Jump to content
Mechman Alternators

Something wrong with my Mechman?


Recommended Posts

mines doing the same thing, i figured its just cuz im pulling a bunch of current, but i have 2 xs D2400s, and a dc 3.5k @ .5ohms, ill be steady at 13.9 @ 2k and itll drop to low 11's, im running straight off the alt to my batts in the back, not a clue why its so low, i was doing about the same with my stock 136 amp alt, its now a 270 amp...and it doesnt change to much wired at 2ohms

Edited by Freshman6969

Legal TL scores145.6 on the dash sealed up in the low 40hz area with the port out145.5 on the dash sealed up @30hz with the port inless then 1k clamped on a 3.5k!

Why would you EVER WANT flex?
huh?...flex is what can make the lows lower and more air being pushed correct?
jeff_zps9bc81ace.jpg

me_zps0fb5a5b4.jpgMy FeedbackJeep-BuildlogPT LOSER buildlog

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 79
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

When I got mine last year I asked matt about fusing the line from alt to battery and he said not to do it because if something were to go wrong something would actually mess up in the alt. Call and ask and double check that.

For real??? a fuse can hurt an alternator?? if that true, he never told me anything, as i said before, my alternator didn´t even come on a box with at least a mechman logo, no manuals, no nothing...

I have heard this before as well that being said I doubt that is your problem. You can fuse that cable but you don't need to. It is also not what is causing your problems. Have you heard anything from mechman? If not try and call them tomorrow.

01 2dr ExploderBuild log2 18" DC Level 6's (M3's)DC 10k5 XS d3100's, DC 390 alt100' shok ofc cable

Team ShokTEAM SUB SONIC ADDICTION

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As i always says, there are a few things that i don´t have a clue about car audio, i´m kind of a noob about electricals, first HO alternator i´ve ever owned is this mechman and i´m very frustated right now, how the hell can i check how many amps is my alternator really sending??? i do have a clamp meter...

http://audioforum.te...22;t=003982;p=0

I might be dumb or blind haha, did i miss how to test the amperage the alt makes? i didn´t see that anywhere, and remember that i´m from Panama, no autozone or anything like that around here lol

Scroll about halfway down ;)

Eh I'll just copy what he said............

"

1. Put a voltmeter as close to the alternator as possible. (Positive and Negative both.) If you can put the meter leads directly on or in the wire coming off the alternator that would be optimum.

2. Now start the car and turn all accessories off and check the voltage level. It should be between 13.5 and 15.1 volts. (depends on your make and model of car) It is a good idea to write down all voltage readings your taking. The main thing your looking for is a drop in voltage. Once you hit around 12.5, your alternator is not going to produce any additional amperage.

3. Now turn on one accessory at a time. Write down that accessories fuse rating. Keep turning on accessories and adding fuse ratings until the voltage falls to 12.5. Now add 15 amps if your electric cooling fans are on and 10 amps per battery in your system. Your numbers may look like this.

2 batteries- 20 amps

Cooling fan- 15 amps

Headlights - 10 amps

A/C blower - 10 amps

Rear Dfrst - 15 amps

High Beams - 10 amps

Fuel Pump - 10 amps

---------------------

Total not including stereo system 90 amps.

If you can turn on all these accessories and your voltage does not fall below 12.8 your alternator is capable of producing more than 90 amps of current.

You can now turn on your system and start slow on the volume. Its hard to say how much current your system pulls unless you know how much power your amps are producing at a given volume level.

You will need to do all these measurements at idle and at 2000 rpm. This way you can test idle output and max.

NOTE:

When testing output at idle your numbers may appear a little low. It is probably because your alternator is making your motor bog down and when you spin an alternator slower it can not produce as much amperage."

