Whatisanalternator? An automotive charging system is made up of three major components: the battery, the voltage regulator and an alternator.

The alternator works with the battery to generate power for the electrical components of a vehicle, like the interior and exterior lights, and the instrument panel. An alternator gets its namefromthetermalternatingcurrent(AC). Alternatorsaretypicallyfoundnearthefrontof the engine and are driven by the crankshaft, which converts the pistons' upanddown movement into circular movement. (To learn more about the basic parts of car engines, read How Car Engines Work.) Some early model vehicles used a separate drive belt from the crankshaft pulley to the alternator pulley, but most cars today have a serpentine belt, or one belt that drives all components that rely on crankshaft power.Mostalternatorsaremountedusingbracketsthatbolttoaspecificpointontheengine. One of the brackets is usually a fixed point, while the other is adjustable to tighten the drive belt. Alternatorsproduce AC power through electromagnetism formed through the stator and rotor relationship thatwe'll touchonlaterin the article. Theelectricity ischanneledintothebattery, providing voltage to run the various electrical systems. Before we learn more about the mechanicsofthealternatorandhowitgenerateselectricity,let'slookatthevariouspartsofan alternatorinthenextsection AlternatorComponents Forthemostpart,alternatorsarerelativelysmall and lightweight. Roughly the size of a coconut, thealternatorsfoundinmostpassengercarsand light trucks are constructed using an aluminum outer housing, as the lightweightmetal does not magnetize. This is important since aluminum dissipates the tremendous heat generated by producing the electrical power and since the rotorassemblyproducesamagneticfield. If you closely inspect an alternator, you'll find it hasventsonboththefrontandbackside.Again, this aids in heat dissipation. A drive pulley is attached to the rotor shaft on the front of the alternator. When the engine is running, the crankshaft turns the drive belt, which in turn

spins the pulley on the rotor shaft. In essence, the alternator transfers the mechanical energy fromtheengineintoelectricalpowerforthecar'saccessories. On the back side of the alternator you'll find several terminals (or connecting points in an electricalcircuit).Let'stakealookatthose:

SterminalSensesbatteryvoltage IGterminalIgnitionswitchthatturnsthevoltageregulatoron LterminalClosesthecircuittothewarninglamp BterminalMainalternatoroutputterminal(connectedtothebattery) FterminalFullfieldbypassforregulator

Cooling is essential to an alternator's efficiency. It's easy to spot an older unit by the external fan blades found on the rotor shaft behind the pulley. Modern alternators have cooling fans inside the aluminum housing. These fans operate the same way, using mechanical power from thespinningrotorshaft. As we start to disassemble the alternator, we find the diode rectifier (or rectifier bridge), the voltage regulator, slip rings and brushes. The regulator distributes the power the alternator creates, and it controls the output of power to the battery. The rectifier bridge converts the power, as we'll learn in the next section, while the brushes and slip rings help conduct current totherotorfieldwinding,orwirefield.Nowlet'scrackthecoconutopen. Opening the alternator reveals a large cylinder with triangular finger poles around the circumference. This is the rotor. A basic alternator is made up of a series of alternating finger polepiecesplacedaroundcoilwirescalledfieldwindingsthatwraparoundanironcoreonthe rotorshaft.Sinceweknowthepulleyattachestotheshaft,wecannowvisualizehowtherotor spinsinside the stator. The rotorassembly fits insidethestatorwith enough roomor tolerance between the two, so the rotor can spin at highspeeds without striking the stator wall. On each endoftheshaftsitsabrushandaslipring. Aswetouchedonbriefly,alternatorsgeneratepowerthroughmagnetism.Thetriangularfinger poles fixed around the circumference of the rotor are staggered, so the north and south poles alternate as they surround the wire rotor field windings. This alternating pattern creates the magnetic field that in turn induces voltage into the stator. Think of the stator as the catcher's gloveasitharnessesallthepowercreatedbythespinningrotor. All these components work together to give us the power we need to run our vehicles. Tesla captured this electrical energy and used it to light up cities, but we only need enough volts to power our stereo, lights, windows and locks. Let's take a look at how the alternator produces thatpowerinthenextsection UnderstandingAlternatorPowerOutput In the early days, cars used generators rather than alternators to power the vehicle's electrical system and charge the battery. That's not the case anymore. As automotive technology evolved, so did the need for more power. Generators produce direct current, which travels in

