Need advice on alternator upgrade

[Wildcat]

1995 4Runner 3.0 4x4 5speed. Right now i just have a winch, cb, basic stereo, hid headlights & 2 hella 550 lights.

Im looking at upgrading alternators from here http://www.mralternator.com/alternators/toyota.html he has a 120amp & 150 amp for my engine. Which one should i go for? Will too much amps hurt things?

Future plans are for electric fan, dual batts, leds, fridge/freezer, trailer batt, etc. no plans to ever have a high watt stereo. I like quiet and talk radio. :coffeedrink:



Thanks for you help!

 

[dwh]

Will too much amps hurt things?

Nah, alternators don't push - everything else sucks.

You could have a million amp alternator, but if you are only drawing out 5a from the electrical bus, then the alternator only makes 5a. That's why generators are rated by their "potential". Hoover Dam might have a 2,000 megawatt potential, but if there is only a 40w bulb sucking power out, then 40w is all that is produced.

Depending on what winch you have, it could easily pull more than 150a at full load. In that case, the alternator would make all the power it can, and the difference would get sucked out of the battery. The bigger alternator just means that there is less being pulled from the battery. But if you don't run the winch at full load, or it doesn't draw that much, then the bigger alternator might supply it without having to draw anything out of the battery to make up the difference.

Except for that, the 120a would probably be plenty to run all your other stuff and still trickle charge your batteries. But if you are planning dual batteries in the truck, and another battery in the trailer, as well as a bunch of extra loads - plus a winch - I'd go for the 150a.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I'd personally go with a GM alternator and adapt it to fit in place of the stock Toyota. Something like a CS130 is cheap and plentiful (like when your alternator gives up in Moab and all you have is NAPA). Search the Interwebs, some guys make nice brackets, others just use shims and washers. In stock form, like from a Chevy Caprice or something, they're 105A and way less than $100 at Autozone or probably $20 from a junk yard.

 

[Stone_Blue]

^^Yeah, you can buy an upgrade kit for the Chevy alts just about anywhere....Last I knew, they go for $50-$75. IIRC, the kit is just basically a new stator, rectifier, and maybe a regulator...Pretty easy to install yourself.

 

[Wildcat]

i did some research on the GM alternator. The pricing isn't much difference. The only advantage i can see to doing this is that a GM alternator might be on the shelf at Western Auto in Small Town, USA where they might not have a Denso. Napa wants $178 for a CS130 and the CS144 was $190 to $400 depending on amperage. Then I have to buy or fab the adjustment bracket and buy or splice the control wires. Mr. Alternator is $200 for 120A and it's "bolt on".

 

[washington taco]

Go for the Denso!

http://www.nationsstarteralternator...-Tundra-4Runner-3-4L-V6-p/ad190 1995-2004.htm

I put this in my 2000 Taco, greeat product. No adapters needed and the factory Denso never failed me I just needed more amps. A Denso for a Denso!

 

[washington taco]

Upgrade to a Chevy part? I would think thats a downgrade.

 

[warrpath4x4]

you can run a cadillac seville alt (w/heated mirrors) and it will bolt direct in without modification and its a 140 amp alt.

this is the route i am planning on going

 

[DaveInDenver]

Upgrade to a Chevy part? I would think thats a downgrade.

Originally, maybe the OE Denso from Japan is better than a Delco but in the aftermarket there's no reason not to jump ship. When upgrading there is a big value difference in finding a $25 junkyard part from a Caddy or even $100 for a new or rebuilt NAPA part over spending $200 on a rewound unit. For one, the increase in case size for a CS130 or other larger Delco means they will run longer at high current than shoehorning more capacity into the stock case.

 

[washington taco]

Originally, maybe the OE Denso from Japan is better than a Delco but in the aftermarket there's no reason not to jump ship. When upgrading there is a big value difference in finding a $25 junkyard part from a Caddy or even $100 for a new or rebuilt NAPA part over spending $200 on a rewound unit. For one, the increase in case size for a CS130 or other larger Delco means they will run longer at high current than shoehorning more capacity into the stock case.

Guess you didnt follow the link I posted and or read the link.

 

[Stone_Blue]

Guess you didnt follow the link I posted and or read the link.

Yeah, it would be nice to have top of the line stuff, but there's this: "Our Price: $404.00 " and thats only with a 2 year warranty.
You can easily get a decent Delco for half that, and with lifetime replacement....Sure, it may only last half as long as the Denso, but its also only half the price...

 

[DaveInDenver]

Guess you didnt follow the link I posted and or read the link.

The Denso rewound to 190A for $400? No thanks. The Duralast for a Caprice does 105A for $60 with a lifetime warranty. Bearings and brushes fail on alternators, it ain't rocket surgery. The OE Denso is a good unit, the rebuilds come from the same Mexican factory as anything else. High dollar ones are all gonna be similar, so if I'm spending $400 for an alternator why not go with the one they do 50 of a week instead of the oddball? Once you've done the mechanical adapting, then the range of options opens up.

 

[washington taco]

Again the Nations 190A is not a rewound its a new alternator.