Important: Improvements on Saturn Alternator Swap

[talondsp1]

I have the 160 amp with the smaller pulley and it is great.

 

[iceman21221]

Cool thanks man... Im thinking of going with the 160amp if theres a real benefit over going with the 105amp

 

[talondsp1]

Cool thanks man... Im thinking of going with the 160amp if theres a real benefit over going with the 105amp

That just depends on how much current you need to run your fans, amps, fuel pump, lights etc. The 105 with the small pulley, will be great for about everyone.

I would like to have a little smaller pulley, so mine would be perfect below 900 rpm, but I have the smallest one they had.

 

[iceman21221]

im not much on smaller pullies, never really used them. I just hate having voltage issues/drops. Going with the 160amp should solve my issues. Especially stepping up from the stock alternator.

 

[talondsp1]

When you order the alternator. Tell them you want the smallest pulley. You will want this so the alternator will put out good power at idle.

 

[AG 305]

that is correct. if you have the regulator already installed in your alternator then you only need to hook 1 wire to the battery from the alternator.

That is correct. It isn't a Mitsubishi regulator, it is just a self exciting regulator. Once the alternator spins to about 500 rpm it will self excite and start "charging".

It used to be a 15 dollar option,but once they figured out we were using these on our cars, they started charging like 50 bucks for it and saying it was the regulator needed for Mitsubishi. Lol

thanks alot. i figured!

When you order the alternator. Tell them you want the smallest pulley. You will want this so the alternator will put out good power at idle.

dang it to late for me

 

[Blurred Talon]

That is correct. It isn't a Mitsubishi regulator, it is just a self exciting regulator. Once the alternator spins to about 500 rpm it will self excite and start "charging".

It used to be a 15 dollar option,but once they figured out we were using these on our cars, they started charging like 50 bucks for it and saying it was the regulator needed for Mitsubishi. Lol

Does that mean you need nothing from the stock Alt plug with there 1 wire regulator?

 

[talondsp1]

Does that mean you need nothing from the stock Alt plug with there 1 wire regulator?

Correct. You would only need the output running (fused) to your battery.

I would also run a ground strap from the alternator casing to chasis ground.

 

[Blurred Talon]

So all the OEM wiring could be deleted (plug and ring terminal plus the relay) then just run a wire to the battery and then to the fuse box. What would be removed in the fuse box?

I ask because I'm in the middle of rewiring my car.

 

[talondsp1]

So all the OEM wiring could be deleted (plug and ring terminal plus the relay) then just run a wire to the battery and then to the fuse box. What would be removed in the fuse box?

I ask because I'm in the middle of rewiring my car.

Yes, you can remove it all if you go with the self exciting regulator(one wire alternator)

Just run new wire(4 gauge) from the output of the alternator to an inline fuse, then to the positive battery terminal. Also, I would run you a ground strap from the alternator case to a good spot on the chassis.

you can then remove the old stock wires that ran from the alternator output, to the alt choke fuse in the fuse box.

 

[turboglenn]

On a note about the wiring with a fuse and pulling the old stuff from the alt/choke fuse. You can also pull the fuse box and pull the bottom cover off and run your new wires to the OEM fuse for a clean OEM look (as well as keeping the fuse a standard mitsu part and having it right there with the rest of them)

That's how i ran mine, i'm not sure what gauge i have on there but it's prettydamn big. I used audio amp power wire to make all my battery/ground/alternator and accesory feed wires. IT looks great and is nice and large for a good flow of power. (i think it's "0" gauge for the mains - or "00" and i used 2 and 4 to run the accesories and other power feeds to the junction block. )

One thing i also did that was helpfull was add another line off the Battery to a car audio fuse panel that is between the main fuse box feeds and has extra fuses/leads that i used to have a nice clean dedicated setup for fuel pumps, my amp and other thing slike water injection, nitrous and a dedicated 12v lighter outlet to use for my DC>AC inverter that charges my laptop.

This junction block is also where i hooked up the wire that the alt uses to decide how much power to put out. I learned this was the best place based on some things i posted early on in this thread about wiring the chevy CS alternator. This wire i just used some 12 gauge standard wire for.

