New Mechman alternator!

The Ghetto Ride - Chevrolet Camaro (1984)

Posted by: chrisfromwa | Published date: June 11, 2024

Well at the last cruise, with all the sitting in traffic. I noticed that my voltage gauge was showing the car was ‘charging’ at around 12 volts. I think all the heat and the sitting in the traffic from the cruises finally killed it.  

So since I can never just swap out with an exact replacement, it was upgrading time! Did some research and found that Mechman make some good alternators with a good warranty.  So I chose the 170 Amp 6 Phase, to give my audio system and other accessories a little extra ‘juice’. It was also recommended by Mechman to also purchase the H106, it allows the alt to charge at idle. Installation overall was pretty straight forward. My OEM alt had a bracket that supported the alternator from the back. This was no longer used, so I just removed the bracket (weight reduction! lol). 

Then from the harness there is one wire you need to tap into an ignition controlled source.  I just ran it to the fuse box and tapped into the accessory wire. This is really the only difference from the OEM setup. I also did not need to replace the belt, my old one seems to be just fine. The instruction say it might be necessary, but don't see any issues with mine. 

While I was replacing the alt, I finally finished the Big 3 wiring upgrade. I had never actually upgraded the wire between the alt and the battery. So now was a good time to do it. I got a few feet of the KnuKonceptz 1/0 Kolossus Flex Tinned OFC power wire.  Another thing I was thinking about, was a fuse for this wire. I know a lot of people think a fuse isn't necessary. But I disagree here, mostly because if the wire ever came loose or pinched along to the alt. It's connected straight to the battery, and this could really ruin your day if this wasn't fused. 

I was running into an issue, with where to put another fuse holder for this big wire.  I already had one going to the wire for the amps. And room is getting tight. That's when I noticed that KnuKonceptz has a new battery terminal with a fuse built in. I'm going to use it a little differently than intended, instead of using it to fuse the wire that goes to the amp. I used it to fuse the wire to the alt. I think this is going to work, the only thing I'm not totally loving is this battery terminal is huge. I had to turn it at angle so I could get my wires into it. 

I also want to give a huge shout out to Tony at Mechman, he was very helpful in my choosing of the correct alternator, and answered all my questions. Even the ones I had when I was installing it, and would reply to my questions within an hour. That's great customer service!

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