# Alternator pulley for more idle juice



## Plowzer (Feb 12, 2001)

Anyone know where to find an 8-groove pulley for a Ford Powerstroke alternator? I can only fine oem. I can't find anyone that makes 8-groove pulleys because only the Ford and Dodge diesels have them i guess.


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## snowflake (Jan 16, 2003)

try a alternator repaiir shop thye should be able to help you out with a differnet pulley that you want


gary


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## Big Nate's Plowing (Nov 26, 2000)

Nevada Auto Group they are the place that I got my 160 amp alternator from and they said that they could put any size pully on any alternator, I got a 2" pully on mine and I get 80 amps @ idle


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## JCurtis (May 14, 2001)

Not sure this will help but look up March pulleys

I dont know the link.


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## hyperpack (Oct 24, 2002)

*Speed*

I have a pulley listed in an alternator parts book,54mm od 17mm id 8 groove, Which I translate to 2 1/8" od and .699id that is the smallest my book shows.
Hyperpack


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## Mike 97 SS (Aug 11, 2002)

I was going to say try March Pullies too. I found the link for you guys, www.marchperf.com. Mike


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## Plowzer (Feb 12, 2001)

Wow, thanks for the replies guys! March Pulley was my 2nd choice= nada ; Local guys = nada, not even close ; Internet search = nada, most didn't even understand. Then I found a nice lady who referred me to a nice guy in TX. Wednesday I should have a 1.9" 8-groove alternator pulley. We'll see if it makes any diifference. I'll post my results and see if this pulley will help with current draw at lower speeds, especially on a diesel.


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## rec067 (Oct 17, 2002)

Plowzer,
I am interested in a smaller pulley for my diesel. What is the addy for the company you found ? Thanks. Keep us informed on how it works for you.


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## John DiMartino (Jan 22, 2000)

I dont know the ratio of the stock setup,but most alternators give a full charge by 3500 RPM.So dont go beyond 3500 alt RPM at idle. You can usually get the ratio by marking the crank,and marking the alternator and barring the engine 1 full turn while you count the turns of the alternator.If you over gear the alternator,this can lead to alternator overspeed at high engine rpms'. I blew 2 GM 100CSI's to pieces doint this .You can over rev the alternator,just keep that in mind. The narrow power banded diesels can usually get by with smaller pulley. High RPM gassers need to run the alternator much slower at idle,so they dont blow them to pieces at 6000 engine RPM. BTW the GM 100CSI doesnt like to go beyond 18000RPM ,parts fly everywhere).


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## wyldman (Jan 18, 2001)

I was just going to mention the same thing John,don't overspeed the alternator.Spinning them a little faster really won't benefit charging output by much.Only thing it does it put more wear and tear on the alternator,and maybe even blow it up.If you want more idle juice,step up to an alternator made for the job.Most of the OEM stuff has very little low RPM output due to the very small frame sizes,and small rotors and stators in the alt.A larger frame alternator will put out more amperage at idle,and run much cooler,extending it's life.

The alternator I run on my truck is rated over 200 amps,and will put out over 140 amps at idle if the batteries need it.No need to overspeed it as I already have more than enough output.It's not a hopped up stocker either.It's a Leece-Neville alt designed for OTR trucks.I'll never go back to wasting money hopping up stock alternators.The extra current you gain crates heat,which the little case cannot dissapate,which kills bearings,and burns up the alternator quickly.


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## Plowzer (Feb 12, 2001)

Correcto'mundo! Leece-Neville is a great set-up. I just hooked up a Powermaster. If says it puts out 135 amps @ idle. The idle speed they say in their spec sheet for the alt. is 2400 rpm. LOL! I usually don't get past 2500rpm. So my guess is I might be wasting money if I can't get it to put that out @ 1000 rpm or so. Oh yeah, 200+amps @ 6000 rpm! Don't they make a specific alternator that is set-up for low rpm diesels? My parts guy says he can't test the new set-up I have cause it's a diesel. He can't get an rpm reading from an ignition wire. So i'm trying to find out what this is putting out on my truck before and after pulley swap. We'll see.


