Alternators specs

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by VIPR PWR, Aug 24, 2019.

Car Parts
  1. VIPR PWR

    VIPR PWR Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    what are specs for the alternators .... I’m finding 136 amp. But only finding remanufactured ones online at parts stores or not available . The ones I’m finding are 130 amps ..

    Also what does your dash charging gauge read ? Mines reading just under the 14 volt line .. but am getting an intermittent lower volt reading of around 12 at idle ... no idea why ,, itdoesn’t stay there once I get moving,, goes back up to the normal range ..
    had my power steering line blow out twice over the years and sprayed oil all over the engine compartment.. wondering if it got into the alternator and is causing this ...

    Just replaced the belt and battery is new and tested
     
  2. rottenronnie

    rottenronnie Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    Do you have an U/D pulley ?
     
  3. VIPR PWR

    VIPR PWR Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    No all stock
     
  4. rottenronnie

    rottenronnie Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    Sounds like the belt may be saturated with PS fluid. (?)
     
  5. VIPR PWR

    VIPR PWR Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    I just replaced it last week .. new battery about a month ago.. it was starting slow after sitting over night .. I am only running the truck about 5 miles a day ... so I had the parts store check the new battery ..it test good except for the charge on the battery was low he said .. bought the belt installed it .. ( that’s when the radio started coming on immediately again lol )
    The truck is starting fine now ...
    I went out and checked with my volt meter ... battery was full charge ,, fire the truck up and the reading went to 14.56 volts .... turned on lights , ac , radio and was getting 13.99 ... after it ran for about ten minutes and warmed up the volt meter read 13.44 volts ... that’s on the low side if I remember correctly ...
    But it only reads low on the dash gauge intermittently and then back to normal ...
     
  6. rottenronnie

    rottenronnie Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    Well, as the Voltage Regulator is part of the ECU, pretend it's no that! :cool:

    I can't find any Alternator specs (or "Generator" as it's called in the Service Manual) specifically for the 8.3L but yes, the spec for the 5.7L is 136 amps.
     
  7. VIPR PWR

    VIPR PWR Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    Rock auto has alternators for the truck ... it shows 130 amp and 136 amp ones .. mopar one is 136 and look at the price difference lol crazy for 6 amp difference ..
    everything I see on the internet says factory amp is right on the boarder line of supplying amps to the systems of the vehicle ...
    higher amp ratings seem to be a better option especially if you add more power or upgrades radios , amplifiers etc.. and you don’t have to worry about damaging components since it will only deliver what the accessories require anyway ... But they recommend larger ground wires when using the higher amp alternator !

    If the factory amp alternator is 136 amp ,, I have no idea why they seem to be mostly selling a lower 130 amp ... seems to me that would cause problems considering the factory put borderline amp alternators in vehicles ..

    I found a discussion on another forum stating that a lower amperage alternator will put more stress on a battery causing the battery to go bad due to having to make up for the lower alternator amps... to say the least ,, my truck has gone through batteries over the years .... I’m on my 5 th battery since 2005 .. that just adds to my thinking the alternator on these vehicles is boarderline and over time age and wear lowers there out put some .. causing batteries to go bad and other problems ,, possibly why my radio had its problem and when I put the new belt on possibly raised the amps enough to make it turn on immediately.. is this a sign that my alternator is about to go bad .. I don’t know ! But I would at least prefer to have one just Incase ready to install if needed lol...

    Again wth is it with electrical ? Weirdest crap that never would have been if they didn’t screw with things that worked great 100 years ago .... of it ant broke don’t fix it !

    https://www.lifewire.com/high-amp-alternator-damage-534775 Good info about higher amp alternators..


    Second pic is a comment from the other forum
     

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    Last edited: Aug 24, 2019
  8. rottenronnie

    rottenronnie Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    I've had my U/D pulley for years now and when idling with a heavyish load, the alternator output drops by about a volt. At this point, the battery is doing some of the work. It has never caused any problems. My alternator has also been hosed down by the power steering system before I had proper ones made, having tried aftermarket hoses (which really leaked). The truck is on its 3rd battery in 14 years which is not too bad. I think one of those was a junker anyway.
     
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  9. CaptnCrash

    CaptnCrash Full Access Member

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    I'm on my 3rd battery on a 2004 RC. Factory battery went 6 years, craptastic battery went 7, now have an interstate that will go at least that long [ agm ], probably longer.

    The best practice is to keep the batteries on a battery tender when ever you are home & parked. That will almost double the life. As long as you don't deep cycle them too many times they will last.

    6 amps doesn't make much difference since you don't run anywhere near full capacity all the time anyway.
     
  10. beastmode1

    beastmode1 Full Access Member

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    There are several OEM alternators for your 10 on ebay or you can have your old rebuilt.
     
