alternators

[OuTLaWeD 110]

I'm in the market for new alternators and I was talking to a guy about the Mechman 370a units. he was telling me they would never put out advertised amperage and they wouldn't even turn on at idle speed. I think its bs, but do any of you have experience with these alts?

[Shogen 325]

Depending on the model/vehicle it could very well be true... currently I have an issue of compatability with my 270a Mechman and my '03 Camry ... doesn't put out any real amperage at idle ... I have to give it gas to get to 800rpm to get it to "turn-on" ... my voltage goes to 11.8v at idle if I let it.... they have already stated I can send it in and they will give me the newer model which I believe is a 240a model that will turn on at low rpms.... issues are I've already had this unit installed twice, incorrect model sent first time.... then correct sent after... so it's cost me another $130 just to get the right model I ordered... and now I'll have to pay a mechanic to swap them again plus shipping... that's another $130 again.... the alternator already cost me $450 I believe when I ordered it.... sooo I'm a bit annoyed about that.... if I don't swap it I'll be wasting gas to keep idle at about 1000rpm which obviously uses more gas.... smh

[Quentin Jarrell 671]

I have a Toyota Matrix and was looking for a bolt on HO. I have called everyone in the business and they all told me they could help me out and everything would be perfect no problems what so ever, do rated power, even after I told them the car idles under 800 rpm. Then I called Mechman, the guy I spoke with was very up front and told me I was gonna have issues. (no shit, I knew this before I called all the other yahoos but I wasn't gonna tell all of them that this wasn't my first rodeo. I like to act ignorant to see if I can sniff out any bullshit from any company I deal with.) He did however spend the time to give me deminsions on an alternator that I could fab my own bracket for, and he was even up front about the fact I would have a check engine light on.

So the moral of the story is after talking with all the other dipshits I wouldn't hesitate buying an alternator form Mechman, which I will be doing in a few weeks.

[mlcantin 32]

Try singer.

[Julian 641]

If you have a big alt you need a big engine to turn it to get the advertised  amps.  

[Mr.jaundurfle 11]

Mike Singer is a very good guy to deal with. I had a 350 amp alt from him in my 2007 F150 and he helped me out with every question I had and even tested the alt twice (I paid for shipping to him). He is a great guy, very knowledgable and understanding.

[OuTLaWeD 110]

my problem is buying a couple of the 370's and they don't turn on at idle, that would piss me off. on the other hand I knowI could buy some new Ohio Gens that are a lot smaller at 270a iirc, but will turn on while idling. do any of you experienced guys know of a company that has around a 350a unit that does turn on at lower rpm?

[Sencheezy 689]

I"ve too heard that the 370s do shit for idle, and they take quite a bit to turn. My only experience with them has been the one in Swifts ride. Now obviously, he has a big ass stroker diesel, so it can get away with it. I myself will be using the 320s, even then would be a challenge becuase of how small my pulley is, i forget the proper name.

[Julian 641]

I have a 300 from mom. It'll do full 300 at 1500 which is pretty average for a big alternator. You get trade offs with anything in car audio. Larger alts will produce more current but it takes power to move it. A smaller alt will have higher low end current at idle but less in the higher regions.

[Julian 641]

From Mechman*

[shizzzon 461]

This is because Mechman only tailors themselves to V8s mainly.

 

IF you do not have a big engine, they will use the largest pulley they can get just so you have terrible idle output.

 

I know this because i have been a customer of Mechman and DC and in between, had DC inspect a bad Mechman alt because Mechman literally lied over the phone telling me that their alts can't fail, impossible..

 

Well, since Mechman was claiming to be omnipotent, i sent their alt to DC for inspection and they laughed saying they see these problems all the time and had a pallet of them in their shop just going to waste.

 

 

When i had my mechman, it was a 250.

 

Spec sheet said- 156A at idle and 258A max.  These are cold ratings.

 

Literal clamped-  74A at idle, 202A max(3000rpm tested)

 

I now have DC and just to let you guys know, from what i am reading here, DC must be the ONLY alt company to offer a 390A alt which will produce 160A Cold, 140A hot at IDLE on a 4cylinder.

 

And i know this too because they tried to get me to get one but my application doesn't need it.

The 390A rated to do 350A hot.

 

So, i have the indestructable 270XP which features dual rectifiers and a temp sensing module to prevent the bridge rectifier from EVER melting and they use OE Denso regulators for your own specific vehicle so there is no mismatch in swapping.

[ricksi30 923]

I wish DC had better service. If they did I would have already had an HO alt

[swift 501]

My Mechman 370 is a tank. I have the adjustable regulator set to 14.8 and can sit at idle at damn near full tilt with two 5500's at .5 ohm. This new series I have from them is worlds different from the older one, different design. I had a 270 that didn't do shit at idle, struggled to keep up and I actually went through 2 of them. The new style is a different animal. I will be adding a second one this summer.

He said mine was tested at 205 amps idle and 380 max. There is a video of them load testing one at idle and it doing 200. All I know is mine is doing great.

[ssh 924]

If your vehicle idles low than you may have an issue with the alt not reaching it's turn on speed as Shogen deals with. May be able to use a different size pulley to circumvent, but it'll effect the max output. If your vehicle doesn't idle low than a mechman is likely fine.

 

DC Alts work well, but their CS is terrible, and I wouldn't be surprised if it took you a year to get your order shipped. <- Fuck this route--trust me.

[mlcantin 32]

TRY SINGER

[jonbearsmt 919]

 i have a mech man 270 .. and at idle it clamps 201 amps... and at 1800 it clamps 306 amps.

 

 

 i have tried a hand full of h/o alts. i love the mechman.  i have had 0 issues.

[swift 501]

My trucks idles at 650 rpm BTW

[OuTLaWeD 110]

what i'll probably end up doing is putting my stock alt in to run the truck and doing a triple alt setup running the dual Mechmans that way i don't have to worry about anything

[Julian 641]

You can add a smaller pully to improve low end output on the alt, but you risk not getting enough belt wrap and just having lots of belt slip. Or you can over spin the alt completely and destroy it, 

[OuTLaWeD 110]

You can add a smaller pully to improve low end output on the alt, but you risk not getting enough belt wrap and just having lots of belt slip. Or you can over spin the alt completely and destroy it, 

not too worried about over spinning the alt. belt wrap would be a concern though possibly. 

[TBlazer93 0]

I recently bought a singer alternator from someone for my 07 trailblazer, but the one I bought was for a earlier model of the trailblazer and mine has the 2 pin instead of the 4 pin, what should I do

[jonbearsmt 919]

I recently bought a singer alternator from someone for my 07 trailblazer, but the one I bought was for a earlier model of the trailblazer and mine has the 2 pin instead of the 4 pin, what should I do

start your own topic of email singer.

[handman84 60]

we sell and rebuild a lot of alternators in the shop i work at and have run into this issue of alternators not exciting ("turning on") at low idle rpm's. A smaller pulley is a great inexpensive way to combat the issue and if you are worried about your serpentine belt slipping just use a shorter belt kind of a hassle but a lot cheaper than buying a new alt

[bhsdriller 24]

DC is getting a lot better with their customer service....have changed some things around and hired new people

 

I've been emailing them and they get back to me just as fast as singer and even faster then Mechman has