  • pa-pa-platypus

  • sorry not everybody has a companies nuts so far down their throat they catch every drop ball sweat when it falls

Link to comment
Share on other sites

mines doing the same thing, i figured its just cuz im pulling a bunch of current, but i have 2 xs D2400s, and a dc 3.5k @ .5ohms, ill be steady at 13.9 @ 2k and itll drop to low 11's, im running straight off the alt to my batts in the back, not a clue why its so low, i was doing about the same with my stock 136 amp alt, its now a 270 amp...and it doesnt change to much wired at 2ohms

That´s exactly my point, i was doing almost the same with the stock alternator, i compared before/after using the termlab and i didn´t gain a single tenth either, i don´t want to complain or anything since i need to change the fuse because it´s too small, but i don´t think that´s the problem, we´ll see :turkey:

When I got mine last year I asked matt about fusing the line from alt to battery and he said not to do it because if something were to go wrong something would actually mess up in the alt. Call and ask and double check that.

For real??? a fuse can hurt an alternator?? if that true, he never told me anything, as i said before, my alternator didn´t even come on a box with at least a mechman logo, no manuals, no nothing...

I have heard this before as well that being said I doubt that is your problem. You can fuse that cable but you don't need to. It is also not what is causing your problems. Have you heard anything from mechman? If not try and call them tomorrow.

No, not a word from them, i also want to change the fuse (pretty sure that´s not the problem anyway) and get a video also before sending them an email, you have no idea how unhappy i´m right now, i spent 500$ on this alternator and seriously hope it is working good, because if i have to send it to the us and back here, i´m gonna be spending about 200$, 700$ for a mechman alternator then? wow!

I´m the SPL Gains topic creator!! wanna get louder?? check this: SPL Gains. Panamenian 2009 & 2010 & 2014 Bass Race 149.9 Champion!

2 15" subs and a 2K wired at 1 ohm, http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/167788-fecupe2001-2-15s-on-a-2k-video-on-page-3/

8 Massive 15" subs and small power, http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/179296-fecupe2001s-8-15s-4th-order-bandpass-wall/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

changing a fuse isn't gonna do anything for you. A fuse can't "choke out" the system, its one an only purpose is to bust when too much current is trying to be drawn through the connection (in your case 200 amps). the only thing you can make of this is that the alternator isn't drawing more then 200 amps of current through that wire.

But saying its 700 dollars for a mechman alternator isn't fair. you are in another country and you know the cost to ship. Shit, some companies refuse to ship outside the US. If it was that much of a hassle to ship it back, technically wouldn't it have been a good idea to test it when you first got it? To be completely honest, Im not sure I would have done it either; but you have to think of the position it puts them in too. I've had some difficulties with Mechman in the past, but they were handled respectfully and quickly.

AA-Atomic-Clif Designs-DC-Diamond-Digital Designs-Directed-Eclipse-Fi-Hertz-Hifonics-Kenwood-Memphis-Phoenix Gold-Pioneer-PPI-PSi-Stinger-Sundown-TC Sounds-Viper-Zapco

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not gonna gang up on Mechman as my issues are really at idle, on my low power at 1k rpm and up I'm getting 14.6-14.9v ... Soon as I get to 700 on dash it drops to 13.6-12.7-12.3-12.2 .... Apparently my car sucks???

hmmm sound like my 200 amp universal mechman i had to send back and PAY to have fixed...

The only time we charge to have an alternator repaired is when it is out of warranty, improperly installed or abused.

We´ll see, first off, i´m gonna record a video tomorrow using a single DD m2a wired at 0.5 ohms with a rise to 1.4 ohms @ 42 hz , 4 runs of 0 gauge and a big ass HC2400 on front, and yes, that battery it´s on perfect shape...

What is your voltage at idle with a light load (headlights on)?

What is your voltage at 2000rpm with the same load?

Do you have any other batteries in the system with the Kinetik?

Did you ground the unit directly to the battery?

Did you install the additional 1/0 cable from the alternator charge stud directly to the battery positive?

