i love this upgrade demonstration and the relatively cheap and very efficient hammer crimper for heavy gauge wire. I knew about the more expensive tool but it was a discovery for me this cheap and efficient tool.
I'm a retired auto mechanic (due to several injuries) now selling Auto Parts and handing out advice. I cringe every time I see kids who install light kits and a "BOOM! BOOM!" stereo but don't upgrade the electrical system namely the alternator and battery! Then they wonder why their lights dim at stop lights and why they're batteries keep going dead! Worse yet, many times they tell me that their dash lights are flickering and or their gauges are going crazy and I find out that they didn't use butt splices are spade connectors to install their stereos and amps! All they do is twist wires together and hastily apply electrical tape!
I hate how all these kids are more into stereos and LED lights than actually building a nice engine and transmission. All you ever hear or see are LEDs and thumping stereos. Rather hear a nice running cammed engine and see it leaving a bunch of melting rubber behind it
Two part advice. One Get the biggest capacity battery you can find. Two soldering your wires to the connectors will help. Also make sure your Idle RPM is set correctly. If you RPM is low you can smoke the alternator ! Using 8 gage wire to all accessories works alot better then stock. You will thank me later. Especially when the temperature get HOT !! And the most important, Good god man use a black wire for ground, or at least mark it as ground.
I did the same upgrade to my 2000 s10. I searched what newer chevy had the 145amp model and ordered it on ebay. Helps a lot when you give someone a jump too.
You're right. When you put some more volts on the electric system, the Sparks on the sparkplugs are more powerful, the fuel pump works better, the fuel injector open an close with more precision. Everything works better
I did the same thing with my old f150. I replaced my 90 amp alternator with a 135 amp from a old explorer. It is so much better, before my truck would die at stoplights from the voltage drop.
I cringe seeing that Red wire being used for negative ground. At least wrap it in black tape. Did you measure the full load draw on your old alternator? Would be nice to know what kind of load it was seeing.
you are absolutely right.i was a mechanic for awhile,and learned the hard way once that even if the wire is red ,that does not mean its a positive lead .But that is only because the owner did this also.Black tape or black felt marker,will allow the mechanic the chance to go HUH what the hell?,that SHOULD be a ground,and then double check it.Especially if he cant see the whole wire only the ends.
A professional electrician recently told me that he walked into every "home service panel job" assuming that prior work might get him killed. By wrong wire-insulation color, specifically. I would not agree with you more; that wire insulation color MATTERS. Not to electrons! Electrons are "color blind"! But to the next human being who blunders into a repair situation. Wire insulation color is a PROTOCOL that lies in wait, even for decades, until a subsequent visit by a human being who, hopefully, understands the SAME PROTOCOL. While a car mechanic won't be electrocuted by 12 VDC, a really nasty short might occur. There is fire potential galore, when somebody shorts out a car's unfused charging system.
i just did this 3 hours ago on my 90 c1500 5.7 w/ac. my powermaster 140 alternator (exact part number) came clocked in the wrong position from the factory (the power steering bracket bolt hole and the electrical plug position did not line up). you can send it back to swap if you have patience, lol. to re-clock you'll need a 1/4" standard socket and a thin wall 15/16 socket. if you don't have a thin wall 15/16 thin wall socket, which most do not, you can chuck an impact socket in a drill or impact gun and grind it down with a side grinder or a bench grinder until it fits into the pulley onto the 15/16 nut. use a piece of wood to hold the cooling fins and remove the pulley nut completely. next, remove the 3 bolts that hold the 2 main parts together. now, lightly pull the two halves apart until you can rotate them to the correct position. reinstall in reverse order. there is a lock washer on the pulley nut. the 3 small bolts could use some blue loctite or equivalent. powermaster needs to address this issue which is very common reading online reviews/ message boards and now my own experience. other than this, it seems very well built.
That is the most easily accessible alternator I've ever seen. That should be a 10 minute job. Unfortunately those idiots at Toyota decided that the alternator in my GX470 needed to be in the bottom of my can buried deep behind wires, cables and hoses. Took 3 hours to replace my alternator.
Yes, I have a 95 Chevy Suburban, and the alternator pulley messed up on me. It took me about 15 or so minutes of time to get old one off and put new one on. It happened 60 miles away from where I live.
Avoid a potential fire. Wire loom and terminal boots are cheap. A nice layer of dielectric grease on all terminals, and corrosion will never be an issue. Go ahead and smear some on your chassis grounds, which could reduce the risk of some electrical gremlins. Using red wire for ground is disturbing, but it's your truck.
