alternator/battery question

Seriously, I did search...and found some information. One thing that I saw in a post is that an Optima Blue top is the same as the Yellow top? Right?

I am installing my winch this weekend and I have a couple questions.

(1) does yellow top = blue top?
(2) will a stock alternator handle the new battery(I do not have the "sport" package)
(3) or will the stock set up be good for a while

I don't want to really take any chances on my X crapping out on me if I'm in the process of using my winch

A little more info...I have a stock stereo (no amps) and no accessory offroad lights (yet)...basically nothing other than stock that would be drawing anything from my battery other than my CB.

Also, which model number of the yellow top of the two large ones pictured here

The big one on it's side, on the left. It appears to have the correct post configuration for your existing batter cables.

I wouldn't worry too much about the alternator, as you're not going to be using your winch every day. Like you said, you don't have anything else that's going to be a massive tax on the system.

If you decided that you did want to go with a stronger alternator, then a Mean Green alternator would be the best choice.

Cyclemut...thanks for the quick reply. My biggest worry was the alternator. I'm eventually going to replace it w/ the Mean Green alt. b/c I do plan on adding other things.

I'm glad you're on this board.

Actually, I just looked at that site, where you got the picture from, and looked at the specs.

The DC750U has the dual posts, so that would be better for the winch setup. One setup would be for the stock cables, the other posts could be used to connect the winch. Just need to get the connectors for the GM style of posts, and you'd be all set up.

Otherwise, they appear to be exactly the same.

Sorry, I didn't catch that earlier.

thanks yet again!!!

I did a lengthy post on this some time back.
Not all Blue Tops are marine or deep cycle like the Yellow Top. They do have a Blue Top version that is a Starting battery, which would be the equivalent of a Red Top. I have that particular Blue Top in my vehicle because I do NOT want a Deep cycle as my starting battery. I use a deep cycle for my audio-secondary battery, but not to physically start the Xterra.

is there a cheaper alternator than a Mean Green One?

What's wrong w/ having a Deep Cycle for a starting battery (please excuse this probably obvious question, but I know nothing about electrical stuff)?

But I went out today and bought a YellowTop...and it says on a label that it is a
Deep Cycle/Starting Battery

All batteries can develop a memory.

The theory is that a deep cycle battery is specifically designed to be almost fully drained in order to keep it's deep cycle memory. When using it as a starter battery (especially on a vehicle that starts up quickly like the X) it doesn't get fully drained before getting charged back up.

Reality of the situation is that normal batteries also don't get fully drained before charging either. So it's not really a big deal. And you can be satisfied with the knowledge that the battery will hold up better if you happen to leave the lights on overnight a couple of times. It won't hurt the battery.

Some deep cycle/starter batteries are also used in diesel engine applications where they end up cranking for a bit, or have a massive drain on the system to start up.

I wouldn't worry about it. You did good. Be happy with it, because your still ahead of a lot of folks here.

I'm glad that some people on here still want to give good information when a question is asked.

It's what I do.

Some good reading Here!

been running an Optima for a year and a half with no problems.....oh, and i have a warn 9.5 winch that when trail riding or camping seems to get used daily. i do have lights and amps and everything else you can put on these things but really do you run them all at once? i doubt you'll be winching with all your lights on, stereo booming(future if you get an amp, you know what i mean. be glad you got one and don't worry about negative people.

Are you still running on your stock alternator?

Thanks Xtopher, that's very informative

I have the stock alternator, same bumper & winch and a heavy duty Interstate battery with no problems.

Crap! I just hooked up my sound system
-1000 Watt RMS amp
- 0 guage wiring

My friend and I don't know if it's just because the system needs to break in for a week, or if the stock alternator really sucks. The point is that the sub is getting nothing, it's not geting at all enough power. Is their anyway to get the Mean Grean Alternator cheap? Also, is the stock alternator internally regulated?

I assume you have it fused?
1kw rms can draw well over 100 amps for a decent bass thump.. Keep in mind the stock alternator doesn't generate that much juice, let alone at idle. just for kicks, hook up a volt meter, and watch your battery voltage with the radio cranked up (after you figure why it is not working).
If the voltage drops much below 13 with the engine running, you gave issues. I would also put in a "super cap" to help absorb the power spikes the amp will be causing. Put the cap as close as possible to the amp, and follow the instructions for precharging it before you hook it into the power system. They also fraw well over 100 amps if you hook them up "cold" (as in discharged) You need to "warm them up" (has nothing to do with temp, more that you didn't pull it out of the package, and shove it in the truck) with about a 1 ohm resister, 20watt range, and hold it with pliers, till the voltage is within 500 to 1000mv is your battery voltage. if the fuse ever blows, or you disconnect the battery, you have to precharge the cap again, or spend a hundred dollars on fuses, till it charges itself.

thanks alot...just what I wanted to know

thanks alot Xtopher for the info, but I think that I'm just going to get a Mean Grean Alternator. It'd cost some 350, but get the job done, and ready for future upgrades.

