time for a new car, some questions

[x-taxi]

Hey guys

Im looking to buy a wagon, probs gona be an AU wagon..

theres a couple things im concerned about.

First of all, what should i look for when buying a second hand wagon, what are some common problems that they have, what series/year is the best, etc.

second question i need to ask is, not specifically aimed at a wagon, but has anyone ever put more than one alternator in a ford....if so, could you please share where you mounted them, how you mouonted them and did the longer belt stuff up any engine timing.

i need to mount 2-3 more alternators to the car.

thanks guys

[Mr Hardware]

Hi there x-taxi,

There's a thread here in the au section about common problems with the AUs, but if you're looking for a car that's at least eight and a half years old, then just stick with the usual stuff. Age, condition, kays. Simple as that really.

What series/year is the best? It's all down to personal opinion, but I believe the AUIIs and AUIIIs are the best, if for nothing more than the superior twin-piston front brake setup. Other things like dash layout and trim levels are just down to what you're after.

As for the alternator question, I have no idea. If i remember correctly the higher series cars had a higher rated alternator than the fortes etc, perhaps 120a instead of 80a or something like that maybe? My memory gets more hazy every year.

Good luck with it, but as a general rule of thumb, unless it's a mint high series or something really unusual, you should never pay more than about $5k for an AU six-cyl.

[x-taxi]

thanks for the fast reply mate. yer i read thru that thread, was pretty good.

im guessing AUIII will be the most recent model of cars, so might just find one of those. interior doesnt really bother me, since its all going to be changed.
yer not willing to spend more than 5k on the car,

Although with alternator i need to know if its possible to add 3 alternators without effecting the engine. and if anyone has done it, how they mounted it

thanks

[T3man]

I doubt very much you will add alternators - just have a look at the serpentine belt arrangement and you'll see why. If there was physical room somewhere you could do it by adding a secondary pully drive piggybacked on the front pulley - would reguire removal and machining naturally.

[private9]

Other than a slight tendency to rust around the tailgate hinges and the tailgage strut mounts, I've never come across any other common issues.

They can be a pretty solid car, just look for the usual problems in a minimum 8 year old car.

[Sox]

AU2/3 are much the same and better than AU1.

Why do you want 4 alternators?

[Bushbasher]

You could get another alternator in if you lose the a/c compressor.

[x-taxi]

sox - i need 4 alternators because im going to have 4 18's in the back, and a total of 15000 watts of power. which need a hell load of amp and batteries.

bushbasher - you bring up an interesting point, since the car just need basics to move around to car shows and some cruising on friday nights.... what other engine components can i move around or remove to make space?

[Jimmyd]

Originally Posted by x-taxi

sox - i need 4 alternators because im going to have 4 18's in the back, and a total of 15000 watts of power. which need a hell load of amp and batteries.

bushbasher - you bring up an interesting point, since the car just need basics to move around to car shows and some cruising on friday nights.... what other engine components can i move around or remove to make space?

Loose A/C and Power steer - that'll give you room for two more alternators...

or you could just load up rear with 12v sealed batteries used for motorhomes, yachts, remote solar power instalations, etc - just plug it in the wall at home to keep charged and ready to roll. At somewhere around 45kg each you should be able to carry 10 or 15 and still have enough load capacity to carry your amps/subs/etc.

http://www.12volt.com.au/

[Sox]

Originally Posted by x-taxi

sox - i need 4 alternators because im going to have 4 18's in the back, and a total of 15000 watts of power. which need a hell load of amp and batteries.

bushbasher - you bring up an interesting point, since the car just need basics to move around to car shows and some cruising on friday nights.... what other engine components can i move around or remove to make space?

Do you know the current draw of the amplifiers?

You may not need what you think you need, particularly if you're not spending a lot of time using the car.

Give us some more details.

[T3man]

Righto - now we know what you're chasing - here's the go ...

Simply bolt on one 240V alternator and you can then "bleed off" whatever current you need through transformers to charge your batteries (and run your 12v systems) through anything from one to four (or whatever number) banks. Go talk to your local auto elec who should be able to sort it pretty easily.

We used to do this years ago so we could do electric welding out in the field - much easier than carting a generator around which in those days were rather bulky.

[adrian k]

Originally Posted by T3man

Simply bolt on one 240V alternator and you can then "bleed off" whatever current you need through transformers to charge your batteries (and run your 12v systems) through anything from one to four (or whatever number) banks. Go talk to your local auto elec who should be able to sort it pretty easily.

wont make any difference, power is power, whether its 12Vdc or 240Vac, its all down to Watts. infact an AC 240V system would be less efficient as you will loos 15% in your charger.

you can get higher rated alternators, have a look in the marine and RV suppliers, then you could get away with just mounting 2 and you wont have as much mechanical losses.

or get your self a 1kW Honda generator to keep batteries topped off.

[Sox]

Originally Posted by T3man

Righto - now we know what you're chasing - here's the go ...

Simply bolt on one 240V alternator and you can then "bleed off" whatever current you need through transformers to charge your batteries (and run your 12v systems) through anything from one to four (or whatever number) banks. Go talk to your local auto elec who should be able to sort it pretty easily.

We used to do this years ago so we could do electric welding out in the field - much easier than carting a generator around which in those days were rather bulky.

As Adrian pointed out, this won't help things, as watts are watts.
It would be even less efficient because of the conversion, and the jury is still out on the legalities of having mains voltage in a car anyhow.

There are big 12v alternators for this purpose, as high as 250a I believe.
I'd still like to know the current draw of the amplifiers, and then there idle current, because the system would rarely be running at high-full power, except during competition.

The answer might simply be to run a lot of batteries, and one big alternator.

[x-taxi]

hey guys, thanks for the help...but i think i found a way to do it.

im taking out the battery, and gona create my own bracket and house the alternators there. then either get a longer belt or use another belt and run it off a pulley.

t3man- where do you get a 240volt alt?, and is that going to be DC or AC.

[Ride]

Not such a great need for more alternators when you have Optima batteries and large capacitors.

[blackers10]

ive never seen a car running more than 1 alternator for soundoffs etc?
just usualy one BIG one and a bank of capacitors and a couple of dry cell batteries