StreetOC192

iTrader: (7)

Here's a question for the 350Z gurus.......

I know that when I had my Xterra, the factory alternator was something crappy like 85 amp output, so someone discovered that we could use an alternator from a Quest (which used the same 3.3liter engine) which had a 120 amp alternator. so you basically increased your overhead with a very affordable direct swap from another model.

Now I don't know the amp rating on the Z's alternator, but is an alternator from a maxima or another 3.5liter sibling a direct swap with higher output? it would be a lot cheaper than going the HO alternator route.

350zspl

iTrader: (3)

the factory z alt is 110 amps why pay to go to a 120 not much gain

the only HO i know of is about $699 and it is 180 amp

StreetOC192

iTrader: (7)

Well, i'm not saying 120 amps (that was for the 3.3 liter Quest minivan from a few years ago......not applicable here)......My question was is there a 3.5 liter nissan car that has a higer output more like 150 amp.....most of your mini vans today will have a higer output alternator than a car for all the "family" ammenities they have. Like does the pathfinder have a higer output around 150 amp? the maxima? whatever Nissan's minivan is these days?

There is some overhead built into the electrical system of the Z. Basically if the alternator is 110 amp, then the peak current draw of the car might be around 85-90 amps (that's with EVERYTHING running at the same time). Your amplifiers will draw about 1/2 to 2/3 of their rated power under normal listening (even at high volumes). So if you have 100 amps total fuse ratings, your amps will probably only draw a max of 60 amps. Leaving you needing about 140 amps total if you had everything running in your Z at the same time.

Then again, how many of us are running around town blasting the stereo, all lights on, putting both windows down and up constantly, wipers on, and locking/unlocking the doors all at once?

StreetOC192

iTrader: (7)

OK, just looked up the Pathinder and Quest, they both use a 130 amp alternator.

To OP: Now if this is a direct swap (mounting tabs and pulley are the same for them and the Z), and if your current alternator is dying, it wouldn't be a bad idea to use one of these 130 amp guys for probably the same price (maybe $160 reman?).

To 350zspl - I agree that this isn't a huge jump in power, so it wouldn't be suitable for a competition type system running 2000+ watts, but for those of us with a moderate system, it would give some extra overhead in the electrical system for a very reasonable price.

Jokestrap

Here's one for you... I had a HO alt put in. Two weeks later I had my battery checked cuz I thought it might have been damaged with the voltage problems I was having. I took it to Interstate. They tested all of the fluids etc. He asked me how long the bat had been in the car. I told him it's an '05 and since then. He said that it was the best two year old bat he had ever seen. I don't know exactly what that really means only due to the fact that I do not consider myself an expert an freakin batteries, but this guy has checked thousands of them. The HO alts are great if you just want to spend a little extra money when pushing serious mods and high WHP etc. Project will be very stable.

Kwame

iTrader: (78)

How long did it take for you to receive your alternator?

Takhteh

iTrader: (18)

So, I think I remember seeing the Zs alternator rated at 110-amps also. Would this be ok for pushing an alpine mrd-m1005 and mrv-f540, 140-amps total? or will i need to upgrade to a HO alt at some point?

also, what about the need for caps? many say they're a waste, but do you think i'd need one for running ~1250 W RMS? and if so, 2.0 farad?

sry to try and turn this into another thread, btw.. lol.. just thought it was SO related

Hustler904

iTrader: (14)

Takhteh,before you go spending money on a cap or a high output alternator, upgrade your wiring to 0 Gauge wire first. My honda's alternator is I think 105 amps and my lights used to dim before I upgraded my wiring. Since then I've added another amp to power my speakers with a total of 1600 watts rms and so far no problems.

Takhteh

iTrader: (18)

well from some feedback i've gotten on the ecoustics website, very informative, btw.. it sounds like this setup should be fine.. anyways, i just bought an SPL 3.0F cap already, for like $58 shipped.. lol..

but from what i hear, if lights are dimming, obviously you're pulling more power from the stock alternator than it can handle, so getting a cap wouldn't "fix" the problem but act more like a "band-aid" as another member here put it.. .. like that one, btw.. GREAT analogy.

and similarly, it seems upgrading to 0 gauge would give better current flow to the overall "system" IF your problem was running too small power wire to start with.. i plan on running 2awg to the cap, then to a dist. block, then 4awg leads to the amps.. but if you're running ridiculously high rms, wouldn't this kind of "mask" the fact that your alternator might be underpowering the system?.. not saying that we wouldn't be ok with our setups as-is, but maybe we are just "slightly" shortening the life of the alternator some? probably not significantly enough to do any real harm, but that's what im thinking..