140amp Bolt-On Alternator Installed

[Harper]

I have had my new 140 amp alternator on my 89 Ford Probe GL for a couple hours now and although I haven't had time to do any extensive testing I must say I'm very happy with my purchase. The alternator I purchased was from Maniac Electric Motors and is based off of a 90-92 core. Since the alternator is based off of 90-92 cores it is larger and slightly different then 88-89 alternators, if you have an 88-89 your lower mounting bolt may not be the right size, mine wasn't so I just tapped new threads in the alternator to accommodate the larger bolt. That was the only problem I encountered and it hardly a problem at all, the size thread I needed was 11mm x 1.5.

With a stock 70amp alternator the output voltage with no load was 13.81v@2000rpm, with a full electrical load the output voltage was 13.53v@2000rpm. The 140amp alternator from Maniac Electric Motors has an output voltage of 14.42@2000rpm with no load, and a output voltage of 14.38@2000rpm with a full electrical load. I should mention that the stock alternator has very little output at idle, but with the 140amp alternator there was almost no difference in voltage between idle and 2000rpm which indicates that it is capable of putting out plenty of amperage even during extended idling periods.

At this point in time I would recommend this alternator to everyone who is running a lot of accessories, has experienced voltage drop at idle, or anyone who just wants a more reliable alternator that isn't always full fielded like the stock one.

As part of this upgrade I also decided to replace all of my high current cables, with larger replacements. The stock battery cables and transmission to chassis ground cables are 4 gauge and have been replaced with 2 gauge tinned copper marine grade cable. The terminals I used were solder-on tin plated cast copper, the cable lugs are pure copper These cables can be seen below on my car and in comparison to the stock cables. While replacing those cables I also replaced the engine to chassis ground with 2 gauge cable and grounded it to the strut tower, and I ran a 10 gauge wire from the alternator case to the the 2 gauge engine to chassis ground.

I'd post pics but my post count is to low, I did post pics on PerformanceProbe, I'd link the thread but I need to post more first.

[willyb22]

yea I've been thinking about a better alt. Let me know how the new alt holds up. Also welcome to PT.

[Harper]

I'm going to run the car at highway speed for nine straight hours tonight, and sometime this week I'm going to hook it up to a VAT load tester to see just how many amps it really puts out. I' wouldn't worry about it's quality as it came with a one year warranty and it seems to be well constructed.

Thanks for the welcome, it's about time I joined, I've been hanging out on PP.com for the past 2 years.

[bikrman12345]

9 hours on one tank of gas?

[Harper]

9 hours on one tank of gas?

I stop for gas once but I don't take my time so the car doesn't cool down that much so I consider it a straight 9 hours.

[bschussler]

thats a heck of an alternator upgrade. You upgrade to an optima battery as well?

[jazzyj69]

may i ask how much was the 140amp alt. with shipping? i wanted to upgrade mine, the stk. one really sucks. thanks for any info you can provide.

I have had my new 140 amp alternator on my 89 Ford Probe GL for a couple hours now and although I haven't had time to do any extensive testing I must say I'm very happy with my purchase. The alternator I purchased was from Maniac Electric Motors and is based off of a 90-92 core. Since the alternator is based off of 90-92 cores it is larger and slightly different then 88-89 alternators, if you have an 88-89 your lower mounting bolt may not be the right size, mine wasn't so I just tapped new threads in the alternator to accommodate the larger bolt. That was the only problem I encountered and it hardly a problem at all, the size thread I needed was 11mm x 1.5.

With a stock 70amp alternator the output voltage with no load was 13.81v@2000rpm, with a full electrical load the output voltage was 13.53v@2000rpm. The 140amp alternator from Maniac Electric Motors has an output voltage of 14.42@2000rpm with no load, and a output voltage of 14.38@2000rpm with a full electrical load. I should mention that the stock alternator has very little output at idle, but with the 140amp alternator there was almost no difference in voltage between idle and 2000rpm which indicates that it is capable of putting out plenty of amperage even during extended idling periods.

At this point in time I would recommend this alternator to everyone who is running a lot of accessories, has experienced voltage drop at idle, or anyone who just wants a more reliable alternator that isn't always full fielded like the stock one.

