Electrical upgrade for a 62?

[Spencerfj6289]

Hello I was curious as to whether anyone could offer some suggestions to make the electrical system in a 62 preform a little better. I've heard of dual battery setups, the mean green alternator, and the smaller pulley, but I just wanted to figure out which one would produce the best results. I run the stock alternator in my truck. Not many accessories, but when I have my lights and heater and wipers on together I'm almost in the redline. I'm using a magnapower (cranking amps 925, cold crank amps 75, reserve capacity 140 mins) any help is greatly appreciated

 

[FJ Silver]

Hey, have you measured what your actual voltage is when you have all your accessories going? Your stock alternator should be plenty unless you're running things like fridges, winches, lot's of LED's and all that jazz.

 

[Spencerfj6289]

Hey, have you measured what your actual voltage is when you have all your accessories going? Your stock alternator should be plenty unless you're running things like fridges, winches, lot's of LED's and all that jazz.

I have not yet. It does drop quite substantially under load according to the trucks gauge. Any idea what the correct reading should be when under load? Or maybe I should run the accessories for a while and test to see if the alternator can't keep up with charging. I would like to wire in some phone chargers and auxiliary lights in the future as well.

 

[FJ Silver]

Gotcha.
Unless you're out camping for multiple/couple days running fridges, lights etc without running the engine, you're fine with one battery and your stock alternator. It's nice to have a backup battery though once you start adding accessories and a way to charge it when camping.

But the first thing to check is what your alternator is actually putting out to make sure the alternator is working like it should since the stock gauges are not very accurate or reliable.

I believe I get something like 14.4V without any load besides whatever the engine needs.
I'll test mine today with AC,air, full headlights and let you know what it puts out.

 

[Spencerfj6289]

Gotcha.
Unless you're out camping for multiple/couple days running fridges, lights etc without running the engine, you're fine with one battery and your stock alternator. It's nice to have a backup battery though once you start adding accessories and a way to charge it when camping.

But the first thing to check is what your alternator is actually putting out to make sure the alternator is working like it should since the stock gauges are not very accurate or reliable.

I believe I get something like 14.4V without any load besides whatever the engine needs.
I'll test mine today with AC,air, full headlights and let you know what it puts out.

Thanks so much that's very kind. If you need help with anything you can let me know as well. I've done quite a bit of work on this truck and I know some parts of it very well. Electrical however is not my strong suit. To test the alt. I should use my fluke tester and put one lead on the alt. Output and one lead on chassis ground? I'm not quite sure.

 

[Spencerfj6289]

Thanks so much that's very kind. If you need help with anything you can let me know as well. I've done quite a bit of work on this truck and I know some parts of it very well. Electrical however is not my strong suit. To test the alt. I should use my fluke tester and put one lead on the alt. Output and one lead on chassis ground? I'm not quite sure.

Okay just tested it correctly I think. I got around 14.7 off of it. I'll check the battery now

 

[Spencerfj6289]

B

Okay just tested it correctly I think. I got around 14.7 off of it. I'll check the battery now

Artery reads around 14.5 and it doesn't really seem to care whether my accessories are turned on. Barely drops at all. Maybe my gauge is just playing a prank on me.

 

[FJ Silver]

Yeah... I think you got it. Maybe a grounding issue with that gauge. Mine does swing all over the place when i turn my blinkers on.
Hey at least it looks like your alternator is in good shape.

 

[Spencerfj6289]

Yeah... I think you got it. Maybe a grounding issue with that gauge. Mine does swing all over the place when i turn my blinkers on.
Hey at least it looks like your alternator is in good shape.

Ya thanks again for your help

 

[red66toy]

The 62 needs good grounding and over the years the factory ground points start to suffer from corrosion. Clean all the grounds well, and beef up the ones you can (like in the engine bay). That will go a long way.

 

[dmjay]

As Redtoy says, make sure all your ground points are clean. IE, clean every conection. 30 years of crud makes a difference.

 

[60Works]

Stock alternator is 80 amps in the 62, plenty of charge for almost everyone with the usual accessories. The volt meter typically dips with blinkers on. As mentioned, the cables and grounding points tend to get corrosion and lose efficiency. A little TLC at each lug and possibly a few replacements and you'll likely solve any charge capacity issues.

 

[Seth S]

Easiest thing on any vehicle is to clean your battery terminals and grounds and then upgrade your battery cables to either 2 or 4 gage welding cable. I like to replace the battery ground wire and any engine to chassis ground cables as well as the main positive cable, the cable from the alternator and started as well. Lights are brighter. Engine will crank faster. Charging is better. Makes a big difference.

 

[Spencerfj6289]

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I have already cleaned up all my grounds and made sure my contacts are clean. I think I've done everything I can to keep things running smoothly as far as the electrical . I really appreciate the help though everyone

 

[NCFJ]

Easiest thing on any vehicle is to clean your battery terminals and grounds and then upgrade your battery cables to either 2 or 4 gage welding cable. I like to replace the battery ground wire and any engine to chassis ground cables as well as the main positive cable, the cable from the alternator and started as well. Lights are brighter. Engine will crank faster. Charging is better. Makes a big difference.

Only thing that I can add is that I generally use 1/0 cable. Way overkill, I know, but I was immersed in boat wiring for a while and it was common practice to build "sacrificial" electrical systems. The thicker the wire, the longer it takes mother nature to eat through it.

 

[Seth S]

Also add you can buy cable at your local airgas welding supply store or similar.usually in 25,50,100’ lengths and price is reasonable. You will need the crimping tool. Some heat shrink. And I use copper eye connectors. Then you can run marine style battery terminals which makes it easier to take of cables when parking for long time or doing work.