What is the battery resting voltage after it has been sitting overnight?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

changing a fuse isn't gonna do anything for you. A fuse can't "choke out" the system, its one an only purpose is to bust when too much current is trying to be drawn through the connection (in your case 200 amps). the only thing you can make of this is that the alternator isn't drawing more then 200 amps of current through that wire.

But saying its 700 dollars for a mechman alternator isn't fair. you are in another country and you know the cost to ship. Shit, some companies refuse to ship outside the US. If it was that much of a hassle to ship it back, technically wouldn't it have been a good idea to test it when you first got it? To be completely honest, Im not sure I would have done it either; but you have to think of the position it puts them in too. I've had some difficulties with Mechman in the past, but they were handled respectfully and quickly.

That´s why i´m not bashing the company or complaining strongly about anything, i know i´m the one that took the risk to buy it and payed for that expensive shipping, that´s why i´m saying that i spent 500$ to get that mechman over here and would have to spend extra 200$ if i have to send it to mechman and back here again, you haven´t seen me saying another thing ;)

I´m the SPL Gains topic creator!! wanna get louder?? check this: SPL Gains. Panamenian 2009 & 2010 & 2014 Bass Race 149.9 Champion!

2 15" subs and a 2K wired at 1 ohm, http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/167788-fecupe2001-2-15s-on-a-2k-video-on-page-3/

8 Massive 15" subs and small power, http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/179296-fecupe2001s-8-15s-4th-order-bandpass-wall/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We´ll see, first off, i´m gonna record a video tomorrow using a single DD m2a wired at 0.5 ohms with a rise to 1.4 ohms @ 42 hz , 4 runs of 0 gauge and a big ass HC2400 on front, and yes, that battery it´s on perfect shape...

What is your voltage at idle with a light load (headlights on)?

What is your voltage at 2000rpm with the same load?

Do you have any other batteries in the system with the Kinetik?

Did you ground the unit directly to the battery?

Did you install the additional 1/0 cable from the alternator charge stud directly to the battery positive?

What is the battery resting voltage after it has been sitting overnight?

at idle : 14.5v

at 2000 rpm : 14.7v

Only the hc2400 on front right now since i´m only using a 1600 watts amplifier

Don´t remember right now if i ground the alternator directly to the battery, have to check that and post it over here

Yes, i installed the additional cable from alternator to battery positive

I can spend 4 or 5 days without starting the car and still having around 12.7v on my battery , still, gonna check right now what´s the resting voltage of my battery since i haven´t started the car in about 20 hours

I´m the SPL Gains topic creator!! wanna get louder?? check this: SPL Gains. Panamenian 2009 & 2010 & 2014 Bass Race 149.9 Champion!

2 15" subs and a 2K wired at 1 ohm, http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/167788-fecupe2001-2-15s-on-a-2k-video-on-page-3/

8 Massive 15" subs and small power, http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/179296-fecupe2001s-8-15s-4th-order-bandpass-wall/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

mines doing the same thing, i figured its just cuz im pulling a bunch of current, but i have 2 xs D2400s, and a dc 3.5k @ .5ohms, ill be steady at 13.9 @ 2k and itll drop to low 11's, im running straight off the alt to my batts in the back, not a clue why its so low, i was doing about the same with my stock 136 amp alt, its now a 270 amp...and it doesnt change to much wired at 2ohms

That´s exactly my point, i was doing almost the same with the stock alternator, i compared before/after using the termlab and i didn´t gain a single tenth either, i don´t want to complain or anything since i need to change the fuse because it´s too small, but i don´t think that´s the problem, we´ll see :turkey:

When I got mine last year I asked matt about fusing the line from alt to battery and he said not to do it because if something were to go wrong something would actually mess up in the alt. Call and ask and double check that.

For real??? a fuse can hurt an alternator?? if that true, he never told me anything, as i said before, my alternator didn´t even come on a box with at least a mechman logo, no manuals, no nothing...