one direction, as opposed to the alternating current for the electricity in our houses, which periodically reverses directions. As Tesla proved in 1887, alternating current became more attractiveasitgenerateshighervoltagemoreefficiently,somethingnecessaryincontemporary automobiles.Butcarbatteriescan'tuseACpowersincetheyproduceDCpower.Asaresult,the alternator'spoweroutputisfedthroughdiodes,whichconverttheACpowertoDCpower. The rotor and the stator are the two components that generate power. As the engine rotates the alternator pulley, the rotor spins past three stationary stator windings, or wire coils, surrounding a fixed iron core that makes up the stator. This is referred to as a threephase current. The coil windings are evenly spaced at intervals of 120 degrees around the iron shaft. The alternating magnetic field from the rotor produces a subsequent alternating current in the stator. This AC current is fed through stator leads into a connecting set of diodes. Two diodes connecttoeachstatorleadtoregulatethecurrent.Thediodesareusedtoessentiallyblockand direct the current. Since batteries need DC current, the diodes become a oneway valve that willonlyallowcurrenttopassinthesamedirection. Threephasealternatorshavethreesetsofwindings;they'remoreefficientthanasinglephase alternator, which produce a singlephase AC current. When working properly, the three windings produce three currents that make up the three phases. Adding all three together producesthetotalACoutputofthestator. The two basic stator winding designs are delta wound and wye style. Delta wound are easily identifiablebytheirshape,asthey'retriangular.Thesewindingsallowforahighcurrentflowat lower RPM. Wye windings resemble the flux capacitor seen in "Back to the Future." These windings are ideal for diesel engines, as they produce higher voltage than delta stators at even lowerRPM. After the AC/DC conversion, the resulting voltage is ready to use in the battery. Too much or toolittlevoltagecandamagethebattery,aswellasotherelectricalcomponents.Toensurethe correct amount, a voltage regulator determines when and how much voltage is needed in the battery. One of two types of regulators are found in most alternators: The grounded regulator works by controlling the amount of negative or battery ground going into the winding in the rotor, while a grounded field type works the other way around by controlling the amount of batterypositive.Neitherposesanadvantageovertheother. With so many components working to create the electricity vital for our vehicles, it's safe to say the alternator is a crucial component under the hood. But like many parts on our cars, they fail. The next section will give you an idea of how to determine if you are about to bestrandedandwhatyoucandoifyouneedtoreplaceyouralternato TheLifeandDeathofanAlternator As we saw in the beginning of the article, a failing alternator will kill a battery and ruin your day. But why did the alternator fail in the first place? Alternators have moving parts, get dirty and are subject to stressfromheatandcold.Asaresult,theinternalpartsgraduallywear out.