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## wyldman (Jan 18, 2001)

The RPM's stated may be alternator RPM.The alt usually runs at 2.5-3.0 times crank speed or engine RPM.Most true diesel alt's are very large frame alt's to get the low speed output,and they also use a higher ratio to speed it up some too,due to the larger crank pulleys and balancers on a diesel.

If it's rated at 2400 alt RPM then than would be aprox 800 or so engine RPM,so it may actually do it.I think the powermasters use the stock case size,so I'd be a little leary of the true output,and would be worried about excessive heat.If you can't get a larger frame alternator in there,maybe look into the dual alt setup they have on the newer powerstrokes.

I got lucky,with the Cummins being an inline motor,there is enough room for a very large alt,and it bolts on with minimal mods.Best part of it,was the price.You can get a Leece Neville 140 amp unit (WAYYY underated),that will last forever and put out all the amperage you want for around $150 brand new,and they have them on most truck shop parts shelves at all times.May want to see if one will fit.


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## Plowzer (Feb 12, 2001)

I hope they're talkin' alternator rpm not engine rpm. It does not specify so I am assuming it's engine rpm.


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## SCAPEASAURUSREX (Aug 21, 2001)

*March ?*

I got a smaller diameter Pully from march performance for my ford ?? Did you call them up , that s what I did , they had them in billet aluminum and billet steel, the aluminum ones came in colors .. ohhhhhhh... I went with the steel black one , cause who cares what color it is LOL... it was $20 .00.... And now my alt is charging like a champ at idle like 14.5 I think... used to be like 12 or lower.... Give March a call and talk to one of the techs there ....


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## Plowzer (Feb 12, 2001)

March Pulley said they don't make 8-groove pulleys, period. They said it would cost about $1200 to make a custom one, LOL! OKAY, I'll take TWO! I finally found one after calling literally all around the country. I just need to find a way to get this new Powermaster alternator to work with me. We can't seem to get a ampere reading from it. I talked with Powermaster and several others and no one seems to know what the dealy is. We can get a strong volt reading. I want to see the amps this is putting out with the stock pulley vs. smaller pulley. I can calculate it out but i still want the testing equipment to show the results also to verify. Any suggestions before i return the Powermaster?


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## wyldman (Jan 18, 2001)

Any good auto electric shop should be able to bench test the alt for output vs alt RPM,and then you can just convert the alt RPM to engine RPM by calculating your pulley ratio.

You can also test it on the truck without a connection to a tach wire.Just use the tach in the truck for your RPM readings.You can even use a simple clamp on type DC ammeter which goes over the positive charge wire to the battery.

You may want to look at upgrading the charge wiring back to the battery and installing a bigger alt fuse if you have one.My setup blew the 120 amp alt fuse pretty quick.I now have a 200 amp fuse,and a 4 gauge wire from the alt to battery.I also added a dedicated 4 gauge ground from the back of the alt to the battery as well.


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## John DiMartino (Jan 22, 2000)

Wyldman,where do you get that big fleece alternator,how hard is it to adapt to my CTD,wiring wise,and mounting brakcets? I have a 24V,but there is still a ton of room there.How did you adapt the pulleys? You blew the 120 am fuse,that is to cool , Ive seen a lot of them blown,usually because the guy changing the oil hit the alt lug with his filter wrench.Truck goes inf or oil change,ends up sitting there for 3 days,wheil they replace alt,and tear apart harness all because they blew the fuse .


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## wyldman (Jan 18, 2001)

The alt I used originally was a big 240 amp or so unit which was over 600 CDN.It was overkill,both in performance and price.I then tried a 160 amp unit.I am now using a 140 amp unit,part number 110-555,or commonly known as the "triple nickel".Most heavy truck shops have tons of them sitting on the shelves,cheap.I paid $230.00 CDN for mine,brand new,not rebuilt,no core charges either.I have seen them as low as $140.00 or so in the US.It is the best price to performance ratio.

