I have a 96 subaru legacy and have a jl 300/2 amp for my components and a jl 500/1 amp for my sub. so that 800 watts rms running of of my stock 85 amp alternator and its just not cutting it. I've been running it since the summer and the light dimming is pretty noticable when the bass hits. I know that i need to upgrade my alternator but Its hard to find one that fits my car (damn subaru). I went to a reputable alternator shop in my area and said that for a 140 amp alt that fits my car is about $560 and a 170 amp alt is about $620. for me thats quite a bit of money and was wondering if it would help at all if i get a yellow top battery, or will that only help for like a week? also does anyone know where i could find an high output alternator for a subaru? oh and the shop also said that it wouldnt make sense to rebuild my alt to put out power because it would be working really hard all the time and die fast. Does anyone have any sugestions, or amy i just going to have to hurt my wallet and buy one of those alts? Thanks.
Replies (9)
Victor on 03/15/2005 03:28:28
The first and the only sensible option here is to upgrade the ALT.
There are other not-so reasonable ways to try and reduce the dimming..
a battery uprade and a not so suggested 1.5 - 2.0 Farad capacitor, wont help much but wud surely make a difference.
But if possible i wud still go with the first option of upgrading the ALT>
Montego and a few others are very good and searching, bidding and buying on the internet. I am sure they can help you.
Victor...
montego_27 on 03/15/2005 07:13:12
First of all that "reputable" alternator shop should be arrested for attempted larceny. There are many places to order a hi-output alt for your car. Here's one good site:
http://www.boschusa.com/AutoParts/AlternatorsStarters/HighOutputAlternators/
There are many more. Punch in: high output alternators on your search and good luck, Tego
topcatx54 on 03/15/2005 18:43:23
Thanks for the help. I've already searched all over the internet and ebay for high output alternators but i cant find any sites that make them for subarus, all i can find are the stock alts for sale. I also e-mailed a few companies that make alternators and asked if they had anything that would fit my subaru but they said they dont and dont know where i should look. Guess im out of luck : (
montego_27 on 03/15/2005 18:57:55
I would try to contact some other alternator shops. Even if their not within driving distance.See if one of the others will do a rewind and ship it. It will still end up cheaper than buying new.Hang in there and be persistent you'll get it done!
Buickman94 on 03/15/2005 19:02:51
Check out ohio generator, ive never delt with them but hear they have good prices and a quality product...and they make an alt for a subaru
http://www.ohiogen.com/html/body_catalog.html
montego_27 on 03/15/2005 19:07:48
Good link B-Man
topcatx54 on 03/15/2005 22:33:41
Thanks for the link Buickman, I will definitly give them a call
cplkittle on 03/16/2005 14:25:45
ohio generator is comparable to stinger, pricewise. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive alternators. I paid over 500 for mine, (200A stinger) and I got at a little over dealer cost with my discount. It does depend on the car though... Your only other choice is to add a completely seperate alternator and battery for your stereo system only.. completely independent of your car's charging system. Here I would use a 70-80 amp alternator and atleast a yellow top battery. Ofcourse this would also involve a seperate voltage regulator or a manual switch with a voltage and or amp gauge. Either way, it is going to be difficult to keep it under 5-600 dollars..
There are a couple of things that will help some..
-a battery in the trunk
-upgrade all wiring
swez on 03/16/2005 20:05:14
O-Gen and Stinger make great products. However, they are very pricey. The idea about adding a dedicated ALT/BAT makes sense if you can re-configure the drive belt and find/fabricate some mounting hardware for same. That may be your best option in terms of cost, but lots of extra labor too.
May have some success at a local ALT rebuilder's shop. Chances are not good that you can get the stock one re-cored for higher output. The stock casings are generally too small to cram a larger field coil, commutator and regulator into that same package. Another option to consider... check local Autoparts stores for H.O. ALTs used in Subaru SUV's. They may fit with some bracket modifications and/or re-clocking the housing. I did that on my Buick. Bought an Olds 120A ALT, re-clocked it and it gave me 15A more than the stock 105A version. Was a tight fit, but I did manage to get it in.
Good luck,
Swez
Replies (9)
Victor on 03/15/2005 03:28:28
The first and the only sensible option here is to upgrade the ALT.
There are other not-so reasonable ways to try and reduce the dimming..
a battery uprade and a not so suggested 1.5 - 2.0 Farad capacitor, wont help much but wud surely make a difference.
But if possible i wud still go with the first option of upgrading the ALT>
Montego and a few others are very good and searching, bidding and buying on the internet. I am sure they can help you.
Victor...
montego_27 on 03/15/2005 07:13:12
First of all that "reputable" alternator shop should be arrested for attempted larceny. There are many places to order a hi-output alt for your car. Here's one good site:
http://www.boschusa.com/AutoParts/AlternatorsStarters/HighOutputAlternators/
There are many more. Punch in: high output alternators on your search and good luck, Tego
topcatx54 on 03/15/2005 18:43:23
Thanks for the help. I've already searched all over the internet and ebay for high output alternators but i cant find any sites that make them for subarus, all i can find are the stock alts for sale. I also e-mailed a few companies that make alternators and asked if they had anything that would fit my subaru but they said they dont and dont know where i should look. Guess im out of luck : (
montego_27 on 03/15/2005 18:57:55
I would try to contact some other alternator shops. Even if their not within driving distance.See if one of the others will do a rewind and ship it. It will still end up cheaper than buying new.Hang in there and be persistent you'll get it done!
Buickman94 on 03/15/2005 19:02:51
Check out ohio generator, ive never delt with them but hear they have good prices and a quality product...and they make an alt for a subaru
http://www.ohiogen.com/html/body_catalog.html
montego_27 on 03/15/2005 19:07:48
Good link B-Man
topcatx54 on 03/15/2005 22:33:41
Thanks for the link Buickman, I will definitly give them a call
cplkittle on 03/16/2005 14:25:45
ohio generator is comparable to stinger, pricewise. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive alternators. I paid over 500 for mine, (200A stinger) and I got at a little over dealer cost with my discount. It does depend on the car though... Your only other choice is to add a completely seperate alternator and battery for your stereo system only.. completely independent of your car's charging system. Here I would use a 70-80 amp alternator and atleast a yellow top battery. Ofcourse this would also involve a seperate voltage regulator or a manual switch with a voltage and or amp gauge. Either way, it is going to be difficult to keep it under 5-600 dollars..
There are a couple of things that will help some..
-a battery in the trunk
-upgrade all wiring
swez on 03/16/2005 20:05:14
O-Gen and Stinger make great products. However, they are very pricey. The idea about adding a dedicated ALT/BAT makes sense if you can re-configure the drive belt and find/fabricate some mounting hardware for same. That may be your best option in terms of cost, but lots of extra labor too.
May have some success at a local ALT rebuilder's shop. Chances are not good that you can get the stock one re-cored for higher output. The stock casings are generally too small to cram a larger field coil, commutator and regulator into that same package. Another option to consider... check local Autoparts stores for H.O. ALTs used in Subaru SUV's. They may fit with some bracket modifications and/or re-clocking the housing. I did that on my Buick. Bought an Olds 120A ALT, re-clocked it and it gave me 15A more than the stock 105A version. Was a tight fit, but I did manage to get it in.
Good luck,
Swez
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