Oneofthemostcommonfailuresisbearingfailure.Theneedlebearingsthatallowtherotorto spin freely inside the stator can break down from dirt and heat. When the bearings fail, the rotor will not spin efficiently and can eventually seize. Usually an alternator with bearings failure makes a loud grinding noise. If you suspect this problem, it's only a matter of time before the alternator gives up. Older vehicles with generators tend to require much more maintenance than newer models, but there's no hard and fast rule for how long an alternator willlast.Itvariesfrommanufacturertomanufacturer. You can take several easy steps to diagnose whether your alternator is on the fritz. First, most carstodayhaveadashboardlightthatglowswhentheignitionisswitchedon.Thislightusually isrepresentedwitha symbolof a battery.Have you ever heardabuzzing noise when thekey is on, but the car isn't running? That's the voltage from the battery running through the charging system.Ifthisbulbisburnedout,chancesarethealternatorwon'twork.Thecarmaystart,but aswelearned,it'sjustamatteroftimebeforethebatterydrainsandtheelectricalsystemfails. As a rule, a threephase alternator can operate with only one of the stator windings operational,althoughit'sonlyonethirdasefficient.Totestwhetheryourcarhadanissuewith one of its stator windings, you'd need to use a voltmeter to check the voltage. (You can buy a basicvoltmeteratanelectronicsstore.)Thisiscalledaloadtest.SincethebatteryproducesDC power, set the voltmeter to DC rather than AC. Connect the red lead (or wire) to the positive terminal and the black to the negative. With no accessories on, start the car and raise the RPM to around 1,000. The voltage should register around 14 volts. Anything less than 12 may indicate a problem. Next, turn on the headlights, air conditioner, radio and anything else that draws electrical power. Rev the engine and check the voltmeter. Again, the voltage should registeraround14volts.Ifyouhaveafailingalternator,thevoltagewillbewellbelow14volts. Ifso,it'stimetoreplacethealternator. Before you decide you need to yank the alternator and replace it, make sure you check the serpentinebelt.Ifthebeltiswornorloose,thealternatorwon'tfunctionproperly.Abadbeltis easy to replace and won't set you back much, usually less than $20. But if you have to replace thealternator, youhave options.Read ontolearn howtogoabout replacing an alternator and whatitmaycostinthenextsection AlternatorReplacement For the most part, alternators are less expensive than say, a power steering pump or air conditioner compressor. Nevertheless, you have alternatives to forking out a lot of cash for a replacement alternator. Many automotive stores sell remanufacturedorrebuiltalternatorsatadiscountedprice. While alternators are relatively inexpensive in comparison to some of the other components on your engine, some can be expensivedependingonthecarmake. Sometimes alternators are easily accessible and simple to replace for the amateur mechanic. With a modest amount of automotive experience and the proper tools, replacing an

alternator in your garage can be done. But more and more cars don't have room under the hood, and the alternators can be difficult to reach without first removing several other components.Inthiscase,it'sbesttotakeyourcartoanexperiencedtechnicianwhocandothe jobquickly. If you happen to own an alternator that has a repair kit available for sale, you can really save somemoney.Alternatorrepairkitsrunbetween$12and$30,dependingonwhichcomponents you need to fix. Again, you need the proper tools and a little knowhow, but if you're able to findtherightkitandknowwhatyou'redoing,youcanrebuildanalternatorforafractionofthe costofevenaremanufacturedunit. One thing is certain: A bad alternator will ruin a good battery if you don't address it quickly. Batteries can only be recharged so many times before they'll lose their ability to hold a charge. Forthemostpart,ifthebatteryisn'trelativelyold,itshouldsurvive.Butanolderbatterythatis constantly drained and charged, drained and charged will have a shorter life span than a battery operated under normal conditions. The average life span of a battery is usually around 48months Highoutput alternators have become popular with custom car shops and in highperformance cars. They produce higher voltage at idle and make more power for vehicles that draw an excessive amount of electricity. For example, custom cars with lavish audio and video systems draw more electricity than the stock alternators can handle. As a result, companies such as HO Alternators make alternators for several makes and models. Some custom shops are even installing dualalternator systems to handle the additional electrical loads seen in custom vehicles. ALTERNATORWARNINGLIGHT "Whatdoes thatlittle red light that saysALT mean when itcomeson?"Very basically, itmeans that either the alternator output voltage is lower than the battery voltage, or the battery voltage is lower than the alternator output voltage. If the light gets dimmer as you rev up the engine, then you most likely have a problem with the alternator. If it gets brighter, then the batteryismostlikelybad.

