Do local Car parts shops know what they are talking about?

[Goldenknob 10+ year member]

I went to some local autoparts stores, namely autozone and Oreillys. Asking if they could tell me what my amp draw was with my system to see if I need a larger alternator.. they said that they couldn't tell.. so then I asked about upgrading the BIG3.. they had no idea what that was.. so I explained it to them and persons at both stores told me that putting a cable from my battery to my alternator was a bad idea.. they said that it would be supplying my alternator with a constant 12V, and would burn it up. So I explained if the engine is off then the alternator isn't putting out a charge, it's not activated.. so how would that harm my alternator.. Currently my charging wire goes from my alternator to my starter then to my battery this is stock wireing... So, now I'm confused.. Can anyone clear this up for me?

Also, this guy told me that there is a shop that is local that can rebuild my alternator and put parts in it that will make it put out more amps.. for less than it would cost to by a new HO alt.

I don't know if he knew what he was talking about becase he said that in his vehicle he had a 3F cap and that you charge them before you install them and he says that his never looses charge because he can see off the readout on it.. I tried to explain to him that the digital readout was telling him the whole voltage of the battery cap combo but he wouldn't believe me... So i told him to come here and read for himself from the pros...

but really can anyone clear this up for me.. I'm tired of my lights dimming at night...

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[UndercoverPunk 5,000+ posts]

IT WAS AUTOZONE FOR CHRIST'S SAKE! Did you honestly expect them to know what you were talking about?

Oh and stock alts that are re-built and beefed up to put out more amps, typically don't last that long...

 

[jacko 10+ year member]

lol people around the local places here(red rooster, napa, ace hardware, etc) all give me funny looks when I try to bring up what i'm doing with the things i buy when they ask, I don't bring it up anymore lol.

 

[jsloan10 10+ year member]

Those part stores will hire anybody with a bit of mechanical knowledge, you won't find any specialists there.

A stock alt can be rebuilt for better performance at a price that is competitive with just buying a new HiPo alt.

Caps are typically "charged up" before installing to avoid fuses popping when hooking them up for the first time.

 

[Goldenknob 10+ year member]

thanks for the responses.. but my main question still remains unanswered..

my alternator had the plug on it.. and it has the small post on the back with, I believe, the charging wire for the battery.. so if I jump that post over to the battery.. with a nice 4 guage cable then I will have completed my big 3.. since I've already upgraded my grounds.. running a cable from my alt to the bat. won't fry my alt or make my battery explode?

 

[Nightskye 10+ year member]

That'll do it...just put an inline fuse on that wire within 18 inches of the battery to protect the electrical system. Use a 120-150 amp fuse for 4 gauge wire.

 

[Goldenknob 10+ year member]

thanks for the info.. but even if my alt is stock at 63amps.. do I still need such a large fuse?

 

[jsloan10 10+ year member]

thanks for the info.. but even if my alt is stock at 63amps.. do I still need such a large fuse?

Good point.

In my own system I used an 8gauge wire from the small post on the alt to the positive terminal on the batt without a fuse. It worked fine for me, I put a protective wrap around the wire to protect it from damage and the possibility of shorting out.

The biggest most important thing to get the best current flow is to beef up the ground from the battery to the chassis and the engine block to the chassis, if these two things are not done all your work will be for nothing.

 

[Nightskye 10+ year member]

You want to fuse for the capacity of the wire, not the output of the alt. 4-gauge wire capacity is about 150 amps...I suppose you could fuse lower, but definitely do not fuse higher. Your main goal here is to have the fuse blow in the event of a spike in current to prevent against fire and damage. If you fuse too low, say 80, it'll keep blowing every time there's a temporary peak demand for current from the alt...

 

[Goldenknob 10+ year member]

hmmm it's funny that all my friends think that this is a bad idea.. but none of them except one are into car audio and he even thinks it's bad.. but all of you guys say it's a great idea... since all of you have done it and have great systems.. I'll take your word for it.. but if something goes wrong then I'll haunt all of you when I die.. ... j/k

maybe I'll get some picks up to show you what I've done to make sure you think I've done it correctly...

 

[Logikalliquid 10+ year member]

Remember to add to the existing wires, don't replace them. You saw the infamous sounddomain tutorial on it I assume?

 

[jsloan10 10+ year member]

hmmm it's funny that all my friends think that this is a bad idea..

There just afraid that your going to ask them for help installing it //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif .

 

[Goldenknob 10+ year member]

hahah... naa I don't ask for their help, I ask if I can hook it up at their houses cause I live in the getto... I turn my sterio off 3 blocks away because I don't want it stolen...

ya I read the tutorial it's great.. following it as closely as possible...

would you think it matters if the grounds are to the frame or to the chassie? currently I have them grounded to the chassie... but someone told me they would ground better to the frame...

btw... I drive a very old 1975 chevrolet pickup.. so I have plenty of metal to ground to... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif