Bnzova

hey guys.

I need advice on upgrading my c180 W203's alternator to one that delivers more amp. Can i fit any after market alternator into the car or do I need a bosch one?
Also how difficult of a job is this, can it be done at home?

Cheers guys

mleskovar

Why? (And no, I don't know)

SunnyRayToronto

The double negative means you really do know!

Stock alternator and good battery provide plenty of reliable electrical juice. So why would OP want more juice? Probably wants to install something that drains alot of electrical amps.... like a loud BOOM-BOOM soundsystem. If that's the case, one alternative is to rebuild/re-manufacture the original stock alternator and juice it up for more amps.

You'll need to find a specialized place that rebuild alternators and know how to juice them up. Usually, a high end car audio place might be able to recommend someplace locally. Another alternative is to find a specialty place on ebay,...

Bnzova

I currently have two amps and all my exterior and interior lights dim. need to upgrade the alt before i can get more powerful subs

thanks for the info man

pcy

MB alternator is rated at 150Amp. If you need more than that, I would say, you would need to have the alternator rebuilt by alternator remanufacturers. Call up local alternator rebuilders and see if they can rebuild for more AMP.

I am not sure if that [rebuilding the alternator for more AMPs] would cause any other electrical problems...

mleskovar

I'm not an expert but I do understand electrics and electronics. Once again, what makes you think you need more amps? Increasing charge rate can be hazardous to your system. Unless you change the battery...or add to it...you can literally explode it. Maybe all you need is another battery added in parallel and that would be relatively easy. "Juicing up the amps" is harder than it sounds. A smaller pulley might give you all the extra you need...if you really need it. Adding windings or bigger magnets requires engineering and $$$ and what about the regulator? Are you using the 100 ah battery that comes with the car and that's not sufficient because it's going dead with your current set up? Maybe you have another problem. Just saying.

Bnzova

Yes I will be changing my battery. All the audio forums suggest that I need a better alternator to stop the dimming problems with my car. The battery doesn't go dead it stays at 14.2V when driving and drops to 13.0 when the sub woofer hits. I have more powerful subs about to be installed and am worried because it will put more of a stress on my alternator.
Would upgrading the battery help? The audio forums also suggest running 0 gauge wire from the alternator to the battery.
I'm trying to avoid upgrading the alternator, it will be my last resort.

Thanks for your replies

mleskovar

OK, now I understand your problem. Stick with the audio forum guys recommendations since they've been there, done that. I'm guessing you've already installed bigger capacitors to handle the peak loads....no? If your battery isn't the 100 ah standard battery start there. Deep cycle batteries also help but I don't know that you can find one in 100 ah, it's a weird rating that I've only found in the MB battery. Yes, bigger wires so you don't overcook them. Putting another battery in parallel will help with the peak load. Maybe two big deep cycle batteries in parallel would do the trick. Wires/battery/caps to start then worry about the alternator if it doesn't keep up. Ideally you would have a car audio expert measure the load requirements and make recommendations from there. I'm glad you don't live in my neighborhood