+Alex Miles Hey, thanks for your concern! Since this video I've completely replaced all the wiring with 2 gauge black welding wire. I like your dielectric grease idea too!
GM sent out a TSB in about 2010, which continues in effect, recommending that all terminal connections and all ground connections be properly insulated and covered with dielectric grease. As electronics take over control of all vehicle systems, small amounts of corrosion, some of which are virtually invisible on ground connections secured by screws or bolts, and undersized wires create unnecessary resistance in the myriad electric circuits and cause all sorts of electronic failures, including the ever-popular “Reduced Engine Power” and “Service Stabilitrak” messages, among others. GM is the industry leader In getting rid of mechanics and replacing them with technicians whose goal is to replace expensive parts without being trained to diagnose or fix electrical problems involving bad grounds, bad battery cables and pigtail connectors, and shoddy, undersized wires that have failed or disintegrated inside the plastic insulation, which hides the problem. Check out this RU-vid video, and Part 2 of the story, for more information about what can happen to your GM truck and how to diagnose and fix the problem: Pt.1 2007 Chevy 2500HD "Reduced Engine Power" Warning & Fault Code P1516 Repair @ D-Ray's Shop
Thanks for showing us this upgrade, and thanks for finally going to 2 gauge wire. Put red paint on the ends of the black wires that now go from the alternator output post to the positive battery terminal. GM sent out a TSB in about 2010, which continues in effect, recommending that all terminal connections carrying power and all ground connections be properly insulated and covered with dielectric grease. As electronics take over control of all vehicle systems, small amounts of corrosion, some of which are virtually invisible on ground connections secured by screws or bolts, and undersized wires create unnecessary resistance in the myriad electric circuits and cause all sorts of electronic failures, including the ever-popular “Reduced Engine Power” and “Service Stabilitrak” messages, among others. GM is the industry leader In getting rid of mechanics and replacing them with technicians whose goal is to replace expensive parts without being trained to diagnose or fix electrical problems involving bad grounds, bad battery cables and pigtail connectors, bad splices in the wiring harnesses, and shoddy, undersized wires that have failed or disintegrated inside the plastic insulation, which hides the problem. Check out this RU-vid video, and Part 2 of the story, for more information about what can happen to your GM truck and how to diagnose and fix the problem: Pt.1 2007 Chevy 2500HD "Reduced Engine Power" Warning & Fault Code P1516 Repair @ D-Ray's Shop
A similar gremlin to yours. And I just got my answer today. I've got a 91 GMC. 350 auto, 4x4... It's more of a half dead workhorse than anything. I turned it into a winter only plow truck. At MOST, the truck gets about 5-6 miles on it per year. New 90 amp alternator. Harbor Freight 2500 lb electric winch for the up and down of the plow. The new battery worked great the last half of the first year I put it in. I had to jump start it every time after that. My volt gauge dropped hard every time I went up or down with the plow winch. Trying to beat a dead horse, I decided to go full out, industrial strength charging system. The biggest, in warehouse alternator I could get was 140 amps. But, that alternator was the wrong bolt pattern. I would need the local auto electric shop to build the alternator that big. Then I was going to go dual batteries, along with the 140 amp alternator. I had been to 2 auto parts stores, to be handed the wrong alternator, at both places, before I went to the auto electric shop. Once I explained the electric winch setup on the plow, he asked how long I plowed for each time. About an hour each time. Never going over 10 mph. Almost simultaneously, 2 employees shook their heads. It wasn't going to work. Motors draw BIG amps. Low engine rpm is not sufficient enough to charge the battery back up. Putting a 140 amp alternator on won't help my case. They do make low rpm alternators, but they cost HUNDREDS of dollars. He said to go dual batteries, equal amp rating on them, running 2 gauge wire. Positive to positive. Negative to negative. It'll help starting. It'll help ease the draw of plowing. But...when I'm done plowing, to put the charger on it for 2-3 hours. I figure a float charger that's permanently attached should work. In your case, a dual battery will also help. Two fans blowing full bore, can suck a ton of power. But I would also check to see if you can gather a temp and relay switch setup. The fan comes on at certain temp and shuts off at a certain temp. Constant running of the fans will wear them out, as well as your alrernator. It's like a temp light coming on when it's hot. Except, instead of the light coming on, the power is routed to the fans to come on. Going down the road at 55-60, your fans should never be running. Even in 90 degree weather. I hope this helps...if you still have the truck and the problem.
