# 99-03 superduty alternator upgrade??



## dieselss

was looking to upgrade my stock alt. was wanting some feedback from others as to where? output? its still the factory unit, its not bad im not really having any problems with it...just wanting something a little more "beefy" 
i was looking at dc power for one,,but i know theres other places.
NOT wanting to go the ebay route tho....would rather goto a reputable place
any ideas out there????
thanks Thumbs Up


----------



## Milwaukee

I had those 200 amp alternator.

My advised is keep stock alternator. They are fine. Problem is factory harness are too small for these demand. They become melt and cause poor contact. Kill batteries in short time. 

You need add another ground cable from alternator bolt direct to battery's negative post.
Then tape those factory harness for output positive. Get cable with fuse in middle. Need 100-115 amp fuse. I suggested 2 gauge they are plenty. Put on output stud to battery's postive.


----------



## dieselss

really,,keep the stock one??? its only rated at 85 amp at like 2,000 rpms. not much of an output in my book.
i did already do the wire upgrades,,,just seeing if the upgrated alt was worth it


----------



## Milwaukee

I don't believed it rated 85. More like around 110-130 amp

Downsize on pulley will increase spin faster to build full output amp at 2K rpm.


----------



## dieselss

just looked again,,,rated at 110,,,85 at 2000 100 at 6000


----------



## Milwaukee

Then change pulley will be better idea. Find smaller pulley. I will Google it.


----------



## deicepro

I disagree....I would up the amps... I run 160's and just recently dropped in a 245 amp alt. Just add a heavier wire to the batteries


----------



## dieselss

where did you get your alt deice??


----------



## Milwaukee

If you disagree.

What about warranty? They only 1-2 years VS alternators from advance, o'reily, and auto zone they had lifetime warranty on it.

Don't it be wise to spend $250-400 everytime it out warranty.


----------



## dieselss

not that i'm saying theres anything wrong with those auto parts stores,,,but i have seen sooooooo many go bad from those places. 
if you look at brand new ones from dealer,,,3-36000 or the 1-2 from the parts dept.
just cause its life time,,dosent mean its better imo


----------



## Bigfoot Brent

I replaced the stock single alternator on my '01 7.3 with another Ford tri mount that had a slightly larger case. I think it actually came from a Windstar?, but could be wrong. Anyway the larger one is good for about 150A, the stock one about 110 or 120A. I did have to grind out the aluminum mounting bracket a bit for it to fit though.


----------



## deicepro

dieselss;1433562 said:


> where did you get your alt deice??


I will have to check and get back to you.


----------



## deicepro

Milwaukee;1433568 said:


> If you disagree.
> 
> What about warranty? They only 1-2 years VS alternators from advance, o'reily, and auto zone they had lifetime warranty on it.
> 
> Don't it be wise to spend $250-400 everytime it out warranty.


I have had more problems than its worth, even though its a lifetime warranty!!
Nuff said...


----------



## dieselss

if it was just for "normal" duty then those auto store ones might be ok,,,,but this isnt "normal" duty.
and i hate to say it,,but where do they get there alts from and where do the rebuilders get there internal parts from???


----------



## Milwaukee

Not to start fight.

Reason why alternator go bad. Bad connections, ground issues, bad or weak batteries. There one thread here about guy who went though 7 alternators in short time because he had bad wiring issues. Best part shop didn't test wiring. 

I never have replaced alternators on my fleet after I start maintain "CORRECT WAY". Cause I add ground cable from battery to alternator and clean all connections with sand paper. Test with OHM meter.

I can't stress how many fleet from different companies I see still use factory harness for alternator and there tons acid on batteries terminal. Just wait until they start *****y/moan how their 10 trucks broke down so often that related to electric issues. 

When I told them test all connections with OHM meter. They say nah it charging FINE. What a IDIOT.


----------



## Milwaukee

Mine alternator is Point performer 200 amp rated. 

If you plan buy aftermarket alternator. Make sure they are still in business.

Cause this one I got went out of business after I bought 2 months later. Lost 2 years warranty.


----------



## dieselss

true bad connections,,bad batts. but your also forgetting heat!!!!!!!
not thinking your starting a fight lol thats why i asked for options/opinions i know theres tons out there.