As part of this upgrade I also decided to replace all of my high current cables, with larger replacements. The stock battery cables and transmission to chassis ground cables are 4 gauge and have been replaced with 2 gauge tinned copper marine grade cable. The terminals I used were solder-on tin plated cast copper, the cable lugs are pure copper These cables can be seen below on my car and in comparison to the stock cables. While replacing those cables I also replaced the engine to chassis ground with 2 gauge cable and grounded it to the strut tower, and I ran a 10 gauge wire from the alternator case to the the 2 gauge engine to chassis ground.

I'd post pics but my post count is to low, I did post pics on PerformanceProbe, I'd link the thread but I need to post more first.

[MonoxideChild]

there under $200 shipped with core.

[Harper]

may i ask how much was the 140amp alt. with shipping? i wanted to upgrade mine, the stk. one really sucks. thanks for any info you can provide.

My order total came to $205.52 with the $20 core charge and it was well worth it in my opinion, my car's engine runs much smoother, and of course all my electric accessories work better as well. I also spent about $70 on the wiring and terminals I used along with this upgrade.

thats a heck of an alternator upgrade. You upgrade to an optima battery as well?

No, I have nothing against optima but I have very good luck with Diehard brand batteries and I've really abused some of them, so I really have no incentive to get an optima.

Over my nine hour drive my battery voltage never went below 14.3v and was around 14.4v everytime I glanced over; I had my DMM in my car hooked up to the cigar lighter and it has a max/min function so it records the highest and lowest readings, it's very useful for stuff like this.

[pugsrule]

Good to know they make a good product. I'll be upgrading mine this spring.Welcome to the forum by the way.

[limitup]

I have had my new 140 amp alternator on my 89 Ford Probe GL for a couple hours now and although I haven't had time to do any extensive testing I must say I'm very happy with my purchase. The alternator I purchased was from Maniac Electric Motors and is based off of a 90-92 core. Since the alternator is based off of 90-92 cores it is larger and slightly different then 88-89 alternators, if you have an 88-89 your lower mounting bolt may not be the right size, mine wasn't so I just tapped new threads in the alternator to accommodate the larger bolt. That was the only problem I encountered and it hardly a problem at all, the size thread I needed was 11mm x 1.5.

With a stock 70amp alternator the output voltage with no load was 13.81v@2000rpm, with a full electrical load the output voltage was 13.53v@2000rpm. The 140amp alternator from Maniac Electric Motors has an output voltage of 14.42@2000rpm with no load, and a output voltage of 14.38@2000rpm with a full electrical load. I should mention that the stock alternator has very little output at idle, but with the 140amp alternator there was almost no difference in voltage between idle and 2000rpm which indicates that it is capable of putting out plenty of amperage even during extended idling periods.

At this point in time I would recommend this alternator to everyone who is running a lot of accessories, has experienced voltage drop at idle, or anyone who just wants a more reliable alternator that isn't always full fielded like the stock one.

As part of this upgrade I also decided to replace all of my high current cables, with larger replacements. The stock battery cables and transmission to chassis ground cables are 4 gauge and have been replaced with 2 gauge tinned copper marine grade cable. The terminals I used were solder-on tin plated cast copper, the cable lugs are pure copper These cables can be seen below on my car and in comparison to the stock cables. While replacing those cables I also replaced the engine to chassis ground with 2 gauge cable and grounded it to the strut tower, and I ran a 10 gauge wire from the alternator case to the the 2 gauge engine to chassis ground.

I'd post pics but my post count is to low, I did post pics on PerformanceProbe, I'd link the thread but I need to post more first.

I bought 140 alt from them too for my 93 PGT. Good people. It was around $170.00 plus 40 core (they charge core). I made a additional output-wire directly to the box (I used gold connectors) using 4 guage . I still need to replace my tranny ground. I have 2 ga for starter wire. I wish we had a more than 6 grove pulleys for a fatter belt for more power.

[pugsrule]

whats the deal with that inline fuse they want you to run?

[Venchman]

will this will fit a sec gen v6 probe?

[Evil Probe]

I've been looking at that alternator here the past couple of weeks. The low amperage of the factory unit was always a concern for me. Sometime this spring, I'll most likely upgrade to it.

[MonoxideChild]

the same company has offered one for the KL for a few years.

but any alt of any probe motor is really swappable. i have a 110 amp KL alt on my 2.2 n/a. my fe3 has a 90 amp FS alt. lol