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Alternator upgrade

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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 09:47 AM
  #1  
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Alternator upgrade

I searched and couldn't find anything.

I know the stock alternator is 60-75 amps.

I know the ambulance either came with dual alternators and/or larger alternator(s) at 160-200 amps...

Aside from said alternators, what else do I need to get from the scrap yard, should I find an ambulance in the scrap yard.

Will one of these high amp alternators plug into my stock harness? (after I upgrade it to thicker wire)

I need juice to run a winch on the flatbed, some inverters, and an good amount of lighting.
 
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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 09:59 AM
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Check to see if you have a auto electric shop near you that can up the output on yours. Ford had a "odd" mount and with the fuel filter in the way it is hard to change over to a different style with doing some other work.

Run as many LED lights as you can. They pull very amperage so they wont be a issue. You can also add another battery so when you run your winch it won't crowd your alternator as bad.
 
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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 10:22 AM
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Originally Posted by catfish101
Check to see if you have a auto electric shop near you that can up the output on yours. Ford had a "odd" mount and with the fuel filter in the way it is hard to change over to a different style with doing some other work.

Run as many LED lights as you can. They pull very amperage so they wont be a issue. You can also add another battery so when you run your winch it won't crowd your alternator as bad.
I didn't want to put an aftermarket setup in or use another manufacturers. I figure a stock setup from the ambulance may relocate the filter or the alternator.

Also, LED's won't work for my application. This is a flatbed tow truck and I'm a mechanic. I'm going for some large halogen work lights.
 
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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 05:14 PM
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My flat bed has;
4 - 4" round stop tail turn lights
9 - 2" round marker lights
All LED bulbs

The cab front side markers and cab lights are 194 LED bulbs.

I can run them all on a single 9 volt battery for a day.
My dash lights draw more current that the LED's do.

The bad thing is if you get one out of a salvage yard, you will not be able to tell what amperage alternator it is.
I have a 150 amp on my truck, it looks externally just like the 65 amp it replaced.

Lots of the ambulance alternators were Leece Neville alternators.
They are different electrically and the way they mount.
 
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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 07:50 PM
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Originally Posted by Dave Sponaugle
My flat bed has;
4 - 4" round stop tail turn lights
9 - 2" round marker lights
All LED bulbs
This is for hauling my track day car to the race track should it get damaged beyond drivability out there. Some events span a weekend with multiple races in that time, so it turns into tailgating and whatnot... In addition to the stock lighting, I'd add some halogen work lighting to the back... I'd be able to work on the car and light the area around for hanging out.

The cab front side markers and cab lights are 194 LED bulbs.

I can run them all on a single 9 volt battery for a day.
My dash lights draw more current that the LED's do.
LED's are the way to go. As my incandescent bulbs burn out, I replace them with LED's.

The bad thing is if you get one out of a salvage yard, you will not be able to tell what amperage alternator it is.
I have a 150 amp on my truck, it looks externally just like the 65 amp it replaced.

Lots of the ambulance alternators were Leece Neville alternators.
They are different electrically and the way they mount.
Ah... Well, then I guess it's gonna get a GM One Wire type alternator with internal regulation. Or perhaps a pair of them if I can find a place to mount the second.
 
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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 07:59 PM
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Surely you can find an alternator shop close to you.
They can rebuild the one you have now and up the amps for less than you can buy another one.

Like I said, from the outside my 150 amp alternator looks just like the stock one.

Most of the Leece Nevilles were one wire with internal regulators.
But it will not fit in your bracket.
 
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Old Dec 16, 2006 | 08:06 PM
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Originally Posted by Dave Sponaugle
Surely you can find an alternator shop close to you.
They can rebuild the one you have now and up the amps for less than you can buy another one.

Like I said, from the outside my 150 amp alternator looks just like the stock one.

Most of the Leece Nevilles were one wire with internal regulators.
But it will not fit in your bracket.
This'd be the scrap yard... Ya can't beat $20 for an alternator... Any alternator...

I'll check out the alt shop nearby though. Seeing as how I kinda forgot that a Diesel will run without electricity, I bought this truck with a dead alternator.
 
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Old Dec 17, 2006 | 11:07 AM
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You still need a minimal amount of electricity to keep the fuel shut off solenoid open.

You may wind up getting 10 or more alternators, then have them tested for output before you find one over 100 amps.

Then you don't know if it will last a year or a day.
 
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Old Dec 17, 2006 | 03:02 PM
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I thought these older trucks came stock with 100amp alternators? I looked at mine and it has a 100 amp tag on it, could the previous owner have upgraded it?
 
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Old Dec 17, 2007 | 01:15 PM
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Question

Originally Posted by Dave Sponaugle
My flat bed has;
4 - 4" round stop tail turn lights
9 - 2" round marker lights
All LED bulbs

The cab front side markers and cab lights are 194 LED bulbs.

I can run them all on a single 9 volt battery for a day.
My dash lights draw more current that the LED's do.
Dave, where did you get your lights? Are you using single LED units for the marker lights and the like? I'd like to replace all my bulbs (save head lights) with LEDs. I'm also going to put LED bulbs in the inst cluster and anywhere else that has light in the new dash before installing it.

Thanks,
Jon
 
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Old Dec 18, 2007 | 06:52 PM
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The 194 LED's I found have 4 LED's in a very tight group.
Plug in just like a regular 194 bulb.
They came from Autozone.
I have them in both front side marker lights and the cab lights.

As for my flatbed, it uses 2" round marker lights, they came from a heavy truck parts house.
Stop/Tail/Turn are 4" round, they also came from a heavy truck parts house.
 
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Old Dec 19, 2007 | 11:41 AM
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I saw these, http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-b...7.8855&next=50

How bright are the 4 bulb units? They also have 6 bulb units. I've got a lot to change out.
 
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Old Dec 19, 2007 | 08:32 PM
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There are no LED bulbs on that site that look like mine.

The ones I have are a bit brighter than a 194 bulb is, and they are also a bit more directional than a 194 is.

I have not got around to my dash lights yet.
Not sure how well they will do there, and not sure I want amber as a color.

May try red though.
 
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