That's all well and good, but just exactly what does all that mean? To get a good idea, it is first necessarytounderstandhowanalternatorworks.Youdon'tneedanengineeringdegree,justa basic understanding of the general principles. Figure 1, below, is a block diagram, or a "functional" diagram, of an alternator, and its connections to the remainder of the automobile electrical system. Following the figure is a description of the various components that make up analternator,andadescriptionofhoweachoperatestokeepthebatterychargedinyourcar.

ALTERNATORROTOR We'llstartourtourofthealternatorwhereitallstartsinthealternatoritselfatthealternator rotor. The rotor consists of a coil of wire wrapped around an iron core. Current through the wirecoilcalled"field"currentproducesamagneticfieldaroundthecore.Thestrengthofthe field current determines the strength of the magnetic field. The field current is D/C, or direct current. In other words, the current flows in one direction only, and is supplied to the wire coil byaset of brushes andsliprings. The magnetic field produced has,asany magnet, anorth and asouthpole.Therotorisdrivenbythealternatorpulley,rotatingastheengineruns,hencethe name"rotor." STATOR Surrounding the rotor is another set of coils, three in number, called the stator. The stator is fixed to the shell of the alternator, and does not turn. As the rotor turns within the stator windings, the magnetic field of the rotor sweeps through the stator windings, producing an electrical currentin the windings. Because of the rotation of the rotor,an alternating current is

produced. As, for example, the north pole of the magnetic field approaches one of the stator windings, there is little coupling taking place, and a weak current is produced, As the rotation continues, the magnetic field moves to the center of the winding, where maximum coupling takes place, and the induced current is at its peak. As the rotation continues to the point that the magnetic field is leaving the stator winding, the induced current is small. By this time, the south pole is approaching the winding, producing a weak current in the opposite direction. As this continues, the current produced in each winding plotted against the angle of rotation of the rotor has the form shown in figure 2. The three stator windings are spaced inside the alternator 120 degrees apart, producing three separate sets, or "phases," of output voltages, spaced120degreesapart,asshowninfigure3.

OUTPUTDIODES(BRIDGERECTIFIER) A/C voltage is of little use in a D/C system, such as used in an automobile, so it has to be converted to D/C before it can be used. This conversion to D/C takes place in the BRIDGE RECTIFIER . Diodes have the property of allowing current to flow in only one direction, while blocking current flow in the other direction. The BRIDGE RECTIFIER consist of six diodes, one pair for each winding. One of the pair is for the negative half cycle, and the other for the positive half cycle. As a result of this diode rectification, the output of the alternatorlooksasshowninfigure4. Surprisingly enough, the output of the alternator is not a pure D/C as one might expect, but a pulsating D/C. Because there are three windings, each with a positive and a negative half, by the time the voltage is passed through the diodes, there are six pulsations for each rotation of

the rotor. This is close enough to D/C for most automotive components. Critical components, such as radios, have their own internal filtering circuits to further smooth out the waveform to apurerD/C. DIODETRIO The diode trio consists, as the name suggests, of three diodes, one per phase, which provides fieldcurrenttothealternatorregulator.Thisoutputwillbediscussedinmoredetaillaterinthe "fieldcurrentsupply"section. VOLTAGEREGULATOR The regulator has two inputs and one output. The inputs are the field current supply and the control voltage input, and the output is the field current to the rotor. The regulator uses the control voltage input to control the amount of field current input that is allow to pass through to the rotor winding. If the battery voltage drops, the regulator senses this, by means of the connection to the battery, and allows more of the field current input to reach the rotor, which increases the magnetic field strength, which ultimately increases the voltage output of the alternator. Conversely, if the battery voltage goes up, less field current goes through the rotor windings,andtheoutputvoltageisreduced. FIELDCURRENTSUPPLY Field current supply is provided from two different sources from the alternator itself, via the diode trio, and from the battery, via the alternator warning lamp. When you first get in the car and turn the key on, the engine is not running and the alternator is not spinning. At this time, thevoltage/currentsourceforthefieldcurrentisfromthebattery,throughtheignitionswitch, and through the warning lamp. After the engine is started, and the alternator is up to speed, the output of the diode trio is fed back to the regulator, and serves as a source of current for the field current. At this time, the alternator is selfsustaining, and the battery is no longer needed to power the automobiles electrical system WARNING!!! This is theoretical only in actual practice, the voltage surges resulting from disconnecting the battery can seriously damage the regulator circuitry. All alternator manufacturers strongly advise NOT doing this! This test will not prove the functionality of the alternator anyway, as the engine may still run withaweakalternatoroutput. WARNINGLAMP This brings us back full circle to the starting pointthealternatorwarninglamp.Ascanbe seen from figure 5, a schematic for an actual alternator, there is a path to ground from the field current supply input [1] to the regulator. Asaresult,whenthekeyisturnedon,current flows through the warning lamp, through the resisters, transistors, and field coil, and then to ground, causing the lamp to illuminate. Once the alternator is at full output, voltage

