Cs144 Alternator Questions

Same belt for supercharger

 

Thanks for chiming in about the TC gussets, much appreciated!

 

I got the alternator and harness adapter ordered so I should be able to get this project going sometime next week.

What did you guys do for a fuse? I believe the factory one in the fuse block is capable of handling 80 amps so that will of course not work.

 

I am running a 150 amp circuit breaker in line between the alt and the battery.

 

That and 3 washers. Been running almost 3 years, 0 issues... except that one time I shorted my multimeter probes on the back of it. Didn't change the fuse, and it's never blown.....then again I also ran 1/0 gauge audio wire in parallel the original wire to it and didn't fuse/breaker it

 

Thanks for all the info guys. The install went smoothly and the alternator is working great.

 

What did you use for a spacer?

 

Other than size and it being a little noisier than the stock one, my CS144 has been working great for a few years now.

 

I used a thick aluminum washer instead of 3 or 4 washers, still in place-

 

I machined a spacer on a lathe.

 

Wanna make another one ?!

 

From what I understand, the gap between the alternator and mounting bracket can vary quite a bit. I could make another off of my measurements but there would be no guarantees it would fit right. Although, if you measured your gap with a micrometer I could make one for you.

 

Can anyone explain why some wired a CS144 with just a simple jumper harness and through the fuse box and others wired directly to the battery with a fuse?

And why people are running the sensor cable to the spot on the alternator that is directly wired to the battery?

 

It's just a simple GM to Toyota harness adapter.

Some people may just want to wire it themselves without using the (easier) adapter.

 

So nobody has really mentioned much about running this through the stock wiring. I can’t seem to find a fuse that will go into the stock spot that higher amps.

I’m just so confused.

I guess this is what so confusing to me. @Blackdawg bypassed the fuse box all together and is running a breaker.

And I also found a thread where OP had issues running it this way (sense wire to pole / pole to battery)

The alternator shop in town said it does not matter how you hook it up. 1 wire vs 3 wire it’s the same because it’s internally regulated.

Then I see a article from Painless that says it’s not the same and 3 wire is better.

 

That's cheatin'.

 

I don't think it matters. Mine is copied from Monte's setup. Been running that way for a long, long time without problems.

 

Sounds like I may have had a one-off issue with wiring directly between alternator and battery

I did a big 3 with 1/0 (likely overkill) at the same time I was setting up for a dual battery setup and bypassed the factory fuse box and ended up overcharging an Odyssey pc1200.

I went out to show a coworker my “handiwork” and noticed the battery was hot and swelling, really scary, luckily had a second battery waiting to be part of the dual battery setup.

I’d run the CS-144 with stock wiring for a couple of years with no issue but kept running down my battery with a fridge every time we’d sit in one place for too long.

I ended up upgrading the factory wiring with 4 awg from the alternator to the factory fuse box and from the fuse box to the battery, no issues after several years.

 

And that’s what I really would want to do. Seems like it would be much cleaner and I spent way too much time trying to find a place for that $40 breaker and still haven’t found a suitable place that won’t trigger my ADD.

But what I don’t understand is the fusing for a 140 alt with a 120 stock fuse. Unless I’m missing something most people are running it like that?

From what I’ve seen those fuses are a missive PITA to change out and since I don’t fully understand 12v systems I think it’s best to go with the breaker or maybe a high amp, in line blade fuse in the end

 

Remember, the purpose of the fuse/circuit breaker is to protect the wire. Base the size on the gauge and length of the run.