I have heard this before as well that being said I doubt that is your problem. You can fuse that cable but you don't need to. It is also not what is causing your problems. Have you heard anything from mechman? If not try and call them tomorrow.

No, not a word from them, i also want to change the fuse (pretty sure that´s not the problem anyway) and get a video also before sending them an email, you have no idea how unhappy i´m right now, i spent 500$ on this alternator and seriously hope it is working good, because if i have to send it to the us and back here, i´m gonna be spending about 200$, 700$ for a mechman alternator then? wow!

Keep in mind that we are closed on the weekends and work on Eastern Standard Time, so we don't always have the ability to respond on Saturday or Sunday.

The charging voltages you showed are normal so that would be point us in the direction of poor ground, belt slip or poor battery performance. Your best option is to clamp test the unit as recommended and see what you have in terms of alternator output.

Find an automotive shop that can load test your alternator. Be sure they clamp all cables coming from the positive post of the alternator to test. Keep in mind that you will only see the output in amperage as drawn by the tester, so if it won't pull 270a then it won't show on the meter. Use an amp clamp (available online or at a hardware store, or even your local car audio shop)to see what kind of output you are getting from your alternator.

This will be a good thing to do before going through the expense and hassle of sending the unit back as it can be properly diagnosed in the vehicle.

Are you using the supplied copper lug on the cable end on the output stud of the alternator? If it is not properly sized it will not conduct enough current and may be a cause of your voltage drop.

changing a fuse isn't gonna do anything for you. A fuse can't "choke out" the system, its one an only purpose is to bust when too much current is trying to be drawn through the connection (in your case 200 amps). the only thing you can make of this is that the alternator isn't drawing more then 200 amps of current through that wire.

But saying its 700 dollars for a mechman alternator isn't fair. you are in another country and you know the cost to ship. Shit, some companies refuse to ship outside the US. If it was that much of a hassle to ship it back, technically wouldn't it have been a good idea to test it when you first got it? To be completely honest, Im not sure I would have done it either; but you have to think of the position it puts them in too. I've had some difficulties with Mechman in the past, but they were handled respectfully and quickly.

That´s why i´m not bashing the company or complaining strongly about anything, i know i´m the one that took the risk to buy it and payed for that expensive shipping, that´s why i´m saying that i spent 500$ to get that mechman over here and would have to spend extra 200$ if i have to send it to mechman and back here again, you haven´t seen me saying another thing ;)

Before shipping you should diagnose the problem and call us to discuss your issue. Generally you will not see normal charging voltage out of a unit that is defective leading me to be suspect of the wiring, battery or belt slip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We´ll see, first off, i´m gonna record a video tomorrow using a single DD m2a wired at 0.5 ohms with a rise to 1.4 ohms @ 42 hz , 4 runs of 0 gauge and a big ass HC2400 on front, and yes, that battery it´s on perfect shape...

What is your voltage at idle with a light load (headlights on)?

What is your voltage at 2000rpm with the same load?

Do you have any other batteries in the system with the Kinetik?

Did you ground the unit directly to the battery?

Did you install the additional 1/0 cable from the alternator charge stud directly to the battery positive?

What is the battery resting voltage after it has been sitting overnight?

at idle : 14.5v

at 2000 rpm : 14.7v

Only the hc2400 on front right now since i´m only using a 1600 watts amplifier

Don´t remember right now if i ground the alternator directly to the battery, have to check that and post it over here

Yes, i installed the additional cable from alternator to battery positive

I can spend 4 or 5 days without starting the car and still having around 12.7v on my battery , still, gonna check right now what´s the resting voltage of my battery since i haven´t started the car in about 20 hours

Check to insure you have proper ground as instructed, poor ground will cause poor charging.

Your resting voltage looks OK, as does your charging voltage. I would look at your connections again and have your battery load tested.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Who's Online   1 Member, 0 Anonymous, 353 Guests (See full list)




×
×
  • Create New...