I have a OBS 1999 Chevy Tahoe 5.7 2wd with an OEM 105amp alternator. Replaced it with a 145amp alternator from a 2003 Cadillac Escalade. Cadillac alternator is a little larger but fits with plenty of wiggle room left over and no modifications were needed to install. A longer belt was needed due to the increased alternator size though. Stock belt was 4060960 New belt is 4060970
The alternators case is ground, no need for the red grounded cable. Bad idea anyway. Good job on the fans, I was about to do that but ruled against that because of the extra amp draw.
Awesome videos as always... question did you have to change the belt to a different size or the stock belt will work I'm thinking of making this switch before I add an amp and sub to my 93 Chevy c1500 5.7 V8
Better spark, I'd say. You have more amperes available for everything, so everything should be brighter, peppier, colder, fans will blow that wonderful cold air right in your face! I'm envy you that! Great video again. Thx for the lessons!
Hi, one thing you did not check before you bought this alternator is if your fans were wired correctly. The fans need to be wired in parallel, not series. This would make a difference.
140 amps would be a "major" upgrade for something like my 1977 C10 pickup that left the factory with a 63 amp alternator. It is NOT a "major" upgrade for something that had a 105 amp alternator originally. It's only a minor improvement at best, particularly when considering you've added another 60-80 amps of electrical load with those electric fans. It's also still a small case alternator and that 140 amps is a maximum cold rating. Once it gets hot, output will go down. A 160 or 200 amp Delco 28SI alternator could have been installed with only minor mounting modification and an adapter to connect to the original plug. It would have also the added bonus of substantially more amperage at idle, which is where small case alternators struggle the most. Hammer crimpers are junk(yes I have one), as is "battery cable" from the autoparts store. After using a hydraulic crimper, there is no comparison in the quality of the end product. Mine is rated at 16 tons and cost me less than $70 via amazon. Battery cable has a low strand count, and it's not very flexible as a result. It also doesn't carry current(amperage) all that well. Welding cable has many, many more strands, is far more flexible, and it is made to handle high current. It's a little more expensive, but well worth it. I'd also take a guess that within the next few years that new cable will need to be replaced since you didn't bother to use any heat shrink to seal the lug to cable joint. Even if your new alternator actually does produce 140 amps, running it through poor connections, crappy braided ground straps, and/or undersize cables will reduce it substantially and possibly result in a fire or other bad things. If you're going to do a job, do it RIGHT. Throw the factory cables and braided ground straps in the trash...then start fresh with good quality cable and sealed connections.
What we do is to replace the original pully with a smaller one. Ofcourse with some minor modifications to the alternator itself. Saves a chunk of money and works as good.
I have a Powermaster 160 on my 87 V20 4x4 Diesel Burb. Love it. Powermaster told me they soon will have a 250 ? I am ready to add a bunch of Hells offroad lights and will need more power.
You should really think about throwing some heat shrink of the wire converted from POS to neg. Makes it easy for someone to get mixed up while jumping it, gets expensive, ask me how I know.
+Steve Koszuta Hey, thanks for the comment! I'm going to be covering both wires in the not too distant future. Also, I figure the smaller gauge on the negative helps...
My 2018 Promater City van's OEM alternator is 160a has gone bad and only putting out 12.5v. There is a lot of power demand on my van. I run a giant battery 155ah AGM starter battery and 2000 watt inverter + 12v fans and LED lights and other appliances overnight. I want to put in a 320a after market high amp alternator, but worry about the computer and affecting gas mileage. Should worry the battery fuse to my alternator is only 150a. Any pully or adapter changes if manuf claims it will fit?
I have a 1995 as well, same engine bay. I have had those flex fans for 15 years and they are still going strong. But if you want to keep your voltage at 14v even at an idle, pick up an overdrive pully for your alternator.
Bad Drivers of Hurst Euless Bedford Thanks for your comment. It's funny you say that as I actually have. PowerMaster was kind enough to send me one out which did help but I think I'm still slightly underpowered at idle. Unfortunately I couldn't vlog the install due to a time crunch but will definitely talk about it in a later vid.
If you especially see it at night, you can also swap your external lights to LED. Such as your brake lights, headlights, driving lights, license plate light. Your dash lights also use 194 bulbs, like 7 of them if I remember. Add up all the amperage that is used just because the sun goes down can put a strain on the alternator.
