Alternator Interchangeability

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nakidrummer
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Alternator Interchangeability

Postby nakidrummer » Sun Mar 31, 2013 8:51 pm

Hi again guys, i finally got my sound system set up and it bought up a slight problem. I think im getting over voltage as my amp goes into protection mode intermittently. I assume the regulator is on its way out? Is this a simple fix or does the whole alternator need to be replaced? If so, will a regular city alternator do the job? Or any other makes for that matter?

crispy
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Re: Alternator Interchangeability

Postby crispy » Mon Apr 01, 2013 11:35 am

Do you have a multimeter? check the voltage on the battery while the car is running, it should sit a bit above 14V.
If it is well above or below this number or fluctuating around a lot then your regulator isn't working properly.

Technically pretty much any alternator will do the same job, though some of the newer ones may have extra connections for more advanced feature (i don't own a car from the last 2 decades, so i don't know).
Your biggest issue would be finding one that mounts up in the right spot.

nakidrummer
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Joined: Sun May 15, 2011 6:04 pm
Location: New Plymouth, NZ

Re: Alternator Interchangeability

Postby nakidrummer » Mon Apr 01, 2013 12:39 pm

Hi Crispy

I took advantage of the Easter Repco sale today and invested in a multimeter. At rest it was reading 12.4V but sure enough when the car was running I got about 14.6-14.8 Volts and with the fan on full blast and headlights on it came down to 13V and the amp didn't go into protection mode at all.

But you say around 14V is normal when the car is running? Is my reading of 14.6-14.8 normal? I don't want to fry the battery or other electrics if this over voltage reading is too high!

Cheers
Ash

crispy
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Re: Alternator Interchangeability

Postby crispy » Mon Apr 01, 2013 5:03 pm

Heh, a multimeter is a very valuable tool to have, definitely worth the purchase.

I think 14.4 is nominal, but it can vary depending on situation, if the battery is a bit low it can bump up the voltage to help charge. The lights and fan all add load to the system, dropping the voltage.
Another thing to try is be measuring the voltage and have some one bring up the revs of the engine, if the voltage rises with the revs, the regulator is no good (i'm talking above 15 or 16V)
12.4V when the car is off isn't too bad, as long as it kicks over the engine easy enough.

Are you sure the amp is going into over-volt protection? most amps i've seen just have one light for 'fault' and it can also mean it is too hot or outputs have shorted or output resistance is too high/low, etc etc.
What are the situations where the amp goes into fault mode? has it been running for a while? on real bass-y notes? (if the amp is for a sub, does it happen when the bass kicks?)

nakidrummer
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Posts: 26
Joined: Sun May 15, 2011 6:04 pm
Location: New Plymouth, NZ

Re: Alternator Interchangeability

Postby nakidrummer » Mon Apr 01, 2013 6:47 pm

Oh yeah, my amp has two lights. A power light and a protection light. It doesnt happen on bassy notes. It happens as soon as the car is started and the protection light comes on (power light fades) for a few seconds and then power light comes on (red fades out) amd sub starts working, then it goes back to the protection light (sub stops) and just continues like this. It only does this when the car is running too, its totally fine when the car is off.


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