Alternator is A/C so how is Big 3 possible?

[lil azn 06 10+ year member]

Right as i was to begin my Big 3 project... my dad tells me i cant do that because the alternator generates A/C power and that it must be regulated to D/C... yet i see people do the Big 3 all the time on forums. What gives?

Also, for the chassis to the engine block... should i ground it near the alternator or anywhere on the block okay as long as if it dont bleed oil or w/e?

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[90accordman 5,000+ posts]

your dad doesnt know what hes talking about. how does using bigger wire make it not work?

 

[djman37 5,000+ posts]

Alty electricity IS generated AC, but is immediately converted to DC before you tap into it. The guys at MAD electrical have articles on it.

 

[lil azn 06 10+ year member]

your dad doesnt know what hes talking about. how does using bigger wire make it not work?

I never said anything about big wire though.

So the A/C is instantly converted to D/C within the alternator?

 

[90accordman 5,000+ posts]

I never said anything about big wire though.

So the A/C is instantly converted to D/C within the alternator?

you said big 3 thats wire, all a big three does is crade your smaller wiring for larger in 3 locations

 

[QtrHorse 10+ year member]

So the A/C is instantly converted to D/C within the alternator?

Yes;

All your doing w/ the Big 3 is adding larger wire/ or more wire. All this does, is make for less of a current drop/ resistance.

What kind of car do you have? I guess we need to make sure you don't have something from the 1950's.

 

[req 5,000+ posts]

if you have an external regulator - all it does is make sure the voltage is correct, and thats where you hook up your wire to anyway.

inside the alternator, there are wound wires, just liek a voice coil of a sub. and inside that there are magnets connect to a spinning shaft, and that shaft spins via the serpentine belt. as the belt spins, the magnets rotate inside the coils of wire - and the moving magnetic field generates electricity inside the coils of wire. thats all. weather its AC or DC does not matter, because inside theres stuff that would convert it before it got out of the thing anyway. unless your freggin car runs on AC voltage - wich would **** a giant cawk for you lol.

no, tell your dad that you are just upgrading the STOCK wires (not removing them, just ADDING TO them mind you) to larger wires in order to create a better connection between the chassis, engine, and battery grounds, and the alternator to the battery in order to decrease the voltage drop along the path from the alt to the battery. more surface area in wire ftw.

 

[Lakota 5,000+ posts]

It's physics mang, bigger wire has more surface area for the electricity to flow through. Thus, allowing it to flow better and decreasing resistance in the wire.