Here is a video after I have the alternator installed, overdrive pulley, running at idle, and absolutely everything electronic is on, including big stereo: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7sLz6cDOofw.html I dont show it but the scanner is showing 14.2 volts at the fuel pump. So thats right on about what the gauge says. This is before the upgrades ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XYNKs0UnTQU.html
Evan Watty I have a diesel suburban 1998 and I haven't seen that size alternator. Mine from factory was already a 140 amp. I also have more things to power like heated seats
Evan Watty is the 250 alternator acdelco or where did you buy it? That might actually be great for when I get my winch and lights. Also did you have to get a different belt?
sneakysnakepie1 BNR Parts sells it, they’re out of California. Give them a call 818 442 9082, they’ll explain their warranty and answer all questions you have. Tahoe seems to run better if that makes sense. At idle a new 140 amp alternator only makes about 100 amps
Evan Watty At idle a 140 amp alternator DOES NOT make anywhere even close to 100 amps, where ever you go that information is completely false, you need to do some education on how an alternator works, you have no clue
Is the power wire on a fuse or circuit breaker in the event of the current shooting up due to a short of some sort? I would at the very least is put a 140/150 amp circuit breaker or fuse inline and insulate the new ground wire or wrap it in a jacket other then the factor insulator.
Can you run your old and new alternator at the same time? Asking cause I been wanting to run another alternator and battery on my Tahoe in the winter time so that I can run my snow plow equipment off one and my vehicle and accessories off the other one . Any information would be appreciated
nice job I like it hey Jimmy I have a 1994 Z71 1500 pickup one thing I noticed that I think you should do to improve your overall efficiency and believe me it works remove that cold air intake on your air cleaner and flip the cover upside down and use the biggest filter you can get it makes so much more sense that way your engine intakes air from all the way around the air cleaner instead of just running air through the one spot where the intake Cold Air Supply feeds the filter the so-called Cold Air Supply comes from your Fender which is hot and it's a stupid setup just remove it and flip your air cleaner cover and go with the biggest filter you can get in there.. by the way I did this like the second year I own my truck and I now have 450000 miles on the original untouched engine in the original untouched transmission I get phenomenal mileage for a four wheel drive truck especially considering it's a 1994 with a 350....
You can actually get a slight performance and mileage gains because it feeds the coil better and the gives you a stonger spark. It will also keeps your fuel pump from getting weak power at low rpms. Everything electronic will work better because of the mod. The extra power from going to electric fans from a mechanical fan can be between 7 and 12hp I know that sound like alot but it's been proven on engine dynos from multiple reliable sources. I know my s10 felt like I was tow g a boat when my mechanical fan cut on. It's a 4000+lbs zr2 s10 that really needed more than a 4.3L it should have came with a 4.8 or 5.3 like the full size trucks started getting in 98 (my zr2 is a 2000) it's got an aluminum L33 5.3 now. The L33 weighs basically the same as the iron 4.3L also.
I don't think the extra ground / negative wire between the alternator and the battery is really needed. The alternator is grounded solidly to the engine, and the battery is grounded to it too via the braided wire. But on the other hand it doesn't harm either.
www.polysi.com/polysidielectricgrease.html There's a lot of science here. Like you, I am skeptical, would avoid putting stuff on any mating surfaces for fear it would impede current, and thereby create a hot spot. Wikipedia (take it for what it's worth) article says that dielectric grease is an insulator. That implies it should go on, if necessary, only after all connections are made and tightened to finish. With spark plugs there is so much voltage, and the threads are tightened sufficiently to allow a short path between spark plug threads and cylinder head threads. Since heads are commonly aluminum, the priority here is to minimize threat of stripping the female threads. I suppose a tiny amount of common bearing grease would suffice. Again, the advertised benefit of the dielectric grease (at the polysi site) is that it prevents corrosion, and resists wash out on exposed surfaces. Spark plug threads are not exposed to the environment.
Actually, it makes a huge difference. The ground goes through the case of the alternator, mount bolts, etc. By using bigger positive wires from the stud and grounding the alternator you will have less resistance which will support more amperage and a more steady voltage when done PROPERLY.
Unfused battery cable needs double insulation. Plastic wire channel or something. Could start fire without if soft insulation gets chafed and touches ground.
