Bigger ALT.

[n1265]

Has anybody put a bigger Alternator in their M880s, I am running a plow and would like to know if there are any issues when going bigger than the stock 60 Amp. ?

[Gordon Maney]

There is no problem in having a higher capacity alternator. All you need to do is get it mounted and connected properly.

[n1265]

Many Thanks for the reply,

[greg rider]

You could try a smaller diameter pulley. It will cause your alternator to spin slightly faster putting it into the working range sooner. A more powerfull unit is never a bad thing but cost does arise at times.

[n1265]

I would love to get a smaller pulley for the ALT, but can't find one. would a bigger crank shaft pulley do the same thing ? do they even make a bigger crankshaft pulley for the 318 ?

Summit Racing has a 100 amp. Alt that is made by Tuff-Stuff and comes in the orginal 60 AMP case, so no bracket mods are required. I think they are $96 bucks.


Nippondenso makes a 100 amp ALT that is built with the bigger case, Alto I will need to make mods to the bracketing, I have read where people claim they put out more amps an at idle, ( no more headlight flair ) I would think they do this with a smaller pulley but am not sure.

Anybody know for sure ? anybody have any experiance with these ALTs ?

Many Thanks,

[712edf]

Yes a bigger crank pulley would do the same thing. Don't know if they are out there (stock).

Bucky

[n1265]

Many Thanks for the reply....

[Gordon Maney]

Changing pulley size effects a change, but is not a substantial improvement.

Consider air compressors as an example. You can get more flow from a compressor by spinning it faster, but a larger displacement compressor run at slow or normal speed is far better with regard to longevity and performance.

Changing pulley size will not change the output capacity of your alternator.

[n1265]

Many Thanks,

[jakenok]

find a Dimplomat or Aspen cop car and grab the alternator, high output at low rpms... or you can get a rebuild shop to pump yours up

[zac9898]

On my small blocks I run this alt from power master http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PWM-8-47529/
I have this installed on our 73 challenger and saw a huge difference. We installed the same one on our 78 with the 360 and noticed an improvement but it all depends on how the stock wiring condition is. If you go with the power master they recommend going with a painless install kit and a maxi fuse if i remember right. If you would like any pictures let me know. I think the install was pretty straight forward it has been a couple of years and to be honest I don't really remember.

[n1265]

Thanks for the posts, But a couple of days ago I went ahead and ordered the 100 AMP from Summit, made from Tuff-Stuff.

It is in the same case as the 60 AMP so it is a direct replacement, I do not know if it will produce more amps at an idle than the stock ALT but I hope so. I also had a new voltage regulator from Summit that I will install with the new ALT.

I have done the AMP gauge bypass, ran new 10 ga. wire for the charging circuit ( straight threw the firewall to bypass the firewall connector ) AND ran an additional 8ga. wire straight from the alt to the starting relay. I should not have any trouble with the wiring, The only section that has not been replaced is about a foot around the factory splice.

Any comments are welcome...

[n1265]

Well, I installed the 100 AMP ALT and Mopar regulator yesterday. The pulsating lights and jumping needle on the volt gauge are gone.

But I Still have a very slight headlight flair and higher blower motor speed when I take off from idle. right now the only thing that really bugs me is the blower motor speeding up on its own.

Is there any way to reduce the draw of the blower motor or switch ? just thinking something might need to be cleaned up.

[Gordon Maney]

Well, I installed the 100 AMP ALT and Mopar regulator yesterday. The pulsating lights and jumping needle on the volt gauge are gone.

But I Still have a very slight headlight flair and higher blower motor speed when I take off from idle. right now the only thing that really bugs me is the blower motor speeding up on its own.

Is there any way to reduce the draw of the blower motor or switch ? just thinking something might need to be cleaned up.

Is there something else on this vehicle — that we don't know about — drawing current?

[MoparFreak69]

Almost sounds to me like your idle speed is a bit lower than what the alternator wants it to be to put out full power. Try bumping it up just slightly and see what it does for you. You can do the same thing by adding a slightly smaller sized alternator pulley to speed it up in relation to engine speed.