Upgrading stock alternator to 130/150 amp

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Took a couple of days to get fit into the shops schedule, Diagnosis: Alternator is toast. I had figured it would be something else, the shop said all connections were correct and in good condition. Have another alternator on the way from the distribution center in Portland to the local Toyota dealer, the parts guy seemed a little unsure how the warranty would be handled since I installed it, hopefully that will not be a big hurdle. Supposed to pick it up on the 20th.
 
It is an over-the-counter warranty. Pretty straight forward. The part only is covered, you get a replacement if the failure is within one year of the date of purchase and you have the invoice. It doesn't matter what you put it on. In fact I would not mention it. That will only muddy the water.
 
Made the over-the-counter warranty exchange. First, I made sure the dealer had an alternator sent from the distribution center for the warranty exchange, then removed the dead alternator and took it in. Went in with the dead alternator in hand and the first thing the parts guy says "we like to test them on the vehicle". That was not mentioned when I called to have them send one to their dealership, then he wants the VIN, I am at dealer - vehicle is 10 miles away at home, fortunately :princess: is off work that day and she gets me the VIN. Parts guy goes to service manager with VIN saying they tie the part to the vehicle. Of course now I am thinking, am I going to run into problems when the manager sees it isn't a Sequoia? Don't know if they ran the VIN but nothing was said about the type of vehicle. Turns out this is one of the first types of warranty this parts guy has done. Finally, the football-player-sized manager comes out with a paper for me to sign and I am out the door with the good reman alternator. Note: no return without the receipt and the box!
Had it checked at the local Auto Battery Electric shop, then installed - have driven about 50 miles, it works! :clap: Thanks guys for the tips and advice.
 
Cool, it's one of the best upgrades I've done on my 80 for sure and when I have some more cash I'll do the pulley from Bill too.
 
Have a little over 1,200 miles on the 150A alternator and wiring upgrade and am noticing that once it has the battery charge back up after starting, that the voltage seems to wander between 12.8 – 13.3 volts (monitoring on ScanGauge). I don’t recall the original alternator ever operating in that range, seems it was closer to 13.8V or higher most of the time. Is this how these 150A units operate? I have a Fluke clamp meter and can see it put out the amps when loads are put on the system and the battery is at 12.7 volts after the truck has been off for a couple of hours.
I did have the system checked after the reman unit was in and all the wiring upgrades were complete, they also load tested the battery at 225A (engine off) and then we could see alternator putting out 145A at 2000+ RPM, they said everything looked good, but noted that the voltage was a little low – still within spec. With the high output capability maybe it doesn’t need to keep the voltage output close to 13.8 as the original one did?
 
Good question - Temperature doesn't seem to matter, but we haven't had any real hot days yet, the hot days are supposed to start this week - when we leave on our first big trip. When there is a load it charges well, and then the voltage drops to around 13V. It may just be something I have to get used to, but no one I've talked with has seen a system run at that low a voltage. And after the first reman alternator was bad I am a bit paranoid thinking about the thousands of miles for the two big trips that are planned this summer. Was hoping for some feedback from others that have the same 150A alternator.
 
Are you using the small pulley too or the original one? My voltage according to torque, which isn't exact since it pulls at the ODB, runs between 12.5-12.9 and I'm running the stock pulley. Been running like this for over a year now and no issues so far, in fact I still haven't upgraded the fat wire coming off the alt yet either.
 
I can tell mine does from 14.4 to 14.0 through the day in a normal stop and go traffic .. I take it once in a long trip ( several ours constant driving ) and at the end was 13.8 ( assuming both batteries were fully charged )
 
warezdog said:
Are you using the small pulley too or the original one? My voltage according to torque, which isn't exact since it pulls at the ODB, runs between 12.5-12.9 and I'm running the stock pulley. Been running like this for over a year now and no issues so far, in fact I still haven't upgraded the fat wire coming off the alt yet either.
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Didn't think of mentioning which pulley is used, I went with the stock pulley thinking I would rarely have to remove it with new belts - and then the first alternator failed from the start! I am not understanding your statement "My voltage according to torque, which isn't exact since it pulls at the ODB," . Are these readings all the time or after the battery has a full charge?

Tapage said:
I can tell mine does from 14.4 to 14.0 through the day in a normal stop and go traffic .. I take it once in a long trip ( several ours constant driving ) and at the end was 13.8 ( assuming both batteries were fully charged )
Click to expand...
These voltages are more like the original 80A alternator would show on my ScanGauge and more of what I expected to see. My 150A shows voltage in this range when it's charging, say after starting or running the winch to put the rope on.
 
I'm also using stock pulley but plan on getting Bill's shortly, more revolutions make more juice. Torque uses the ODB voltage for measurement, the accurate way to measure would be to come directly off the alt. I'll meter it this weekend and see what the diff is if any.
 
I will be doing this upgrade in the next few months. Question is which pulley do I want to use? Stock or the one that is sold here on mud?
 
You can use the stock as I did, I was short on cash, the belts are a bit of a biznitch to get on but doable. The smaller pully will turn the 150A alt faster and produce more juice at lower revs. Most alts that produce big amps don't throw them out at idle, in fact smaller alts are better producers of amps at lower RPMs than hi output alts.

Bills pulley is on my list, I would suggest doing when you do the kit so you won't have to do it again, not looking forward to removing mine again!
 
how do i go about getting one of these brakets and plugs or dimensions so that i can make one over here in new zealand and my alternater faild and cheeper getting the high output over the stock 80 as everyone loves the 80 but not keen on the v8.
 
I have a bracket not being installed until I get my supercharger install all mapped out (intercooler,gauges,etc) - if one is needed for more copies.

Mine is not for sale, just offering to help.
 
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