A few things for novices watching this: 1. There is a square hole in the front of the Belt tensioner to accept a 1/2 drive lever bar or actual tensioner tool. Please use it, your knuckles will thank you. 2. When removing/installing serpentine belts, the first place to remove the belt from a pulley is a smooth pulley, not a grooved one. Going back on, do a smooth pulley last. It's just easier. 3. It's a terrible idea to use a red insulated cable for your Negative/Ground. Will it work, yes. Will somebody someday get them wrong?, almost a certainty. Terrible. Don't do that. 4. When you are tightening your cable back up to the battery and you have a connector like Jimmy's (I have the same one on my pickup), hold the battery side with an appropriate wrench and then tighten the nut. The threads in side the battery are lead and will strip really easy. It's just a miracle Jimmy didn't strip his. Screee, NO, just snug and a light tug. 5. Don't route your cables so that they rest on a radiator hose. The engine constantly vibrates and moves a good bit on a heavy load acceleration because of engine torque. The hole you are slowly wearing in the radiator hose will reveal it's self at the worst possible time. Bank on it. 6. The niffy crimping tool is great for a guy who uses them a lot at a stereo shop and doesn't mind charging you to do them over in a few years when it comes loose or gets clobbered up with corrosion. Solder it in so it is sealed. You can crimp it then solder it if you just gotta use that tool. Solder it. If it gets corrosion in there but still works it's still going to cause resistance. Sorry Jimmy, I admire your tenacity for getting in there and doing this but your inexperience really showed on this one.
No damage would be done if I upgrade the alternator from a 105 to a 140 would there? No other changes at all, no additional equipment, no additional draws...?
Hey buddy have you ever heard about the capacitors everybody out there is talking about that for some reason something tell me that those help a lot ...what do you think about that? By the way great video Jimmy..
Gero Azmodii Are you talking about those giant stiffening capacitors that people install with their stereo equipment? They only store energy for when your amplifiers draw a large amount from your charging system during big bass hits. Those things are bandaids, and they blow up sometimes. You don't want to be near one when they do.
the delco design alternator are notorious for not charge at idle speed, try the same thing with a Bosch or japanese alternator and there is a big difference at idle
+Joe Moto Not quite. The alternators themselves are internally different. Yes, a smaller pulley will increase alt rpms thereby producing more amperage at lower engine rpms...
Do you have any problem with vibration when you turn on the a/c? I have isuzu rodeo 92. With 3.1l GM engine with the same compresso you have and the same alternator...
Reyes Jou Yeah, but you have a tiny 3.1 and he has a much larger 5.7. The air conditioner doesn't pull a noticeable amount of power from the V8 to make it vibrate, unless it's already running poorly to begin with.
WHAT problem? Please give us some quantitative analysis. Some NUMBERS. Voltage (simply use a DVM in parallel situation; at the battery) is much more easily observed, than amperage (which requires insertion of a series-based instrument, in the right place). Does your battery voltage run below 13.8 volts, when you're running the vehicle under full electrical load, with your old alternator?
DC power, Singer or MechMan alternator's you can get from 175 amp all the way up to 300 amp for racing applications and car audio and I would definitely be doing 0 gauge (big 3) upgrade
+Dieselman40 you really don't need 0 gauge wire at all. Not unless you're running a MAJOR audio system. Btw, I've since done the big 3 upgrade. Check my channel.
Dieselman40 tried them all nobody makes one for my Cruze it sucks cause I got a huge system and have to use multiple XS power battery's and charge them at night.
Hey Jay thanks for sharing this. As I was watching you start your Suburban up your oil pressure gauge started off with some really good pressure! After you drove for a little bit it dropped off substantially. You might want to check your oil pump or gauge in your dash.
+DeathInANoose Thanks for the comment! Yes, I did my research and there was a lot of confusion about whether or not to ad a fuse. After talking to the PowerMaster guys I decided not to. However, if you know something I don't know I'm all ears and open to suggestions.
I noticed when upgrading to a 4 gauge wire that my original positive lead was going through the fuse box under the hood. A corporation isn't going to waste money on it if it doesn't need to. Safety first and all that. I was going to wait to order one for mine until I could find a higher output alternator, but I can't seem to find one for my vehicle. 1999 Nissan Altima GXE. Most of the high output manufacturers seem to only make them for a handful of mid to late 2000 models. I figure just replace my old alt with a new one and then fuse it to the max output.
You never want to fuse an alternator output wire. You never want to break the connection from the alternator to battery for reliability issues. Even if the alternator blows a diode due to an overload issue, it will still put power out good enough to get where you need to go. If you fuse that charging wire and the alternator blows the fuse, you loose ALL charging output from the alternator. If the alternator is still putting out power after it is blown then something is better then nothing. Plus, any and all alternators put out more power then the rating of the alternator from the factory. Fusing the charging wire is pointless when you don't know the max output it will do. And putting a restriction on the charging wire seems pointless too.