This is what I was refering to..
Even if you put in a new alt (I would do it. You are going to want it) still put one of these in. It will help the amp.. They are good for large >1kw inverters also!

I'll think about it after I get the alternator, but thanks for the pics and everything!

I put my YellowTop in this weekend, had to add a couple (a LOT) of washers to the stock tie down rods to make it sturdy....will probably cut a pipe to replace them eventually.

I remember a discussion here a while back about alternators. You may want to consider an alternator from an older Nissan Quest which a local junkyard may carry.

99+ has the 125 amp unit that is also a nearly ideal fit. The older one is 110 amps and requires a little work to adapt. You'll need to upgrade the main fuseable link accordingly.

I'm thinking about getting a mean green, but does anybody know how many amps it pumps out at idle? Cause that's important to me, I don't want to have to rev the engine just to supply power.

http://www.mean-green.com/contact/index.cfm

Why don't you just buy shorter tie-down J-hooks-
should only be a few bucks-

Brent, as usual you are Brilliant. Helping people Help themselves isn't the best way to bild a knowledge base. Unless your plan is to have mean green answer the same question over & over, how about posting an answer. The next person that asks or searches the same question will eld up here, also with no answer.

well, that could be a solution....this was convienent at the time.

thanks brent for the link, I didn't realize that they had a help link where I can post my question.

Nyah, she was pleased with the answer, and I think if she gets one, she could post it here, don't you?

Brent

we'll see.. There are several other threads that have gone similarily, and have no answer..

well I bought and installed a yellow top battery, and ofcourse my sound system still doesn't get enough power. Now it has a different problem! In the middle of a song, no matter what song, the power suddenly cuts off. As if the power cuts off to 10%, and then trys to regain power again. It's really weird, I dunno if it's the battery or the RCA connection. Arg, this sound system is frustrating as hell, in the end it'll cost more to maintain it than the sound system itself!

time it.. then change the volume levels, and time it again.. it could be a thermal (overheating) thing. Could also be a bass thump droping the voltage enough to cause it to reset.

just ordered the mean green alternator. I've done some searching all over the forum, and it seems that the alternator on the X is in a icky spot. Has anybody ever considered putting some metal protection over the alternator? I think it'd be a smart idea for somebody to fabricate some direct metal bolt on, that would be able to protect the alternator from mud, and the such. I know that it wouldn't stop water, but hell it's better than nothing!

On to the alternator, hopefully I'll be getting the bugger Friday, and be able to install it Friday. I asked the MG industries how many amps the thing puts out at idle and they say "100 amps at idle, 180 amps at 2250 RPM". I also asked him how many amps he thinks the stock alternator puts out at idle, he said "probably something like 30". So a 300% increase of power at idle makes me a happy man

HA!
xterraparts.com doesn't have the mean green alternator! That's hilarious! I spend probably 5 e-mails talking to the guy, and I finally order the part, and guess what! I get an e-mail 2 hours later saying that he doesn't have the part! Wow! Look at me! I make no sense!

Of course it's been considered, but nobody has really bothered. There really isn't a good way to do it that wouldn't restrict the airflow that helps keep it cool. The factory splash guard w/ the rubber flaps on the side does a pretty good job of keeping just that, splashing, from really getting to it. If you take it and go blasting through a puddle or the like, much less a nice deep mudpit, that's not what it was designed for, and you take your chances doing so. Pay to play...

Well this sucks... Did Nissan ever consider putting the alternator elsewhere? And couldn't we just bolt on the alternator on a different location? All that I think that we'd have to do is simply change the belt length, and find a different place to bolt the alternator on. Ofcourse this'd probably be a complicatede upgrade for those hardcore offroaders, but none the less it's an idea.

Water itself it not what gets ya. Its dirty water and mud that gets in there and when it dries leaves dirt on the interior components. You can drive though clean water all day (preferable moving water not standing) and not hurt it.

We have mentioned it numerous at the plant tour when they asked for our input. I checked the location on the 05 X and its still on the bottom!

hm... so even with a new engine, they still manage to put the alternator at the same spot! Wow Nissan looks like it's on top of things!

The VG33-engined Pathfinder (96-00) has the power steering pump and alternator swapped vs. the Xterra/Frontier. I looked into converting, but it's not as easy as you might think, and the biggest obstacle is the power steering lines.

I'll look at that... But somebody should suggest to Calmini or some company to make some sort of a alternator/power steering pump swap. If so many people have these problems, then why don't we try to find a solution? Or has this allready been attempted?

I don't know of anyone that has actually done something more than rudimentary to try and keep the alternator from getting wet/muddy etc.
Seriously, unless you want to do some extensive work to relocate it, there's not much you can do. I'd love to install a sealed, water-cooled alternator in there, but they're quite expensive, and there are none that I've found that would fit the Xterra anyway. They're used on some luxury cars, not because they handle mud better, but because they don't have a cooling fan and are almost silent. BMW and the Caddy Northstar engines have 'em, but they're almost integrated in the block and couldn't be adapted in any way. I know Hitachi makes one similar to ours in shape, but it's much larger, made for dozers and the like.

Brent