fromthediodetrio,alsoappliedto[1],equalsthebatteryvoltage.Atthistime,with12voltson bothsides,thelampisout. If the alternator should fail, voltage from the diode trio would drop, and once again the lamp wouldlightfromthebatteryvoltage.Ifthealternatoroutputisonlyalittlelow,thelampwillbe dimlylit.Ifthealternatorfailscompletely,andtheoutputvoltagegoestozero,thelampwillbe litatfullbrilliance.Conversely,ifthebatteryshouldfail,andthebatteryvoltagedrops,withthe outputvoltageofthealternatorononesideandthelowbatteryvoltageontheother,thelamp willalsolight. As stated earlier, if the light grows dimmer as the engine is revved up, it is because the alternator voltage is rising with the RPM, producing more voltage on the alternator side of the lamp. The closer the output voltagegets to thebattery voltage, the dimmer the bulb becomes. By the same way, if the light gets brighter with increasing RPM, it is because as the alternator voltage increases, it is getting higher than the battery voltage. The higher the voltage with respect to the battery voltage, the greater the voltage difference across the lamp, and the brighteritgets. SUMMATION In summary, then, we can say that field current through the rotor coils produces a magnetic field, which is coupled over to the stator coils, producing an AC voltage. This AC voltage is convertedbytheoutputdiodesintopulsatingDCvoltage,whichchargesthebattery. The field current is supplied from either the battery, via the warning lamp, or from the diode trio.Theamountoffieldcurrentallowedtopassthroughtheregulatortotherotor,orfieldcoil, iscontrolledbythevoltagefeedbackfromthebattery. Andthereyouhaveitthecompleteoperationofanalternatorinanutshell.Thenexttimeyou seethelittleredlight,youwillknowexactlywhatitistryingtotellyou. Description: The alternator consists of a spinning set of electrical windings called a rotor, a stationary set ofwindingscalledastator,arectifierassembly,aset of brushes to maintain electrical contact with the rotor, and a pulley. All of these parts except the pulley are contained in an aluminum housing. Today?s alternators use compact, electronic voltage regulators that may be housed inside the alternator or the voltage regulator function may be handled by the vehicle?s powertrain control module (PCM). Purpose: The alternator generates direct current for recharging the battery andforpoweringvehicleelectricalloads.

