Alternator Keeps frying Why!

[admaster_99 10+ year member]

I have a 96' cougar with a 4.6 running an 110 amp alternator never had any electrical problems with it. I first bought a AQ 2200 amp and hooked it up and it compeletely would kill my car literally at stop signs and while driving. So I down graded to an mtx 500 rms amp that sounds great but it still kills my car like crazy. I did the big three, set up dual batteries and put a bigger alternator in it a 220 rms amp alternator and redid all the grounds that I could see. Nothing has helped and I have just fried my alternator for the second time this month what the hell is going on! Please help! I have heard people say that you can run as my as 1500 watts rms with little problems and lights dimming. But this little 500 watt amp kills my lights and alternator why!

I also checked the voltage I while ago and it falls down to low 10 volts under high volume.

system specs:

Mtx 501d - 500 watts rms 800 at 14.4 volts

2 pioneer premeires - 1,000 watts rms dual 2 ohms each hooked up at 2 ohms

110 amp alternator

96' mercury cougar 4.6 liter

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[SicAudio 5,000+ posts]

wire guage loose grounds? what have you not checked...

 

[Phoenix Risen 10+ year member]

what size power wire are you running as sic said, but if you cooking alts from playing your system then dont you think you should stop playing it and actually figure out what is wrong.

mas sure all your grounds are on solid bare metal, and not just trim panels.

 

[admaster_99 10+ year member]

I have 0 gauge going from the battery back and I did have 0 gauge for the ground on the amp but I just changed it to 4 gauge for the time being. Other wise besided the 0 gauge being the power wire everything is in 4 gauge the grounds going from the alternator to the battery and so fourth. My last alternator took a couples months to fry and I didnt realize it was so bad then I just put a new rectifier in the alternator and it happen in as little as a week so it happened alot quicker then I anticipated. All the grounds are hooked directly to the chasis of the car and all the metal has been scraped down. Could it be possible that I have a bad battery? Or maybe the electrical on the car is screwed up some how?

 

["SlappinAzz"]

need mo batts in the back

 

[DBBOOM 10+ year member]

What kind of HO alt? What does it actually put out and at what RPM? If it's some cheap HO alt, it may put out less at low RPM than a stocker. Also, need to check EVERY connection and crimp on your charging set-up.

 

[admaster_99 10+ year member]

It an alternator from DB electrical it was a 250 amp alternator but I had it tested it puts out 220 steady amps at regular rpm and even then it was getting pretty hot. So I'm guessing it can put out 200 to 220 pretty steadily at higher rpms. The thing is the guy who tested it was concerned because he said it takes nearly up to 1500 or 2000 rpms before it really gets to a decent amount of amperage and he said at what would be idle its putting not nearly nothing for amperage. So I guess what would be the next step to get it to put out more amperage a different pully and where would you get one of those from? ALso what do you mean crimp on your chargine set-up?

 

["SlappinAzz"]

It an alternator from DB electrical it was a 250 amp alternator but I had it tested it puts out 220 steady amps at regular rpm and even then it was getting pretty hot. So I'm guessing it can put out 200 to 220 pretty steadily at higher rpms. The thing is the guy who tested it was concerned because he said it takes nearly up to 1500 or 2000 rpms before it really gets to a decent amount of amperage and he said at what would be idle its putting not nearly nothing for amperage. So I guess what would be the next step to get it to put out more amperage a different pully and where would you get one of those from? ALso what do you mean crimp on your chargine set-up?

crimp you terminals, take some pliers and squeeze the ring terminal down on the wire so it doesn't come loose....

 

[DBBOOM 10+ year member]

It an alternator from DB electrical it was a 250 amp alternator but I had it tested it puts out 220 steady amps at regular rpm and even then it was getting pretty hot. So I'm guessing it can put out 200 to 220 pretty steadily at higher rpms. The thing is the guy who tested it was concerned because he said it takes nearly up to 1500 or 2000 rpms before it really gets to a decent amount of amperage and he said at what would be idle its putting not nearly nothing for amperage. So I guess what would be the next step to get it to put out more amperage a different pully and where would you get one of those from? ALso what do you mean crimp on your chargine set-up?

Your alt is the main problem, a crimp is how lugs are connected to cable. Doing a "google" search for smaller diameter alternator pulley would be a start, or get a different alt that does it's rating at a usable RPM.

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

sounds like a bad connection somewhere

 

[DBBOOM 10+ year member]

It an alternator from DB electrical it was a 250 amp alternator but I had it tested it puts out 220 steady amps at regular rpm and even then it was getting pretty hot. So I'm guessing it can put out 200 to 220 pretty steadily at higher rpms. The thing is the guy who tested it was concerned because he said it takes nearly up to 1500 or 2000 rpms before it really gets to a decent amount of amperage and he said at what would be idle its putting not nearly nothing for amperage.So I guess what would be the next step to get it to put out more amperage a different pully and where would you get one of those from? ALso what do you mean crimp on your chargine set-up?

sounds like a bad connection somewhere

readmuch?

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

readmuch?

i was telling him what 90% most likely problem was

 

[admaster_99 10+ year member]

I defiantely have good connections I use all welding connectors and everything is crimped on. No play or nothing loose anywhere. As for the alternator that would make since.

 

[audioatg 10+ year member]

It an alternator from DB electrical it was a 250 amp alternator but I had it tested it puts out 220 steady amps at regular rpm and even then it was getting pretty hot. So I'm guessing it can put out 200 to 220 pretty steadily at higher rpms. The thing is the guy who tested it was concerned because he said it takes nearly up to 1500 or 2000 rpms before it really gets to a decent amount of amperage and he said at what would be idle its putting not nearly nothing for amperage. So I guess what would be the next step to get it to put out more amperage a different pully and where would you get one of those from? ALso what do you mean crimp on your chargine set-up?

Thought I read some thing down the road that Heat is not good for charging. Like to much heat. I know they get hot. But an overly heated alt will do less.

Also from what I have learned in the pass. All gauges of wire in the system should be the same size. Even more so the Amp wires. Doesnt matter how long but needs to be the same size. So you cant have a o gauge for power wire and a 4 gauge for ground wire.

Next thing. The battery in the back. Do you have a ground run from the front battery to the back battery. If not and the Back battery is grounded to the chassis. Check and see what the resistance reading is on the ground. Take you ohm meter. One lead on the front battery ground and the other lead on that chassis ground you have in the back for the back battery. See how much the resistance is. If its really high you need a better ground. Next thing is your amp. What do you have it grounded to. The back battery or a ground point on the chassis. I would do a ground point on the chassis not to the back battery.