200 amp alternator

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

LaurenMagnum360

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2014
Posts
238
Reaction score
62
Location
Illinois
Ram Year
2001
Engine
360 V8

dudeman2009

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2016
Posts
1,562
Reaction score
208
Location
Arizona
Ram Year
2001 1500 Sport with enough electrical modifications to make my brain hurt
Engine
Magnum 360
Hey everyone, just wondering if anyone here has seen these on ebay, and if so, can you give your opinion on it? I picked this up today, also ordered 50' of 1/0 AWG copper welding cable, with some terminals, fuse block, and some 250 amp fuses to replace the alternator wiring, grounds, and starter wire with.

New High Output 200 Amp Heavy Duty Alternator for 2001 Dodge RAM 1500 V8 5 9L | eBay

It should be fine, however do NOT change the rated alternator fuse. Damage to your vehicle may result. The fuse is sized to every component between it and the next fuses. Should a problem occur in the PDC the extra 100Amps of draw from the factory 150A fuse could cause problems.

Instead, Should you have a high powered load you want to use, attach it straight to the battery or alternator charging output. The point of a 200A alternator over a standard 130/150A alternator, is for plows, or large amplifiers that would otherwise increase charging time to unsatisfactory levels. Charging is not controlled by the current rating of the alternator, but instead by output voltage.

A heavier duty alternator will produce a more stable voltage across the load range than a light duty alternator. Likewise, at 150A draw, a 200A rated alternator will output a higher voltage than a 150A rated alternator.

The cable is sufficient for this purpose, however since its fine stranded wire, make absolutely sure that you seal the wire crimps on the end and ensure than you prevent as much abrasion as possible on the wire casing. As capillary action will pull water a long distance through the wire and cause serious rust damage.

Otherwise, good luck.
 
OP
OP
LaurenMagnum360

LaurenMagnum360

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2014
Posts
238
Reaction score
62
Location
Illinois
Ram Year
2001
Engine
360 V8
It should be fine, however do NOT change the rated alternator fuse. Damage to your vehicle may result. The fuse is sized to every component between it and the next fuses. Should a problem occur in the PDC the extra 100Amps of draw from the factory 150A fuse could cause problems.

Instead, Should you have a high powered load you want to use, attach it straight to the battery or alternator charging output. The point of a 200A alternator over a standard 130/150A alternator, is for plows, or large amplifiers that would otherwise increase charging time to unsatisfactory levels. Charging is not controlled by the current rating of the alternator, but instead by output voltage.

A heavier duty alternator will produce a more stable voltage across the load range than a light duty alternator. Likewise, at 150A draw, a 200A rated alternator will output a higher voltage than a 150A rated alternator.

The cable is sufficient for this purpose, however since its fine stranded wire, make absolutely sure that you seal the wire crimps on the end and ensure than you prevent as much abrasion as possible on the wire casing. As capillary action will pull water a long distance through the wire and cause serious rust damage.

Otherwise, good luck.

I'm actually removing the factory charging wire and replacing it with 1/0 AWG with its own 250amp fuse just for the alternator itself. I'd never dream of increasing a fuse size without upgrading the wiring, i did that when i was 18 on my old silverado and spent the evening relooming the dash harness that melted together lol.
 

B-Shot

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2014
Posts
207
Reaction score
50
Ram Year
2012
Engine
5.7
The ebay one listed is junk tried 2 and only got 162a. and 167a on the test bench. JS ultimate alts has some 240a for a reasonable price. when it comes to alts you get what you pay for.
 

dudeman2009

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2016
Posts
1,562
Reaction score
208
Location
Arizona
Ram Year
2001 1500 Sport with enough electrical modifications to make my brain hurt
Engine
Magnum 360
I'm actually removing the factory charging wire and replacing it with 1/0 AWG with its own 250amp fuse just for the alternator itself. I'd never dream of increasing a fuse size without upgrading the wiring, i did that when i was 18 on my old silverado and spent the evening relooming the dash harness that melted together lol.

That seems reasonable then, 250A limit draw from the alternator. Just check the tech specs to see if you need an undersized pulley to get the idle rpms up.

Depending on when you plan on drawing max power will determine if you need an undersized pulley and or high idle stick (a branch or something to jam the pedal, lol). The data sheet will list at what pulley rpm a certain amount of power can be produced. Stock sizes will see your alternator spinning at about 3 times the rpm of your engine. So if you have a large idle draw rate, and you idle about 600rpm, your alternator will sit at 1800rpm. That is much too low for max power output on many alternators. If you check the data sheet and find that the power output at 1800 is too little for your needs, you will have to get an underdrive pulley (or high idle stick) The most common underdrive size is 25%, this decreases the alternator pulley to 1.75 inches from the stock 2.375. and raises the ratio to 4.1 rotation on the alternator per revolution of the engine. This would result at a new idle rpm of about 2400rpm at the alternator, this allows the alternator to produce more power at the same engine speed. However, alternators are only good to about 15,000 continuous rpm, meaning any engine speed over 3600rpm is beyond continuous rating of the alternator and should not be held for any length of time. Flooring for getting onto freeways and avoiding danger on the road, as well as some racing will be just fine however. Just dont run your engine around at 3600rpm for 10+minutes at a time.
 
Top