¿ High Output Alternator for /6 ?

[Cordoba1]

Hey guys: My Cordoba is sort of a rolling hobby for me -- I've upgraded the stereo, it has a sub mounted under the seat, I have a CB radio and HAM radio installed. None of these items are big current drawers, but they add up. While idling, lights on, A/C running, and my gadgets on, the discharge LED in the cluster glows. My voltage drops to a dangerously low 10 volts. Revving the engine and/or shutting off the headlights brings the voltage back up. My regulator is fine, and the alternator is fine -- I'm just drawing enough current to overtax the alternator at idle.

Question: Can I simply swap in a high-current alternator for a V-8 application? When I look at pictures of that particular alternator, with the external fan out front, it looks like the pulley isn't in the same plane, but I can't tell for sure.

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Cordoba1]

I believe I found a solution. The folks at Summit have a ton of options, included up-rated units built from the same bodies. Heck, they have Powermasters rated for over 200A... I'm going to try a Tuff Stuff 100A unit. My stocker is rated at 60A, and based on the reviews, I believe this will fix my issue. When I was tracking down a non-charge issue last year, I replaced the original alt with a $25 ebay jobby that I suspect is not putting out anywhere near the rated current. Here's the unit I'm going to try: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/TFF-8509DDP

 

[Justwondering]

love the beach pictures...

One of the reasons I was looking to swap out lighting to LEDs was to reduce the electrical demand.

 

[F body Deconstructor Jim]

Nice Cordoba...and the background isnt bad either!
Another thing to think about is installing a relay for your headlights. Mopars have terrible line losses and with the full load running through the bulkhead and dash/column switch it can shorten their lives.

Heard good things about these kits:

Plug and Play headlight relay kits

I've seen the before and after...its impressive.

 

[Cordoba1]

All better now. The Tuff Stuff 1-wire 100 Amp replacement is working great. The discharge lamp is no longer on while idling with my accessories and lights on. AND, I have 14.1 volts, even while idling with heavy loads going. It appears to have been worth the coin.

 

[Justwondering]

going to keep this in mind. Thanks for sharing your dilemma and solution.

 

[Jack Meoff]

Great info and glad you got it all taken care of.

Damn gorgeous pics of your ride too.

 

[kkritsilas]

Would the big case 100A chrysler factory alternator not have worked? There seem to be a lot of them around, but I have only seen them on the V8s. I don't know what the brackets/pulley set up is on a /6.

 

[7T8 Custom]

I have one in my car on a 318. Weighs about 50 pounds but yes its factory.

 

[kkritsilas]

That IS a huge alternator. I understand that it is an older design, but it is big, and it weighs a lot. On the other hand, I guess they didn't spare the copper or magnets on those things. The ones that I have are all double belt pulleys; probably needed to keep the thing spinning.

 

[Cordoba1]

Would the big case 100A chrysler factory alternator not have worked? There seem to be a lot of them around, but I have only seen them on the V8s. I don't know what the brackets/pulley set up is on a /6.

Nope, it won't work without fabricating brackets. The cooling fan is on the outside of the body of the alternator. On the 100A units, the mounting bracket goes behind a mounting tab... On the smaller capacity units, the bracket mounts to the front of the body.