Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 21:06:03 -0700
Reply-To: armando guzman <razeprotrk@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: armando guzman <razeprotrk@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Vanagon alternator too weak for Optimas.
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
Hold your horses for a inute, Phil. Before you go out and spend big bucks
get your facts straight. A battery is only needed when you start your car.
After that, your alternator takes over. All alternators have a voltage
regulator and, as its name indicates, controls the voltage output of the
alternator. You are not going to find a "15 Volt" alternator. 13.5 and up to
14V is ok, but not 15 V. Every component in your car is rated to work with
12V, and has a tolerance (top limit) to work with 13.5 and up to 14V. But
after that you will start burning components, like light bulbs, your radio,
and the electronics in your car. Amperage, on the other hand, is a different
story. Amperage can be loosely described as the rate of
flow of electricity. For example: you can not power all the electrical
apliances in your house out of one single outlet. the flow of electricity
would be so high that either you blow a fuse or you burn your house form the
wires getting red hot. A vanagon alternator produces 45 amps at idle, and
every electrical component in your car is going to need 3, 4, 8 amps each.
If you add that up, you will have your total need of power, or amperage.
Every light, your radio, your ignition coil, computer, wipers, etc. need
juice. If you turn on everything at once, your battery will be part of the
loop, so having a high rent fancy piece of junk like those optima batteries
is not going to be any different as if you have a good Interstate battery or
a cheap battery from pep boys as long as this battery got good cells and
good electrolitic (lead and acid). Find a good, reliable alternator shop and
ask them if thye can make your alternator to put ot 75 amps, and that will
solve your problem, not a fancy looking, crappy battery like optima. Good
luck. Armando
>From: "Phil S." <napszeerf@YAHOO.COM>
>Reply-To: "Phil S." <napszeerf@YAHOO.COM>
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Vanagon alternator too weak for Optimas.
>Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 12:42:57 -0700
>
>i read in the archives that Optima does NOT recommend
>anything less than a 15 volt alternator output, if
>this is true, then we are all undercharging our
>optimas becouse the vanagon's Alt charges around
>13-14V. Even MORE confusing is that the battery guy
>told me any charge over 14.5 volts will destroy 12v
>batterys. Wha?
>Optimas FAQ:http://www.optimabatteries.com/faq.asp#q7
> Would a LARGER alt help, or does the alt's voltage
>regulator get in the way? Please correct my figures
>as i am also repeating what the battery guy told me.
>
>Also My alternator is charging around 12.7v under
>load...the battree guy tells me i should be around
>13-13.5(tested with stereo/headlights on at 2000RPM's)
>He says my Alt is too weak, especially when i have the
>stereo on, fan, headlights and auxillary battery
>connected via a big relay switch. Apparently all this
>stuff is hogging precious juice from my batterys. He
>told me a bigger alternator would fix my problem. So
>anyone know where i can buy a larger amp alternator
>that might fit the Tiico bracket/pulleys? i found this
>alternator described as being higher output, at lower
>RPM's it at:
>http://www.amplepower.com/products/alt/index.html
>its chromed and looks ex$pen$ive.
>
>
>Thanks
>Phil 84' Westy w/ Tiico
>
>
>
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