Looking for a beefier alternator

[vanion2]

So after doing extensive research here I found our 3rd gens come with an 80A alternator. Good enough for the daily driver but I will be pulling a 3800# camper and will be wiring up the brake controller system next week which includes a charge line for the camper battery.

Last thing I want is to get where we are going and find either of the batteries not getting a good charge. Any recommendations that won't require me to rewire the alternator connecter to my 01? I don't want to fry the stock wiring so I don't need something over kill but I figure somewhere in the 130A area will do nicely.

TIA.

 

[Diesel_Dog]

Search for the CS-144 alternator upgrade. You can pop the alternator from a 95 Caddy into your 4Runner. There are lots of write up on it, and there is an adapter plug that connects the toyota pigtail to the GM plug on the alternator. I believe the CS144 is 140 amps.

 

[vanion2]

So then you wouldn't recommend one of these?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/131465341260?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Toyota 130A alternator they say will be a direct fit without any modifications. I know it's remanufactured.

 

[Doc2012]

So then you wouldn't recommend one of these?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/131465341260?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Toyota 130A alternator they say will be a direct fit without any modifications. I know it's remanufactured.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/135318-docs-cs144-alternator-upgrade.html

 

[Brilliant]

DC power, but coin
https://www.dcpowerinc.com/articles/truth-about-idle

 

[UnderFire]

If you want to go really big, get a quote from Mike at singer alternators.

 

[vanion2]

Thanks folks. Time to check these out.

 

[TJM]

Is there any downside to upgrading the alternator? Will I need a second battery or any other upgrade if I do the Caddy swap?

 

[shouldbeasy]

Is there any downside to upgrading the alternator? Will I need a second battery or any other upgrade if I do the Caddy swap?

No downside, although with the increase in amperage it's certainly recommended that you complete 'The Big 3' wiring upgrade. This will add a charging circuit from the alternator back to the battery - larger cables and a circuit breaker are needed though.

 

[IBallEngineer]

DC power, but coin
https://www.dcpowerinc.com/articles/truth-about-idle

Back in the old days, and I'm talking early 80's here, I worked in a small auto/truck electrical shop that also did rebuilding and custom windings for alternators. We serviced a fleet of ambulances, remember this was before LED lights and gear reduction starters, and they were built crazy. They ran TWO alternators, both Leese-Neville oversized housings. They ran 2 to 4 batterys, with manual selector switches, like a boat would have. You never saw so may 2/0 cables and custom drive belt set ups. They were a nightmare to deal with.

I'd love to have a 250A alternator set up that could give me 120A at idle like this DC power set up. Of course I don't actually need one, but that never stopped me before! The Delphi in my Cruiser will net me 87A at idle, and that has always been sufficient for rock crawling with everything on. As I develop the 3rd gen LED's will keep the amp draw manageable anyway. But hey, if I stumble on a winning ticket, Imma gonna get me on ah dos!

:crutch:

 

[calimobber]

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/135318-docs-cs144-alternator-upgrade.html

My stock alternator would put out 60amps at cold idle for reference.



This is all you need, Its 100amp at ldle and ive seen as high as 150+ when high rpm. But realistically thats much more than you can ever use so unless your battery it super low you will never see that high of amps.

You can have one or ten batteries, Battery is just like a water tank and the alternator is the hose filling the tank. Just has the ability to fill it faster if its running low.

I got mine open box on amazon for like $60 shipped so keep your eyes open for deals. Super easy install. Just a few washers and a wire adaptor and its plug and play.

 

[Brilliant]

I'd love to have a 250A alternator set up that could give me 120A at idle like this DC power set up. Of course I don't actually need one, but that never stopped me before! The Delphi in my Cruiser will net me 87A at idle, and that has always been sufficient for rock crawling with everything on.
:crutch:

Very true, is it needed? That's the question. I haven't been able to justify one myself, but as I run out of things to add, it's moving up the list. I've taken my truck far ... farther than I thought I would. Most of what I've done I have a thin veil of justification. Sliders, well never on rocks, but that jeep trail you're on, and squeezing between two trees in the snow and driving over that transverse slippery log, praying you don't slip sideways those 4 inches and wipe out your side panels. I put sliders on after that day.

