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Old 03-12-2009, 07:34 AM   #1
goku87
 
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H.O. Alternator question

The Back Story:

After all the late nights and around-the-world long distance phone calls, my last hope for a rebuilt alternator was lost (after a long two weeks lol). There is a local shop I know of back home that rebuilds alternators and I was hoping they would be able to turn mine into a high output alternator. I didn't want to believe it but apparently all the things I have been reading about our Yarii alts not being able to be "upgraded" is a fact, and that's just the way it is, apparently. So, to get a high output alt, we basically have to buy one.

There are only a couple of posts I could find here on this topic, but they didn't really have anything other than "buy one here for $500+" so rather than resurrecting a dead thread I thought it best to make a new one with hopefully new feedback available...?

The Question(s):

Will I even need a high amp alt?
-stereo @ 2100W RMS + 1 extra battery (maybe 2) + whatever other electronics I may add in the future.

Has anyone actually purchased one?
-where from and how much did it cost?

I guess an "overdrive?" pully might do the trick if the wattage is low enough? Anyway, thanks in advance.

Last edited by goku87; 03-12-2009 at 07:59 AM.
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Old 03-12-2009, 10:14 AM   #2
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I have noticed in the last few weeks, that while I am in reverse putting my car into the driveway, I always stop and open my window to pull in the side view mirror, and each time the window goes up, and down, the car trembles.

Does this indicate to me that the alt. is really that weak?

I mean, I don't really see my lights dim inside the car with music on, but I never play loud music anymore, just enough to sound good.

Maybe I need a better battery? Or is it the alt's fault?
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Old 03-12-2009, 03:10 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lafiro View Post
I have noticed in the last few weeks, that while I am in reverse putting my car into the driveway, I always stop and open my window to pull in the side view mirror, and each time the window goes up, and down, the car trembles.

Does this indicate to me that the alt. is really that weak?

I mean, I don't really see my lights dim inside the car with music on, but I never play loud music anymore, just enough to sound good.

Maybe I need a better battery? Or is it the alt's fault?
that was the first thing that happened when my battery started going bad. i'ld take it to auto zone or somewhere where they can check the battery to tell you if it's good or not.
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Old 03-12-2009, 07:41 PM   #4
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Have you upgrade your grounding system - look up Big 3. This is going to be a must.
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Old 03-12-2009, 08:43 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lafiro View Post
I have noticed in the last few weeks, that while I am in reverse putting my car into the driveway, I always stop and open my window to pull in the side view mirror, and each time the window goes up, and down, the car trembles.

Does this indicate to me that the alt. is really that weak?

I mean, I don't really see my lights dim inside the car with music on, but I never play loud music anymore, just enough to sound good.

Maybe I need a better battery? Or is it the alt's fault?
First I would look at the number of grounds and where there at. I think the 09 only has the one that goes to the driver side shock tower. *There is a second wire coming off the battery going to the top of the transmission.* IMO it needs one to the taped hole in the passenger shock tower and one to the alternator bracket. If you use a good quality cable then you don’t need to use anything larger then the alternator wire size. I do not see where you need to add 12 more points to a car. If your running a sound system and don’t run the same size negative as positive then your just asking for troubles.

The one thing in have seen for years is the stock wiring harness is lacking in the size of the positive wire size that feeds everything. I do not know if this is the case with my Yaris because I do not have all the options. I don not think they look at the voltage drop when they designed there electrical system with a running loaded car.

It could have something to do with the battery but I don’t think it would be the case. Get someone to volt test the battery when you’re playing with the windows with everything going. Most fully charged wet cell batteries are fully charged at 12.8 to 12.6. If you drop below 12.4 form terminal to terminal then it could be it.

I don’t have the power package so I’m not sure where to start with this problem.