 

[talondsp1]

Yeah that works also Glenn. I just wasn't happy with the wires from the battery to the fuse box.

So I would advise anyone that does It using the stock fuse and has a high amp alternator, to also upgrade the wires from the fusebox to the battery.

 

[Dyesuperman]

I've been running the stock wires, fuses, grounds, for about 3 months now with no problems. Bought the 105 amp with self-exciting regulator, hooked up the power and never looked back. One thing to note however, I did get a code from this for using the self-exciting regulator that could be the possible cause of my car running on 3 cylinders afterwards. Ignored the code via dsmlink and it's been good since then

 

[talondsp1]

Stock wires are fine with 105 amp alt. That code won't cause you to run on 3 cylinders, so you had another issue.

 

[turboglenn]

yea, stock wires are completely ok to re-use. But for a lot of us using the logic of "i'm already upgrading, might as well do it all the way" we replace them with larger, fresh wire that's not corroded from 10+ years of use and elctricity flowing through it. I stripped back the wires that i pulled off mine and found corrosion extending a good 4-6 inches up under the insulation. This hampers flow of eletricity, but in all honesty you would probably never be able to tell the difference from the new wire but it would show more in the little things like lights not dimming as bad at idle at night, better charging from a low/weak battery that needed jump started and thing slike that. definitely not something you would have a seat of the pants improvement on. BUt it does look really nice having the thick red/black audio wire running where the old stiff white mitsu stuff use to be.

Also on a 2g there's 2 of these white wires feedingthe fuse box, and with one more little step towards a nice clean bay and wire tuck they can be repalced wth one large wire to make things that much nicer,

 

[Blurred Talon]

I'm with Glenn, I'm then there rewiring (plus rewiring the whole damn car) so I'll upgrade at the same time.

Thanks a bunch guys, another thing to depin from the harness then. I just need to decide what amperage Alt to buy.

 

[Blurred Talon]

To double (ok maybe triple) check, I can remove all the OEM wiring for the alt?
I plan to keep the stock alt choke in the fuse box though and reuse it.

 

[turboglenn]

YEA, rip it on out, YOu would keep the dash light wire if you intend on the dash light working. Other than that you can run the power feed to the fudebox/battery with new stuff and can run a new 12 gauge wire from the alt's "S" to the distribution block in your setup, those are all you really need

 

[Blurred Talon]

Perfect, not sure if I will have a distribution block or not.
Any details on wiring the dash light to still work? That would be nice

 

[turboglenn]

it's all in my original posts, color and all, i know cause i re-read this thread last night ( i just can't recall i t whtout going and looking though)

 

[Blurred Talon]

Cool, I'll have a read through it this afternoon.

 

[eclipsegst1990]

Found this site to purchase the alternator. However, does this alternator need the voltage regulator that they are selling at the bottom of the page in question. I'm just wondering since I will be doing this swap soon.

91-97 SC/SL Series 1.9L

 

[97gst_spyder]

No all Saturn alt's have a built in regulator.

 

[Blurred Talon]

it's all in my original posts, color and all, i know cause i re-read this thread last night ( i just can't recall i t whtout going and looking though)

Black/yellow. So what do I do with it when doing a one wire hook up with this alt?
Do I need the alt relay or not?

 

[talondsp1]

Found this site to purchase the alternator. However, does this alternator need the voltage regulator that they are selling at the bottom of the page in question. I'm just wondering since I will be doing this swap soon.

91-97 SC/SL Series 1.9L

If you want a standard regulator where you have to wire it up, then just order it the way it is.

If you want a self exciting regulator, then ask them for the self exciting regulator, it is a 15 dollar option.

The regulator they have at the bottom is the self exciting regulator, but it costs more if you tell them you are using it in an eclipse. ( just a way fir them to make more money )


When you order it, I recvomend you get the smaller pulley. Just request the smaller pulley when you buy it.

Black/yellow. So what do I do with it when doing a one wire hook up with this alt?
Do I need the alt relay or not?

They fill in the plug of the self exciting regulators with silicone. You could try to take it out and see if the L terminal will still make the batt light work. I am not sure if it will with the SE regulator though.

You could call them and ask them.

I personally wouldn't worry about it. I thought I would miss it, but I don't. I always watch my voltage anyway.