Maintenance Tips/Suggestions: Have the alternator?s drive belt tension checked at every oil change. A loose belt can reduce alternator output and run down your car?s battery. Each spring, prior to travel season, it?s wise to have your car?s charging system tested as part of a comprehensive starting, charging and battery test. This test will determine whether your car?s alternator is putting out the proper amount of current and voltage. Your car?s alternator is designed to recharge the battery after slight discharging such as engine starting; the alternator is not designed for charging heavily discharged (?dead?) batteries. Relying on the alternator to charge a heavily discharged battery can overload the alternator and cause damage. In such cases, use a battery charger instead. An alternator problem can cause a discharged battery, poor accessory and light operation, frequent bulb replacement, repeat voltage regulator failures, erratic engine operation, or a dashboard warning light to illuminate. To pinpoint the cause, have your car?s charging system checked out by a qualified service technician. Life expectancy of the average alternator is 75100 thousand miles. StandardAutomobileAlternator A key component of an automobile's charging system, which provides current to recharge the battery and develops electricity to power all other electrical components when the engine is running,isthealternator.Theothercomponentofthechargingsystemisthevoltageregulator. The basic function of the alternator is to generate the electricity required to start and run the automobile, while the regulator is designed to control the amount of voltage that circulates through the system. This discussion will focus entirely upon the alternator, specifically, the principleofoperationbywhichitworksanditsmaincomponents.Analternator(Fig.1)consists of rotor assembly, a stator assembly, and a rectifier mounted in housing. Figure 1. Parts of an Alternator Alternator Housing. The housing is usually made up of two pieces of diecast aluminum. Aluminum is used because it is a nonmagnetic, lightweight material that provides good heat dissipation. Bearings supporting the rotor assembly are mounted in the front andrear housing. Thefrontbearingisusuallypressedintothefronthousingorontotherotorshaft.Itisusuallya factorylubricated ball bearing. The rear bearing is usually installed with a light press fit in the rearhousing. Stator Assembly. The stator is clamped between the front and the rear housing. A number of steel stampings areriveted togetherto formits frame. Threewindings aroundthe statorframe

are arranged in layers in each of the slots on the frame. At the other end, they are connected intotherectificationassembly. Rotor Assembly. The rotor assembly consists of a rotor shaft, a winding around an iron core, two pole pieces, and slip rings. The rotor is pressed into the core. Sixfingered, malleable, iron polepiecesarepressedontotheshaftagainsteachendofthewindingcore.Theyareplacedso that the fingers mesh but do not touch. When direct current is passed through the field coil winding, the fingers become alternately north and south poles. A slip ring assembly is pressed on to the rear end of the rotor shaft and connected to the two ends of the field winding. Two brushes are held against the slip rings by springs, usually mounted in plastic brush holders thatsupportthebrushesandpreventbrushsticking.Eachbrushisconnectedintothecircuitby flexiblecopperleadwire.Thebrushesrideontheslipringsandareconnectedthroughaswitch to the battery. When the switch is closed, current from the battery passes through one brush, through the slip ring, and then through the field winding. After leaving the field winding, current flows through the other slip ring and brush before returning to the battery through the ground return path. The flow of electrical energy through the field winding, called fieldcurrent,createsthemagneticfieldfortherotor. Rectifier Assembly: The rectifier assembly consists of six diodes mounted either in the rear housing or in a separate small housing called a rectifier bridge. Three of the diodes are connected to ground, and three are mounted in an insulator. Since the mounting assembly carriesoffheatcausedbytheoperationofthediode,itisoftencalledaheatsink. A fan and pulley assembly is either pressed onto the rotor shaft or held with a nut. The pulley drives the rotor through an engine accessory drive belt. The fan behind the alternator pulley pullsairinthroughventsattherearofthealternatortocoolthediodes Whatisaonewirealternator? A one wire alternator is used where you do not want to have any connection from a vehicle to operateanalternator.Itwillselfexcite,meaningthatitcanstartchargingandstopchargingall on its own. The only connection needed for a 1wire alternator is the output charge cable. It is most commonly used in custom vehicles to clean up the wiring, replacing an alternator that usedanexternalregulator,oraddingasecondalternatortothevehicle. The early GM 1wire alternators (19721986) will need to have the RPM raised to 1000 1200 RPM initially to get the alternator charging and then it will continue to charge after that. The later style GM and all Ford and other style 1wire alternators will excite immediately when the vehicle is started. The one wire alternators cannot be used if you want to use a dash charging light. You would need to use the plugin style regulator in order to complete the circuit to operatethelight. HowmuchamperagedoIneed? The alternator that was provided with your vehicle should handle all of its electrical needs as outfittedfromthefactory.Ifyouhaveaddedelectricalcomponentssuchasstereoamps,lights, compressors, winch, plow, etc. then you will need to produce more power to operate these

