So Nacho, my head is spinning from all this LOL. What your telling me is i should replace my alternator with one that would charge the battery at idle? Any idea what alternator will bolt right on with no modification to wiring? Thanks
Sorry! That's an old thread and maybe my english was still poor back in those days ( not saying now is WAY better LOL )
Ok! First
You need an alt able to source your car iddling or closer to iddle as posible. This should include all the lighting, stereo, AC/Heater blower and wipers. A good alt will keep free the ammeter from loads coming and going between alt and batt. Just the splice inside the cab being feeded from alt.
No load on amm, no heat there.
Which one or how to do it? You choose. If you want stockish look, a 80s stock alt is able to give around 45-50 amps iddling with the small pulley they come.
You can also change your existant pulley too. But I don't think will be enough yet anyway.
Another options... Niponndenso alt, performance replacement alts ( i.e. tuff stuff, dbelectrical etc... ). These are able to work on existant wiring.
Next step. Upgrade the charging paths. You can make it running a parallel one like I did ( because I restored my existant wiring and decided to keep it ) or REPLACE the existant charging wires and MANDATORY, run it out of the bulkhead.
You can keep your ammeter in line. With the alt upgrade it will barelly read loads, SO NO MATTER IF THEORICALLY holds JUST 40 amperes. This doesn't mean even the ammeter won't read that load ( or just at certain moments like when engine is off ) the wiring won't get that load!!! The wiring with the bypassed bulkhead will be able NOW to hold the load required by the car without suck from the batt! But AT LEAST the alt side of the wiring will be handling that load ot even more at certain moments. Just not coming from batt ( hence the Discharge reading ) so saving the ammeter at the same time.
Of course is MANDATORY the propper mantenience on wiring and terminals, isolations... cars is not just sheetmetal gas and oil! Is ELECTRICITY TOO. So take your time to get it care to your care there too