Ok guys, so I have been having some issues with draining my battery and weak winch line pulls, so I did a swap for a 120A Jaguar alternator from a 96 Jag XJ6, as I found that the wiring harness plugs right in to the Jag unit and doubles the amperage output. I also purchased a huge Deka Deep cycle / 1000 CCA battery. I was thinking this would solve EVERYthing, however I am running into a few problems. I know this is a lot of questions, so please bear with me...
As a precursor, I do have a LOT of electric accessories attached to / running from the battery. Electric radiator fan, high wattage headlights and a nice stereo with some percentage of 1100 watts are the most common running voltage draws. Also, for some reason, the turn signals (which are now small 55w fog lights) really kill the voltage when flashing left or right, but not at all when Hazard is selected?!?
The headlights flicker as the alternator turns faster, and I am not sure why. i can see the volts go up and down on the volt meter. from 'really high' to 'normal high', if that makes sense. This happens in rapid succession, as if the voltage is coming and going so fast it makes the needle bounce...and this is reflected in bouncing of the brightness in the headlights.
My impression is that maybe the ground wire is not big enough off the battery---could this be the case? Also as a side note, I ran the alternator power cable DIRECTLY to the battery, and then replaced the fusible link wire from the factory toyota fuse block with a 175A link and solid cable, and ran it directly to the battery separate from the alternator wire. Could this arise a problem with flickering lights, etc?
Also, my second guess would be that maybe the factory ground for the alternator (I'm assuming in the factory toyota wiring harness) may not be big enough for the new 120A alternator. Could this be the case? If so, which prong / wire in the wiring harness does the ground for the alternator, and would it be possible to splice in a much larger ground and just run it to the frame?
Also, does the battery need to be ground to the frame, or to the engine block? Mine is currently ground to the engine block. I am not against getting a second ground and going to the frame.
Any knowledgeable electrical guys got some input that could be of use?! I got a big wheeling trip this weekend, and could use some help FAST!!!
As a precursor, I do have a LOT of electric accessories attached to / running from the battery. Electric radiator fan, high wattage headlights and a nice stereo with some percentage of 1100 watts are the most common running voltage draws. Also, for some reason, the turn signals (which are now small 55w fog lights) really kill the voltage when flashing left or right, but not at all when Hazard is selected?!?
The headlights flicker as the alternator turns faster, and I am not sure why. i can see the volts go up and down on the volt meter. from 'really high' to 'normal high', if that makes sense. This happens in rapid succession, as if the voltage is coming and going so fast it makes the needle bounce...and this is reflected in bouncing of the brightness in the headlights.
My impression is that maybe the ground wire is not big enough off the battery---could this be the case? Also as a side note, I ran the alternator power cable DIRECTLY to the battery, and then replaced the fusible link wire from the factory toyota fuse block with a 175A link and solid cable, and ran it directly to the battery separate from the alternator wire. Could this arise a problem with flickering lights, etc?
Also, my second guess would be that maybe the factory ground for the alternator (I'm assuming in the factory toyota wiring harness) may not be big enough for the new 120A alternator. Could this be the case? If so, which prong / wire in the wiring harness does the ground for the alternator, and would it be possible to splice in a much larger ground and just run it to the frame?
Also, does the battery need to be ground to the frame, or to the engine block? Mine is currently ground to the engine block. I am not against getting a second ground and going to the frame.
Any knowledgeable electrical guys got some input that could be of use?! I got a big wheeling trip this weekend, and could use some help FAST!!!