I was thinking of the DC power 180 amp model as it has 130 at idle. I am not certain of the output of other vendors, as there doesn't seem to be any data beyond peak. Powermax for instance, says 170 at idle, but what is it at cruise?

 

[vanion2]

If you want to go really big, get a quote from Mike at singer alternators.

So I contacted Mike Singer and this was his response:

I offer any of these 6 phase options in a direct bolt in design for your application

MDL PRICE IDLE OUTPUT

180A $389 150A (200A peak)
240A $449 160A (260A peak)
275A $489 170A (310A peak)
320A $569 180A (340A peak)

All units come w/ a lifetime warranty that covers any repair labor (parts are at company cost) You can add a powder coating option on any order for an additional $48.
-mike

Pricy but the life time warranty and 0 modification requirements make this a very attractive offer (not counting upgrading the big 3 wiring upgrade which I will be doing regardless of what alternator I get). Especially since I am already planning on removing the 12V single battery on the trailer and replacing it with 2 x 6V batteries that will be more than 5 x Ah of the current battery so they will need plenty of juice. Boon docking FTW.

 

[UnderFire]

So I contacted Mike Singer and this was his response:

Pricy but the life time warranty and 0 modification requirements make this a very attractive offer (not counting upgrading the big 3 wiring upgrade which I will be doing regardless of what alternator I get). Especially since I am already planning on removing the 12V single battery on the trailer and replacing it with 2 x 6V batteries that will be more than 5 x Ah of the current battery so they will need plenty of juice. Boon docking FTW.

He is very good at what he does, and he really does back up his work, I've only seen a few minor problems with his alternators in the audio world, and he was always quick to resolve them, I also know for a fact he's made alternators for the 5VZ before, so if he says it's going to be a direct bolt on, it's going to be. Really, if you're going to be doing anything that's drawing a lot, Singer is the way to go.

 

[Loud Runner]

DC power, but coin
https://www.dcpowerinc.com/articles/truth-about-idle

I've been using the DC Power 190 amp alternator with a dual battery setup for about 4 years now. Rear battery is isolated with a 500amp Stinger isolator. Everything still works perfect. (I am running lights, sound system, and winch)

 

[jeremyc74]

Especially since I am already planning on removing the 12V single battery on the trailer and replacing it with 2 x 6V batteries that will be more than 5 x Ah of the current battery so they will need plenty of juice. Boon docking FTW.

You definitely need plenty of capacity to charge those properly, and good sized wire on the charging circuit between the alternator and the trailer. If you haven't researched it already it's worth while to do a little. Your expensive house batteries will last a lot longer if you get the charging capacity and wiring right. A lot of people think the best way to charge a battery is to charge it slowly with a trickle charger, but that's actually really bad for them. You need to hit them hard initially to get them up to temperature, and if the alternator is undersized it won't do the job. There's also issues with voltage drop across the isolator and wiring that you need to be aware of. Looks like you're on the right track!

 

[vanion2]

10 gauge charging wire combined with a 100W solar panel (to start) with plans to add a 2nd 100W panel in the future. The charge controller will keep the batteries optimally charged but the alternator will keep them topped off while on the road.

 

[3rzrunner]

if you have the extra coin check out mean green.

 

[calimobber]

Just remember your 300a alternator will almost Never charge at 300a. Even when I drain my battery down with fridge over night they can only take 150amp for a short amount of time before they start throttling back because its getting full. when battery are 80% full they can only handle like 10-20amps charging

A 55ah optima drained 60% so 33ah If your putting out 150amps you can see it wont take long before battery slow that charge down to like 10amps

Just food for thought so you can see $200-300 can be spent better on your vehicle mods.

the cs144 only requires like 4 washers and a $20 adaptor, cant even consider that modifying it. my install took maybe 30min.

And remember I only paid like $60 for mine shipped prime on amazon.

Keep and eye on this link for the damaged box items, thats where I paid 58.88 shipped.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B007QBQJHY/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

 

[ramonortiz55]

will do this later..