Alt, question

[Berto]

Is there any way for the average joe to check how many amps an alternator is putting out?

[kl0wn]

Is there any way for the average joe to check how many amps an alternator is putting out?

If it's not a H/O alt, you can go to autozone, pepboys, etc. And they can check it for you

[audiofanaticz]

A clamp meter around the positive power cable on your alternator, and a way to load your alternator down by something like a burp at full power

[audiofanaticz]

If it's not a H/O alt, you can go to autozone, pepboys, etc. And they can check it for you

ugh, no!

All they will do is wheel out some rinky dink cart with a tester on it that they never know how to hook up properly. and all they can do is tell you if your alt is good or bad.

[kl0wn]

ugh, no!

All they will do is wheel out some rinky dink cart with a tester on it that they never know how to hook up properly. and all they can do is tell you if your alt is good or bad.

Well I remember reading a topic on here a while back saying that they didn't know how to test properly for a H/O alt and stuff. But the autozone near my house tested my alt in my ranger and told me it was a 95amp alt, which ended up being true.

[Berto]

The thing is I have no idea what kind of alt (HO or not) it is because it was on the car when I bought it, all I know its not the stock one.

And the clamp with a burp wouldn't work for me cuz I don't even have a head unit in my car so the burp wouldn't be possible.

Kl0wn do you remember how much they charged you to check?

Edited December 4, 2009 by Berto

[audiofanaticz]

The thing is I have no idea what kind of alt (HO or not) it is because it was on the car when I bought it, all I know its not the stock one.

And the clamp with a burp wouldn't work for me cuz I don't even have a head unit in my car so the burp wouldn't be possible.

Kl0wn do you remember how much they charged you to check?

Its free of charge to have them "test" your alternator.. but its nothing special.

If the auto parts store is lucky enough to have the nicer equitment, they are only able to load the alts down to 80-90 amps..

Most likely if it was on the car when you got it, its not a high output alternator. It may have to a crap and the last owner just bought a new or reman alt or a slightly higher amperage alt that maybe 5-20 amps higher.

[Berto]

Its free of charge to have them "test" your alternator.. but its nothing special.

If the auto parts store is lucky enough to have the nicer equitment, they are only able to load the alts down to 80-90 amps..

Most likely if it was on the car when you got it, its not a high output alternator. It may have to a crap and the last owner just bought a new or reman alt or a slightly higher amperage alt that maybe 5-20 amps higher.

So if I go to a parts store for them to check it and the amp is more than 90 amps then I wouldn't be able to find out from them? And that could be the case but the guy was somewhat into systems so maybe it could have been a cheap HO alt, but I'm not gonna get my hope so high.

[MECHMAN]

So if I go to a parts store for them to check it and the amp is more than 90 amps then I wouldn't be able to find out from them? And that could be the case but the guy was somewhat into systems so maybe it could have been a cheap HO alt, but I'm not gonna get my hope so high.

DO NOT go to ANY autoparts store to try and determine alternator output, they do not have the equipment to do it.

They told the poster above that he had a 95 amp alt, because they looked it up in the computer and saw that the vehicle was supposed to come with a 95 amp alternator. Wait untill you have a system, and test it with an amp clamp.

[Berto]

DO NOT go to ANY autoparts store to try and determine alternator output, they do not have the equipment to do it.

They told the poster above that he had a 95 amp alt, because they looked it up in the computer and saw that the vehicle was supposed to come with a 95 amp alternator. Wait untill you have a system, and test it with an amp clamp.

If I wait for the system to try the alt on a clamp could that kill my alt if I put to much stress on it cuz I'm gonna need a couple extra batteries in the back?