Snow ball effect!!

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63dartman

63dartman

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I just got finished swapping a electric fan into my dart. My question is how can I get my rpm's up when I shift from park to drive?(904 with a stock converter I believe) I have my rpm set at 850 in park but it drops to 550-600 when in drive. My problem is with the charging system. It seems that if I'm sitting in traffic in gear idling at 550-600 for extended times my alternator doesn't charge enough to power my stereo, amp, electric fan and whatever else is I forgot. I also notice that my headlights dim quite a bit when idling at 550-600 and that's without the electric fan.

I know a simple solution is to turn off the stereo and amp and put it in park when I'm stuck in traffic. But, that's when I like it most:)

I already have a newer alternator that is supposed to be rated at 60amps. I think it's just a cheap autozone remanufactured item.

will increasing the field wire size from the alternator to the regulator help? They seem undersized for the larger alternator. what about the larger main power line , does it need to be larger also? What about a altarnator upgrade? I've already by-passed my amp gauge to get that out of the picture. Would a different stall converter put less drag on the engine?

I know I asked alot of questions.......I just want to know if I can make the fix with more than one option.
 
Basically you'd want to bypass the amp gauge with the higher load on it. Problematic for our old cars. Also upgrade to a higher amp alternator. I run a 90amp with my fan, stereo (no amp), and h4 headlights. Factory charging systems barely got the job done with no aftermarket parts. adding a stereo and electric fan just buries it that much more imo..

goodysgotacuda.com/HowTo.html for denso alt stuff

edit- sorry just noticed you bypassed it already. and no a different stall is not intended to keep rpm up. you can just adjust it from the carb, but thats a band-aid fix..
 
Goody, do You have a part number for the 90 amper alternator? If I remember correctly, your not running a mopar alternator. I may be wrong, It just looks smaller than mine in the pics of your car I've seen.

I have already by-passed the amp gauge.
 
Yes it is a factory alternator...for a 90 ram however. It is smaller than the replacement alternators (for our era cars). Sorry no part number, just a junkyard alt.
 
no problem. it came with the dual v-belt pulley. sorry for the bad pic. but you can see how big it is (err small)
valve1.jpg
 
Checker auto has them listed for 120$ plus 20$core. I think I will call some yards first. Thanks again!
 
yup, good luck. i took my gamble with a $25 junkyard alt. most cars didnt end up in the yard for a bad alt. i took a shot rather than $120 hit lol


some trucks have the 120amp denso. looks identical. not sure on how to decifer between the two.
 
Something else, you can rewire your headlights with relays and bigger wiring. That will eliminate a lot of load from the existing wiring. Goody did this with his H4 setup. You can buy as many amps as you want, but all you're doing is trying to pass it thru the same 50 year old wires that arent designed for the load. You can also replace the alt pulley with one of smaller diameter. So it spins facter at idle.
 
Thanks moper. I am going to wire up my fan today. I think I might just buy a new power distribution thingy with some heavy gauge wire.( can't remember the correct terminoligy)run it straight from the battery and use a relay to cycle power with the ignition and then to the fan temp switch.(I don't want my fan running after the car shuts down) Headlights are next.....
 
heater lines? in vegas? nah didnt need them, gets chilly in the winter but no biggie. dont need them here in orlando either. :D
 
O.k., I checked around for a power distribution block and could not find one, Did find some some nice headlights at autozone, They are the sylvania silver star, 60-65 watt round three prong 24$ apiece. I am not going to install them until I get my wiring up to par.For now I am just running the fan off of the original terminal block.(yeah it's fused) I want to completey redo the charging system soon. Then I will redo the fan power and the lights. Thanks for all the help goody and moper.


Goody, I didn't realize you were in Arizona, The cactus and sand never clued me in:) :)
 
A nice "buss bar" can be gotten from boating supply stores. I use them under hood for heavy draw accessories. I've also used a box from a RAM p/u and the associated relays to re-wire a car with H4s, dual fans, fuel pump, and big stereo stuff. The box cost me $20 and had all the wires and relays intact.
 