It is pretty much a bolt on affair.The two lower mounting ears are further apart than the stocker,and use a bigger bolt (1/2"),so I made up some spacers to insert into the ears to reduce the hole size to 3/8"and cut down an old chevy alt spacer to fill the gap between the rear ear and the Cummins mounting tab.Up top,I made two short plates that bolt into the existing mounting hole in the stock upper alt bracket and extend over to the upper mounting tab on the Leece-Neville unit.

The pulley was an off the shelf heavy truck unit (for the serpentine belt),which I had machined down to get the belt alignment right.I have all the measurements somewhere if you really need them.I also had to go to a slightly longer belt as well.I have the number for that too.

The only other part is some slight rerouting and bending of the coolant lines going to the oil/water cooler for the trans.No biggy.

I upgraded both the ground and charge wires too,to handle the extra juice.

When it's cold,she'll put out over 100 amps,just off idle.It bench tested at almost 200 amps.Not bad for an alt rated at 140 amps.The best thing is,it never gets hot,and will probably last a lifetime.The voltmeter reads much higher and stays much more steady now.We have the same alt on our big International salters,and they have been on there over 10 years.


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## wyldman (Jan 18, 2001)

Here is a link to the TDR discussion on the install,I think most of the info and part number are in there,if not,just let me know,and i'll dig them up.I'll try and get some better pics up here too.

Alt install discussion


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## wyldman (Jan 18, 2001)

Top view.

You can see the extended mounting tab for the stock upper bracket.


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## wyldman (Jan 18, 2001)

Front shot.

Again you can see the extension made to utilize the stock alt brackets.It required just some slight grinding on the underside of the stock bracket to get it to clear the alt fan.


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## wyldman (Jan 18, 2001)

Another top pic showing the modified pulley and belt alignment.


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## wyldman (Jan 18, 2001)

I'll try this again,with the pic this time.


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## John DiMartino (Jan 22, 2000)

Thanks Chris!! I think i need this powerhosue alternator. I like the big case,you know it can handle continous high amperage unlike rewound stock alternators.They give you a high amperage #,but they cant maintain it very long.


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## wyldman (Jan 18, 2001)

Cool,if your going to go for it,let me know,i'll walk you through it.I will also dig up all the part numbers too.


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## BigRedBarn (Jan 4, 2003)

Just a couple-few questions from deep left field...

Would a 2nd battery help, with the plow and any other accessories connected to it? That's the set up I have; my '03 2500HD was ordered with the 2nd 660 CCA battery and the snowplow is connected to it.

Would a higher CCA-rated battery help? Whenever I have to replace a battery I try to get the highest CCA rating I can. But, I have heard that such batteries have more fragile plates, etc. which can be damaged with rough use.

Are there auxiliary alternator kits available? Alternators are pretty cheap, typically. Adding a 2nd alternator could help, but I can't imagine how to wire it.

Would just replacing the battery help? I've had batteries in new GM's go bad in less than 2 years. Just because a battery is less than 4 years old doesn't mean it's up to snuff.

Aren't there kits for diesel-equipped trucks to automatically kick up the idle speed when the electrical system's voltage is too low? I just seem to recall hearing about them once.