components. Use our Amperage Load Calculator to find out how much power you now need fromanupgradedalternator. Whydoesmynewalternatorhaveasmallerpulley? Alternators produce more amperage the faster they spin up to their maximum capacity. Most people need the best output they can get at low speed. When the engine is idling, the alternator will not produce as much power because it is turning slower. In order to boost output at lower RPM, it is beneficial to spin the alternator faster by using a slightly smaller pulley to accomplish this. In most cases you should be able to use the alternator with the smaller pulley without having to use a smaller belt. Check to make sure that your belt is not worn, stretched, or that the tensioner has the correct amount of tension to keep the belt from slippingorhavingtoomuchtension. Whyisoutputsolowatidle? 1) Too much load The amount of load (components using power) may be too much for the amount of output the alternator is capable of producing at that slower speed. Check the amperage output at the rear of the alternator and see if it is more or less than the amperage coming out of the batterys positive cable. If increasing the RPM of the engine slightly causes the alternator to exceed the requirements, then it may be necessary to use a higher rated alternator, raise the engine idle speed (if possible), or change to a smaller diameter pulley to increaseoutputatthatRPM,. 2) Idle Speed Some newer vehicles have idle speeds much lower than earlier models. This is donetohelpthefueleconomy.Onthesevehiclestheuseofasmallerdiameterpulleyisalmost a necessity to get low RPM output to an acceptable level. You may find that at times the load demand may be greater than the available output of the alternator. There is no problem with having this condition for short periods such as heavy bass hits from the stereo. Using an auxiliary battery to add additional reserve capacity can help alleviate problems stemming from thesecircumstances. 3)PulleyratioInorder for the alternator to spinfastenoughtoproducethepower necessary at low RPM, the pulley ratio should be correct. Changing the crankshaft pulley or alternator pulley will vary this ratio. For most vehicles the ratio should be at least 3:1. See the question Whatispulleyratiotofindouthowtocalculatethis. 4) Wiring When upgrading to a high output alternator it is important to make sure that the power can get to where it needs to go. The factory charge cable and ground cables were designed to handle only as much amperage as the stock alternator could provide. Using a higheramperagealternator,youneedtoupgradethechargecabletohandlethehighercurrent that will be passing through or the power will be restricted. It is also necessary to upgrade the groundsideaswell.Thiswouldincludethebatterytoframe,body,andengineblock. CanIuseunderdrivepowerpulleys? Theuseofunderdrivepulleysforthecrankshafthasbecomepopularbutithasthedownsideof slowingalternatorRPM.Thiswillcausethealternatortohaveloweroutputatslowspeeds.We

