Alternators

[20ESGUY]

At times the stereo in my car seems to pull to pull too many amps for the alternator to catch up. I've read a couple of people on here have replaced the alternator with a high output version. I was wondering where I could find one and about what it would cost. I know putting a capacitor in-line with the amp is one solution but i'd rather just install a different alternator for future upgrades.

 

[Gyre]

We get so little electrical power from our alternator that my headlights visibly dim (or at least change color) when I roll the windows up or down.

 

[20ESGUY]

My lights don't dim but I did blow the resistor for the interior instrument panel dimmer when I first hooked the new head-unit and amp up. I'd like to find that puts out around 90-100 amps if i could. I think ours puts out around 70-75 amps at max output which is basicly little or nothing.

 

[sttl013]

My lights don't dim but I did blow the resistor for the interior instrument panel dimmer when I first hooked the new head-unit and amp up. I'd like to find that puts out around 90-100 amps if i could. I think ours puts out around 70-75 amps at max output which is basicly little or nothing.

You probably blew the dimmer by grounding the illumination wire. I see it all the time. People either mistakenly hook it up to the radio ground (the wire tests negative when the lights are off) or don't insulate the end if it's unused and it shorts out behind the dash.
Our alternators are rated 80 amp, and I'm pretty sure that's the max. rating. Going to a 90 or 100 won't give you much of an improvement.

 

[Greg S]

Aftermarket stereo alternators can cost you anywhere in the reange of $250-800 depending on size and power output. A better bet if you have dimming headlights when your bass hits is to add a capacitor right next to the amp to store power for those bass notes. Think of it as a small storage battery just for the amp. Expext to pay between $60-150 depending on the size. Usual rule of thumb is 1 farad of capacitance for every 1000 watts. Usually it's just easier to get a 1 farad cap just incase you add more power later.