Big 3 and 140amp alt upgrade

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largewon62

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I was having charging issues on my 1997 Yukon 5.7......slow cranking, wouldn't start after driving with headlights and AC on, 11.6volts ......

Well, I thought it was the alt. Upgraded to 140 amp alt from 2003 Yukon and it was a direct swap, you just need a longer belt.
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/we...et/product_alternator-new-remy-new_10017989-p

That helped a little, but was still having starting issues, but the voltage went from 11.6-13.5 to a steady 13.9v !!!

I Upgraded to the Big 3 and that made a world of difference !!! I used 1 ga. welding cable. I don't have a booming system, so I didn't feel the need to use 1/0 wire....plus a friend gave me 20' for free !!!

I picked up 6 copper lugs for 1 ga wire for $1.39 each and used 6 1/2' of cable.....buy 7' and you'll be safe. I also grabbed 3- 1 1/2"x3/8" bolts, 3-3/8" nuts and a handfull of 3/8" washers. I guess I should have soldered the lugs, but I am happy with the way it turned out.

I ran a 24" cable from the + battery terminal to the back of the alt, leaving the stock wire in place.
I then used an unused bolt hole in the block on the passenger side where they used to mount a mechanical fuel pump and attached the -battery cable to block (32") as well as the frame to block cable (10"). I attached the block to frame cable to a bolt that held a clamp for the starter cable. I used a longer bolt than needed and a nut to tighten it because those thicker cables can be difficult to work with.

Here are some pics of the install.

Feel free to ask any questions.
 

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largewon62

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Here are some more pics.
 

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SunlitComet

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got a question for ya. did you fuse the alt to batt cable? because the oem cable wax a fusible link and it looks like you just put an unprotected circuit in that path.
 

foreverfalcon40

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Looks great! Think it is time to upgrade your battery to Sears DieHard Platnium, worth every penny with a 8 year guarantee. Side and top terminals to boot!
 

Kevon67

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That is a good looking battery and with 4 year free replacement, that hard to beat.
 

kaoticlife

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I have dual battery setup and an ad244 (145amp) alt, I ordered knuconcepts 0 gauge wire and when looking for lugs the only ones that would fit were 2/0 so its a good size wire and for the price I cant complain and the wire is very flexible (ebay 10ft for 20 bucks). need to find 2 more lugs as napa only had 4.
picture.jpg
new wire to stock wire size difference is crazy!
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picture.jpg
 
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