Last edited by firebob; 03-13-2009 at 01:55 PM. Reason: I found I was wrong so I added some info in side the * *.
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Old 03-12-2009, 08:56 PM   #6
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what amperage is the stock alt , link below is a listing for a 90amp unit

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Lichtmaschine...1%7C240%3A1318

might be worth a look for you ,all the company info is in the small print.
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Old 03-12-2009, 10:51 PM   #7
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i think factory toyota alt is 80 amps from what the guy told me at the toyota dealer never seen much about this kind of thing here . i would like to get a 140 amp alt . that bolts right on without any hassles does anyone has the real scoop on this
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Old 03-12-2009, 11:03 PM   #8
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just get a 150 A alternator off of anything and wire it up to work. you willjust have to deal with a custom made bracket... if it really has to be bolt on, look at toyota engines that have a similar design i.e. 1zz or 2zz its possible that the alternator could be a bolt on, or at least bolt on with that alternators bracket
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Old 03-13-2009, 01:23 AM   #9
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Just find a good local rebuilder that can rebuild your altenator for higher amps. You can ask a local reputable parts house if you cant find any. They may be able to send it out for you.
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Old 03-13-2009, 05:45 AM   #10
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Have you upgrade your grounding system - look up Big 3. This is going to be a must.
I will be doing that during my install.
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Old 03-13-2009, 09:15 AM   #11
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the stock alt cannot be built up to 140 amp plus i did try that already plus i want to run a qualilty jap alt not a shitty american rebild unit !! also they are so big they look out of place on the motor but all else fails i will have to run the american made alt if i can find any others
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Old 03-13-2009, 10:55 AM   #12
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Yes I do have a system running, all the goodies of a 7inch screen, navi, HD radio, new speakers on a 1200watt 4 channel amp(HIGHLY unlikely its doing anything even close to 200..), and then 1 12"sub connected to a 1ohm 2600watt amp, but its a 4ohm sub, so maybe 800 watts. This is all connected in the back with a 1.5farad cap, and using some pretty thick power/ground cables. Same size.

And when the car trembles, the music is off. Only thing I got running are my HID's. But honestly I don't know if that makes a difference either. Im going to have to test the voltage on the battery before and during the car being on.
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Old 03-13-2009, 11:31 AM   #13
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Originally Posted by Lafiro View Post
Yes I do have a system running, all the goodies of a 7inch screen, navi, HD radio, new speakers on a 1200watt 4 channel amp(HIGHLY unlikely its doing anything even close to 200..), and then 1 12"sub connected to a 1ohm 2600watt amp, but its a 4ohm sub, so maybe 800 watts. This is all connected in the back with a 1.5farad cap, and using some pretty thick power/ground cables. Same size.

And when the car trembles, the music is off. Only thing I got running are my HID's. But honestly I don't know if that makes a difference either. Im going to have to test the voltage on the battery before and during the car being on.
one consistancy i have read is that the stock batteries sometimes suck, whether they are under a lot of load or not. like mine. it just decided to start dying.
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Old 03-13-2009, 02:01 PM   #14
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I was doing a little looking around the car today. There is a second wire coming off the negative battery terminal. It goes down under the battery and bolts to the top of my automatic transmission.

I did fix my first post on this. I wish I would have seen this before.
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Old 03-14-2009, 12:38 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by firebob View Post
I was doing a little looking around the car today. There is a second wire coming off the negative battery terminal. It goes down under the battery and bolts to the top of my automatic transmission.

I did fix my first post on this. I wish I would have seen this before.
approx. how long was that cable run?
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Old 03-14-2009, 05:49 AM   #16
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I would say right at 4 feet long.
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Old 03-14-2009, 05:56 AM   #17
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I would say right at 4 feet long.
hmmm. i wonder if it's in the same location for a manual tranny.
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Old 03-14-2009, 06:07 AM   #18
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It looks like ran for the next few days. If I have not gotten a pic up by Monday morning send me a PM so I get it first thing in the morning. I’ll do my best to get a pic.
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