reckon you should grab yourself a EF/L aternator, there 100+A. Wreckers should have them, probably the cheapest and easiest way out.
If you run the system with the car on, you should not have any problems.
 
#26 ·
With my experience working in the car audio field and from what i have been taught and installations i have done using capacitors, i would have to disagree with you on the need for capacitors :)
Like i said before, do the before and after test with the right amount of Farrads and i dont think you can argue with the results. I also think you could save money rymers by setting up some caps which would eliminate the need for the dry cell, and use a normal but largest possible battery you can fit.
With the right amount of capacitance your amps will always be provided with full voltage, and the amperage that they need to run at there maximum output.
 
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