----------



## deicepro

Hey dieselss,
Got mine from WWW.dbelectrical.com , three years and no problems


----------



## tjctransport

i took a spare stock alternator i had in the garage to a local rebuilder back in june and traded it as a core on a 200 amp that he custom built. it load tests at 245 amps. total cost for the build was $180.
all i had to do to fit the 200 amp alternator in the truck was grind 1/4 inch out of the bottom of the mount.

this was for my 02 7.3


----------



## dieselss

thanks deice,,,i accually had that tab up on the puter lol i was looking at these
https://www.dcpowerinc.com/fit/2003...~7.3L-V8-Powerstroke-Diesel/8316-185-oem.html


----------



## dieselss

tjctransport;1433615 said:


> i took a spare stock alternator i had in the garage to a local rebuilder back in june and traded it as a core on a 200 amp that he custom built. it load tests at 245 amps. total cost for the build was $180.
> all i had to do to fit the 200 amp alternator in the truck was grind 1/4 inch out of the bottom of the mount.
> 
> this was for my 02 7.3


unfort. we dont have any local builders here....i can order from local parts suppliers,,,but i dont always know what im getting.


----------



## deicepro

Of course I always keep the stock for a spare!!


----------



## dieselss

oh true,,,i did that on my old gmc,,,kept it in the truck box all the time


----------



## Murphy4570

Why not add a second alternator? Wasn't that an option on the Ford diesel trucks?


----------



## dieselss

Yes it was Murphy, but trying to find the mount, wiring,etc.... To much time


----------



## damian

look up american armature, they offer many purpose built high amp bolt in alternators used by ambulance and fire, they are expensive but good. stay away from beefed up stock units they just burn up.


----------



## lotus6six

I just installed a TAD 190 from guys below on my 2005 f250 6.0. puts out like 135 at idle. Heavy duty electronics, heat sink, etc. 
http://www.nationsautoelectric.com/

direct link for fords:
http://www.nationsautoelectric.com/tad190.html


----------



## dieselss

Thx damian,,,ill look them up, haven't heard of them before tho?
I had that tab up on my puter the other day lotus....didn't see a page that explained how they built them tho.


----------



## ChrisFromBoston

deicepro;1433609 said:


> Hey dieselss,
> Got mine from WWW.dbelectrical.com , three years and no problems


Another vote for DB. They start with brand new WAI units rather than rebuilding. Their warranty is only a year but realistically if it's going to fail it will be long before that year is up. I've bought 5 or 6 high-output alts from them and never had one fail. As mentioned, any time you go with a HO alt you want to upgrade the alt and batty cables.



dieselss;1433620 said:


> unfort. we dont have any local builders here....i can order from local parts suppliers,,,but i dont always know what im getting.


I bet you do, you just don't know who/where they are. Look for places with "auto electric" in the name/description, or ask a local shop that specializes in classic and one-off cars where they get theirs done.


----------



## deicepro

Murphy4570;1433787 said:


> Why not add a second alternator? Wasn't that an option on the Ford diesel trucks?


I was told this won't work without flashing the computer.....?


----------



## dieselss

damian;1436271 said:


> look up american armature, they offer many purpose built high amp bolt in alternators used by ambulance and fire, they are expensive but good. stay away from beefed up stock units they just burn up.


wow,,,those are salty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## forbidden

Want a serious alternator from serious guys? I used these guys years and years ago when I was heavily involved in car audio.

http://www.ohiogen.com/html/catalog.html


----------



## dieselss

thanks forbid,,,,i looked but no kinds or prices came up on the website


----------



## mustangman02232

For $130, I have been. Very pleased with my stock motorcraft Alt for the ambulance package (150 vs 110)


----------



## dieselss

get at the dealer mustang???


----------



## mustangman02232

no i baught it from a local supplier he rebuilds them, and gives a 2 year warrenty on them


----------



## Evil Diesel

You should check out quick start alternators. I put one in my 2000 f350. Pricey at about $450. Had it for 3 years then sold it with the truck. Before that I had a db electric alt that died after one season of plowing


----------



## dieselss

Thanks mustang, and evil....I did just pull the trigger on and db unit. Kinda worried bout reading that evil. Maybe it was just a Friday or Monday alt...ill keep ya posted when it comes,,,pics as well


----------



## dieselss

update,,,got the dc power alt today,,,the 185 unit,,,got to say..its a big unit. havent plowed with it yet,,not enough snow for me to go out yet..but hooked the plow up, played with it. noticed the volts didnt drop as much at idle,,and only dropped 1volt at 1200rpm.
only thing different was the batt+ output post. the old was closer to the pass side. the new is closer to the drivers side and coming off the top, not the back. as seen in pic 3


----------



## Powastroka

deicepro;1433609 said:


> Hey dieselss,
> Got mine from WWW.dbelectrical.com , three years and no problems


Which alt. did you go with? That 200 amp looks like a sweet deal! And free shipping too?


----------