recommend that the factory sized crankshaft pulley be used whenever you upgrade to a high outputalternator. Willahigheramperagealternatorcauseanyproblemswithmystockelectricalsystem? A higher amperage alternator will not pose any problems to the vehicles electrical system. Amperage will flow to only those components that can use the energy and supply as much amperageasthecomponentcanconsume.Forexample,youmayhavea100ampalternatorin your vehicle and the turn signals have small wiring and will only use 10 amp of power. Upgrading to a 200 amp alternator will not affect these components. On externally regulated alternatorsyoucanstillusethestockfactoryregulator.Ofcourseyouneedtogetthepowerto whereitneedstogo,soseethenextquestionaboutmodifications. WhatmodificationswillIneedtomakewhenupgradingtoahighampalternator? Almost all of the alternators we sell are meant to be a direct replacement for your factory alternatorsoyoushouldnothavetomodifytheinstallation.Youshould,however,upgradethe alternatorschargingcableandgroundcables(batterytoframe,body,andengineblock)sothat you can get the power to where it can be used. A smaller diameter alternator pulley is usually included with the alternator we provide and in rare instances a slightly shorter belt may be necessary. Whatdoestheratedoutputofyouralternatorsmean? Our alternators are tested on our test bench to provide the best output for most driving conditions including low speed or idle operation. The specifications you see on our website reflectresultsasfollows: AdvertisedIdleOutput@2,400RPM AdvertisedMaximumOutput@4,8005,200RPM These figures are alternator RPM speed. In order to calculate the corresponding engine RPM you must divide those numbers by your pulley ratio. To calculate pulley ratio, see the next question. Whatispulleyratio? Pulley ratio is the comparison of the crankshaft pulley diameter to the alternator pulley diameter. In order to get your pulley ratio you would measure the diameter of your crankshaft pulley and divide it by the diameter of the alternator pulley you will be using. For example, if your crankshaft pulley is 6 in diameter and the alternator pulley is 2 in diameter, the ratio wouldbe3:1or62=3.Thelargertheratio,thefasterthealternatorwillspin. Willahighoutputalternatorhaveashorterlifespan? Thehighoutputalternatorswedesignshouldbeabletoprovidealonglife.However,themore current that is produced by an alternator, the faster the brushes may wear. If you are using an alternator more toward its peak capacity it will tend to use more brush material. Luckily, replacing brushes on most alternators is relatively easy and very inexpensive. Even if you are

runningthealternatoratpeakcapacityitshouldprovideyouwithyearsofgoodusebeforeyou mayneedtodoanymaintenance. Whatalternatorswillinterchangewitheachother? For GM, Ford, and Chrysler vehicles we have provided a list of the most popular interchangeablecasestohelpmakefindingahigheramperagealternatoreasier. HowdoIwireanalternatorinplaceofagenerator? Since not all vehicles are wired exactly the same the picture below is a simple example of the wiring requirements for installing an alternator in place of a generator system. Using the original generator regulator as a junction to connect all of the positive wires makes it simple. Youmayalsoroutethewiringinanyfashionyoulikeaslongasthepowerisdistributedtoboth the battery and the vehicles electrical components. The Armature and Field wires that were previously connected between your old generator and regulatorcan be removed anddiscarded.NOTE: The picture below is for negative ground systems. If you are connecting on a positive ground system then the cable at the battery will connect to the negative battery terminal. Whatshouldmysystemvoltagebe? On a 12 volt system the high cutout voltage should be between 14.3 14.9 depending on the voltageregulatorinstalledonyouralternator.Thisvoltagewillbemaintainedwhenthebattery is fully charged and the electrical load is low. As you add electrical load by turning on more accessories, the voltage will drop. By using Ohm's Law, you can calculate that when amperage goes up, voltage will go down. The higher the amperage load is to the alternator's maximum rated output, the lower the voltage will be. For example, if you have a 100 amp alternator and are using 80 amp, the voltage will be about 13.5V. If you bring your load up to 101 amp, then thevoltageinthesystemwilldropbelow12.8Vbecausetheextra1ampthatisneededandnot coming from the alternator will have to be stolen from the vehicle's battery and hence the voltage will start dropping below the static battery level. Keep in mind that you might experience this scenario more often at idle speeds because an alternator will not be able to produce its rated capacity at low RPM speeds. Using a smaller diameter pulley or raising the vehicle's idle RPM can sometimes give you the added RPM to get the alternator to charge at a higherrate.

HowdoIwireinauxiliarybatteriesinmysystem? If you are going to add additional batteries for your stereo, compressors, or inverter then you need to make sure that the power is circulated correctly. Wiring secondary batteries is easily done by following the diagram below. The most important thing is that the power goes in one end and exits the other. That way you will charge and discharge your batteries equally and be able to use the total amount of power in all batteries. It is OK for the alternator to have more thanonechargecableonitsoutputstud.