  11. ViperPete

    ViperPete Full Access Member

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    I hated the UDP when it was on the trucl. At a light at night with the stereo on, the volts would drop to 12.5 volts or so. Also, the power steering lagged at idle. I noticed zero difference in power by going back to the stock pulley- and the volts stay in the middle now.
     
  12. VIPR PWR

    VIPR PWR Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    UDP’s are for racing applications .. less drag on the power robbers of the engine ,,, alternator, water pump etc... I found that out back in the 70’s ... the hard way .... cause ow charge I guess and overheating sitting in traffic ,, it pegged the temp gauge till I stated moving again .. highly modified 340 duster .. man what 11k could do back in those days building a car lol ..
    well I ended up having to remove the UDP’s and everything went back to normal ... I don’t thing the UDP is worth the risk for a street rod . Not to mention the power gained isn’t worth the change.
     
  13. VIPR PWR

    VIPR PWR Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    Any idea if there is a rebuild kit for alternators out there .. would prefer to rebuild my own ... yes I’ve searched for alternators all over the Internet .. just not sure about the 130 amp versus the 136 factory amp ... 6 amps doesn’t sound like a lot .. but if the 136 s a boarderline amperage for the vehicle ,, I sure don’t want to lower the amps ... would prefer even more amps 145 or 160 amp alternator..
     
  14. VIPR PWR

    VIPR PWR Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    I have to say ... I’ve tried all different makes of batteries in the truck ,,, none have lasted long ... they don’t sell interstate batteries , that I can find in my area or I would have tried one ..
    I understand that with all the new dangled bs electrical systems on vehicles today is nuts compared to years ago .. which imo puts more drain on a battery .. that’s why I would prefer the alternator itself ,, per the above forum post ...
    years ago I almost never had to replace a battery ,,, I had a diehard that lasted years and for over 300 thousand miles ... interstate was good also ... lasted a long time ... but having to replace a battery before the warranties are up is nuts ... I vet bought more batteries for this truck than I ever bought in my life ... yeah I’m old lol
    My truck doesn’t sit more than a day or 2 without a grocery run lol
     
  15. rottenronnie

    rottenronnie Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    With such a reliance on electrical, one would think batteries have improved over time.
    Lithium ion batteries were/are a huge jump compared to lead-acid.

    Good luck with your charging system quest.


    I'm off to the track on Friday (weather permitting). Really looking forward to it .
     
  16. Slitherbeast

    Slitherbeast Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    Didn't the track near Calgary close? Which track you headed to?
     
  17. CaptnCrash

    CaptnCrash Full Access Member

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    LI are dangerous, and expensive. The electrolyte is FLAMMABLE for god sake. They won't charge without the embedded electronics. No thanks!

    AGM is a best bet. I've had batteries from several manufactures that were AGM and all of them did good. The key is keeping them at float with a Battery Tender [ brand name ] when ever it's parked at home. Especially true if you live where it's cold.

    I had a regular flooded lead acid battery from Interstate and it was crap. I had a flooded lead acid battery from Advance Auto Parts and it went over 7 years in one of my cars. They actually have decent batteries as does Wally World if you pay attention to what you're buying.

    I switched to AGM years ago because the pricing got better and they are reliable and totally maintenance free.
     
  18. CaptnCrash

    CaptnCrash Full Access Member

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    1st, if you show 13+ volts while driving you're charging. You might see more when it's cool because charging is temperature compensated. The system charges at a higher voltage as the temp goes down. You might see voltages slightly over 14 which is also fine.

    Holding a battery at float when the truck is sitting will greatly extend it's life, that's just a simple fact -- google it. You have to remember that as opposed to the "old days" [ yep I'm old too ] cars today have some fairly significant battery drain even when they are off. In the old days, off was off. You might have had an electric clock that used so few ma that the battery would go dead from just sitting before that drain would kill it. You still needed to keep them at float.

    My suggestion is get a good AGM, get a 1.5a Battery Tender and keep it plugged in when ever it's at home. The 6a charging difference isn't going to make any difference since the required output isn't going to be anywhere near full capacity. I live in FL where it's really hot much of the time and playing the tunes, AC wide open, lights on never have issues even at idle. I've had to swap out batteries that got old enough they began to swell on the sides and top. Still worked good but that's a sign of imminent death.

    Good luck!
     
  19. rottenronnie

    rottenronnie Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    The U/D pulley issue: I guess it depends on a few things (current state of battery/charging system driving style etc. ) but when I was selling U/D pullies years ago, they did indeed work. The diameter had to be correct so everything would still work. The better part of a day was spent with a Mustang Dyno to determine where the diameter cutoff was.
    8-10 wheel was gained and it was totally repeatable. A viper car A viper truck. They both went up and down in down as pullies were swapped.
    I wouldn't want anything smaller than what I have but it does work without side effects.
    It's not just crappy batteries out there for sale, as everyone is aware. There is so much cheap junk around you REALLY have to research prior to purchase.
     
  20. rottenronnie

    rottenronnie Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    Whereever it isn't raining.