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Mechman Alternator Help.

4K views 7 replies 3 participants last post by  NA$TY-TA 
#1 ·
Im in the process of acquiring new parts for my current build.

Here's a little back history....
The car is a 2005 Pontiac GTO. The Factory Alternator is a 140 amp unit.
I was having problems with voltage drop. My current setup is a POS Optima redtop (2nd one) and 2nd Factory 140 amp Alt. Ive upgraded the Ground from the battery with 4 gauge and the same to the rear of the car and the ground in the trunk.
The Old amps were older Eclipse units rated at 85wX4 and 400wX1 for the sub(80amp fuse & 50amp).
Voltage would drop from 13.6-13.5 down to 12.4 to 12.3 volts. Now this is with the A/C on high which is a must here in South Texas during the Summer.

As I stated above Ive killed the factory Alternator that came on the car and factory rebuild since new ones aren't made for this car anymore. Im in the same boat with the Optima Redtop. From what I've read and now seen myself they have gone down hill quite a bit.

The plan now is to replace the Factory rebuilt Alt with a Mechman Alt.
Matthew over at Mechman has recommended there 6 phase units.
He recommended there 170 amp unit (which I dont think is big enough)

170 amp

300 rpm Turn on
500 rpm -120 amps
800 rpm -150 amps
1200 rpm -170 amps

OR

240 amp
500 rpm turn on
650 rpm -100 amps
800 rpm -140 amps
1500 rpm -240 amps

My Idle in the GTO is 900 rpm's and cruising speed on the freeway @ 70 is 1800rpm's.

Since Im redoing the whole car ive replaced the old Eclipse amps with a Zuki Class D 5 channel. Ill be replacing the 4 gauge in the car with 1/0 power and ground. Ill be doing the "Big 3" and replacing the 4 gauge from the Battery ground with 1/0, from the Alt to the battery with 1/0, and from the engine to ground with 1/0.

The math I get from the Zuki comes out to 163 amps current draw using 13.5 Volts. 150wX4 + 1600wX1

I think I want to run the 240 amp unit from Mecham. Im just not sure about the XS Power Battery. Do they have the same charging issues that Optima's have that is supposedly killing them?? Requiring a different charger?

Please give me your input before I spend some of this Tax return Uncle Sam Owes me.

Kyle
 
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#2 ·
I have a Mechman alt and an XS d3400 in my car with some custom Toolmaker battery terminals and it is awesome. Don't forget to do a run of 1/0 from your alt ground to your battery ground also. With the Mechman, you will be able to set your charging voltage to be a constant 14.4V. I have no issues with power in my set up although it is not a super high drawing setup either. You won't be dissapointed with that set up except that stuff is expensive, but I think it is worth it. Get the biggest alternator you can also, b/c it is always good to have extra power on tap for future setups.
 
#3 ·
Thank you for the reply. Can you take a pic for me how you have the terminals setup on your D3400?? Yeah I'm positive that I'm going to go with the 240 amp unit now. I was reading on Mechman's and XS Powers sight today and there both on the same street only two buildings away. There video's show XS employee's personnel cars getting Mechman's and the warranty on there Bilit machined unit is 10 yrs. I just need to get all the wiring figured out and place
My order once Uncle Sam processes my tax return. :)

Kyle
 
#6 ·
Look up Toolmaker Metalworkz on CACO. He will make you anything you want. I designed those terminals and sent him what I needed and he made them. As far as pricing goes, I am not sure he would want me to post prices publicly, but you would be surprised at how reasonable they are for custom made stuff and the build quality is top notch. I have yet to find a "mass produced" product that comes close to how solid these are. You will not regret anything you get from him. Be prepared to have a slight wait as he does not make his products as a full time job. Worth the wait though, that's for sure! I believe he has a Facebook page as well if that is your thing.
 
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