posted
I'm trying to upgrade my "big 3" before all my goodies come in, and am having some trouble figuring out where the positive terminal of the alternator is. I also can't tell if the battery is already grounded to the chassis and frame?
Here's some pics... As you can see, the negative battery terminal already has two grounds coming out of it. I'm assuming this one is to the frame of the car? This is where the second stock negative terminal ground is going...this is the chassis? Mmmmm...rusty This is where I'm confused. There are two wires coming out of the positive terminal of the battery. One goes to the fuse box, while this other one goes down and back up to this terminal...near my finger, next to the last little red line. Tried to get a better pic. This isn't the alternator is it??? Because this looks like the alternator to me...or at least what I thought was the alternator (this is kinda a new project for me to work on). However, none of those wires goes to the battery. They join together in that tube bundle, then go behind the fuse box, and who knows where after that.
Any input would be great as to what exactly I need to upgrade...I have three 4awg wires ready to be placed in!
Thanks for looking!
Posts: 122 | From: Otterberg, Germany | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
The cable on the back of the alternator in the last picture is the alternator output cable. On your car it feeds throught he fuse panel. If you want to upgrade the charge path from the alt to the battery, I would leave the existing connections alone and run an all new cable from the alternator directly to the battery.
-------------------- Scottie Johnson Sound Pressure Technologies
posted
Right on...so the smaller of those two cables on the alt is the one that's charging? The other (on the front) cable is around 8-10 gauge, which I thought would be the one charging, and not the smaller one on the side there. Strange!
Posts: 122 | From: Otterberg, Germany | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
The other cable is going to your starter. As tottie said your charge cable is fused and runs through the panel on your strut tower. Leave the stock wires, power and ground, and add new 1/0.
posted
I've heard that running a 1/0 on a stock alternator is bad...I'm pretty sure on these very forums. The 4 guage is already purchased and crimped and ready to go...hopefully that'll be fine.
Can't do crap anyway right now, as Germans can't seem to keep an ANL fuse holder in stock ANYWHERE! AAFES on base doesn't carry that either.
Hey AudioXtremes, I've ordered a Hifonics BXi 2010D...you think I'll be alright?
Thank you again to everyone that has replied!
Posts: 122 | From: Otterberg, Germany | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
The big cable (like 8ga) is the charge cable. Not the harness plug on the very rear of the alt. There is no need to upgrade the wires with the plug, just the 8ga one with the ring terminal. 4ga will be fine.
-------------------- Scottie Johnson Sound Pressure Technologies
posted
Right on, thank you very much! I went to a couple of shops today (here in Germany, it's really a good thing they can speak english)...But at the three different shops I went to (trying to find an ANL fuse holder) they all couldn't understand the logic behind fusing the wire.
They kept trying to sell me a 200 amp fuse, which would end up killing my alternator...right?
Well anyway, thank you again for the help!
Posts: 122 | From: Otterberg, Germany | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
The only reason it might need to be fused would be to protect the alternator. If the wire gets shorted between the batt and the alt, it will just short out the alt, (essentially the alt is your fuse) so it's up to you really. A 200A fuse is not likely going to help protect the stock alt, but it's not going to kill it. If your only choice was a 200A or nothing, I would recommend nothing.
-------------------- Scottie Johnson Sound Pressure Technologies
posted
Well, I got the fuse holder but not a fuse. ANL fuses are very easy to get a hold of, just not the holders. Strange.
I thought the fuse was there to protect the battery as well, so if I get in an accident or something it doesn't short and explode. A 100 amp fuse it what I'm going to get, but am afraid of it blowing when my system gets hooked up. I'll be hooking up a brutus bxi 2010d, as well as some 4 channel amp (probably a 400 watt kenwood that's cheap on base).
It was just hard for me to believe the guy, because he was trying to tell me that the alternator puts out AC, and the BATTERY converts it to DC for the system. He was telling me a second battery would be best for me (then for the next 5 minutes tried to sell me a battery) and wouldn't cause extra strain on my system...sorta stopped listening to him then.
Posts: 122 | From: Otterberg, Germany | Registered: Jun 2000
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