Here is what i used. Up front i have a couple various relays that i wired to. I used this fuse block, the bottom stud is where you put the constant positive wire. From there that will go through the fuses you plug in (blade), then to the male spade connectors
156000620.jpg


$11
http://www.partsamerica.com/Product...ode=4017D&mfrcode=BUS&mfrpartnumber=156000620

i read on the manufactures site before i bought it and it handled i want to say ~25amps per terminal?
 
Goody, I picked up the fuse panel you showed today at checker auto(same price) Did you get your relays at the same place? I think the way I want to do the headlights is just take the old headlight wiring and use it as the control wiring for the relay with the larger, newer, wiring. Does that sound right?

Something interesting the guy at checker told me is the silverstar 50/65 watt headlights probably draw about the same or less current as the old incandescant sealed units from way back. Not sure if that's true but, It seems to make sense since the bulbs are supposed to be more efficient and such. 50/65 watts is only about 4-5 amps each right? That's at a straight 12vdc.
 
i dont recall how to figure the amp draw per watt deal. I run the 90/100watters. As far as the relays I'm running junkyard relays. I found a car with a batch of four relays i used behind the radiator. (hidden). and yes, basically the stock wires are triggers to click the relays on.

you read my little write-up on the headlights, correct?

100_1357.jpg


relays, they could be a little nicer, but you cant see them anyway once the rad is in. :D
 
OK you guys have peeked my interest. I have always run stock fuse boxes, wiring, etc on my cars and always ran a amp meter hooked up. Have you seen improvements by bypasing the amp gauge and rewiring all that stuff? What is the deal with these relays do they boost the power or just act as a fuse? I have most of my wiring to do still and want to upgrade the charging system, electronic ing etc. Is there any place you guys know to get info on this or has it been trial and error? TKS Tom
 
Goody, just read your write up on the h-4 conversion. Very helpful on the relay wiring. Exactly how I had it planned. Just that much easier with the nice pics.....Thanks!

Cudatom here is the link about the amp gauge. http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/amp-gauges.shtml

I didn't follow the directions exactly though, I did not by-pass the bulk head connectors, Mine seem to be o.k. I just by-passed the gauge and use a volt gauge now.

Logic tells me that trying to run All the high powered components without upgrading the wiring makes for trouble down the road. I have noticed that alot of the wiring in my dart is hard and brittle probably from all those years sitting under the hood in the heat, also some of the connectors that probably got unplugged and plugged back in over the years are not very tight and the wires also show wear close to the crimps going into the connectors.
Like Goody said though, soldering is probably the best way to go for connections, I just use electrical tape and heat shrink tubing over the tape to keep it all together and clean. I'm sure there are lots of owners still using the stock wiring with no issues. I'm just trying to prevent any problems from adding all the new stuff.
 
63dartman said:
Goody, just read your write up on the h-4 conversion. Very helpful on the relay wiring. Exactly how I had it planned. Just that much easier with the nice pics.....Thanks!
Click to expand...


Good, very glad to see those little write-ups have helped a few people. I know when i looked into doing the headlights, i was a little unclear of things. So i wrote that up for anyone that came behind me. lmk if you come across anything i should add/change. :thumbup:
 
Amps=watts/ohms

60watts/12 volts = 5 amps.
You want to make sure the wire is heavy enough gage to carry all of what it should too. There are internet sources on amperage loads and suggested wire gages too.
 
Moper, You got me a little confused: Amps=watts/ohms

60watts/12 volts = 5 amps you have two different formula's here:)

I think both are right just a different way to get to the end. second one:

is the one I found on the internet. watts/voltage=amps

I did use my handy dandy electrical wire guide to determine what wire size to run. Thanks for the info too.
 
LOL..I had to go to a website too...I know it's Ohm's Law, but that stupid circle of equations gets me every time...I have to figure amperage for some large copiers I'm installing all over the US, and our in house electrician said the same thing. "There's some circle deal on the internet that explains it..."
 
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