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## John DiMartino (Jan 22, 2000)

Ive had zero problems with my Dodge so far,I mean it has been literally perfect,the batterys are still original and they are a little over 3 yrs old now, I know ill replace them next fall no matter what.The alternator is original and works perfect,but i can tell im getting near its limit as far as amperage with all the stuff Ive added to the truck.I want to add even more lights,so i Know i have to do something to increase amperage.A second alt would work,ive thought about that,but i think the big single is the way to go here,there room,it almost drops in,and we already have 2 775cca batterys for it to work with.From what wyldman is saying it sounds like this alt will out out 160+ amps,and do it continously,without overheating.That is what I need.I like the single wire internal regulator,it eliminates to possibilty of charge wire problems.I am not going to any bigger batterys,in fact id like to remove a battery and run one big one .Its going to be tight on the pass side after my twin turbo's are in there,the air filter competes with room with battery and intake hose to the lower turbo,the crossover pipe between the twin turbos will take up the space where the air filter is now,if i could eliminate that battery i could fab up a cold air induction pretty easily.A stronger alternator would allow one battery to be used and notget to far pulled down when using the blade with all the accesorys on.


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## SCAPEASAURUSREX (Aug 21, 2001)

*bigredbarn..*

There is this contraption to kick up the idle, It is manual as far as I know. they use it on ambulances and stuff... When the truck is sitting in idle and you need to pull some serious amps you engage this lever which kicks up the idle so the alt is pumping more out...

I have a 200 amp unit that is now working pretty good.. It did not work well at first , cause at idle it was way tooo low.. So I swapped the pullys to a smaller diameter one, think its about an inch smaller and now its pumping good at idle... I still get a substantial drop in volts when I kick on the plow , but I see that with every truck that I have used or notieced.... I plan to add a 2nd batt to add to the reserve, just waiting for a little warmth... LOL....

My alt is from startech or starcharge and its a brand new , direct bolt in unit , no mods or anything, just plug , bolt and play.... I think it was about 250 bucks...


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## CPSS (Mar 15, 2002)

The Ford powerstrokes have a gadget called Auxillary Idle Controller ( its the thing on the far right) With it you can set the engine to advance to a specific RPM when in park, or set it for Charge Protect, which increases the idle RPM to keep a specific output voltage. It doesnt help when you are driving, but when you run in for that cup of coffee it helps to charge up the batteries.


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## wyldman (Jan 18, 2001)

I dug up a few alternators in the shop to show the difference in case size.The four alternators,from left to right are a Nippondenso (half cut off in the pic,136 amp),used in most Dodge products,a newer Chevy style alt (105 amp),an older Chevy alt (78 amp),and the Leece-Neville (140 amp).You can see the Leece-Neville towers over the others.It is also pretty cheap,less than half the price of the Nippondenso,and slightly more than the two chevy alternators.

Here are the pics.


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## wyldman (Jan 18, 2001)

pic 2


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## wyldman (Jan 18, 2001)

pic 3


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## wyldman (Jan 18, 2001)

Last one


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## sonjaab (Jul 29, 2001)

FOUND IT !!!!!!! Pics on pgs. 2-3-4


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## 04superduty (Jan 9, 2004)

AAHhh, sonjaab what did you find??


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## sonjaab (Jul 29, 2001)

04.........LOL............This old thread is supposed to be
placed in the Chevy truck thread.

A few of the guys want to change their alts. to the bigger
140-200 amp units. Wyldman posted pics and mods to
install them in older/newer trucks......

The moderators will move it there soon !............geo


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## dbonzi (Jan 18, 2005)

*Wyldman*

Wyldman
I was reading your post here and on TDR on putting a real alternator on a ram
I have a 96 5 speed and the alt. is dead 
I would like to do the upgrade but I can't seem to find a pulley. Can you point me in the right direction? 
What is the diameter of the pulley?
Thanks for any help on the subject.
Dennis


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## 85F150 (Mar 13, 2003)

200 amps is overkill for most people since you can't get the output. my 200 amp setup squeals every time i pic the plow up all the way to the top, with the lights on, heater fan on, and e-fans, with a dual v-belt setup. I built my delco 17si for 40 bucks, just put in a new stator and have 200 amps. At 700rpm I can have my high beams on (100 watters), fan on high, and subs cranked up and my voltage stays at 14 volts, most aft marker alt need at least 1500rpm to put out their max output.


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