capacitors

[mazdazzspeed]

if you have your ALT beefed up theres nothing wrong with pluggin the ecu in. DB electrical rebuilders, 1.800.753.2242 can beef the stock alt up by about 100 amps on most of our alts for less then 300 bucks... which is something that will keep lights from dimming and keep a nice sound going.

[MisterT]

I have always heard that you can't and have to drive around with the "check engine" light on. That is good to know if there is a way around it and get more amperage.

[blue LEDz]

Originally posted by mazdazzspeed
if you have your ALT beefed up theres nothing wrong with pluggin the ecu in. DB electrical rebuilders, 1.800.753.2242 can beef the stock alt up by about 100 amps on most of our alts for less then 300 bucks... which is something that will keep lights from dimming and keep a nice sound going.

starting in '99 mazda decided to use a 2 part voltage regulator in the protege's. the ECU is what actually turns the alt on. normal alternators, like what you've got in your '98, have a 1 or more wire setup that has 1 or 2 excitor wires. the excitor wires take voltage readings, and the regulator in the alternator reads it and turns it on appropriately. 1 in 1000 cars has the 2 part one like the 3rd gen pros, and it sucks the 1.6L has the same alt as a kia so with the 2 part system, if you were to beef up the stock one on a 3rd gen, which is a VERY bad idea, you will run the risk of frying your ECU, and the life of the alt will be greatly reduced, since the case was not designed for high amp applications. rewinding any alternator to a high amperage that wasn't designed for high amp applications is a very bad idea. A/C delco alts are designed for high amp apps, as are ford alts. i'm using a ford alternator for mine, since the case was just a bit larger than my stock one, and it's rated up to 260 amps not to mention i don't have to worry about custom mounting it, since the ears line up almost perfectly the 3rd gen pro's come with mitsubishi alternators, and are small, light duty cases, not intended for over 120 amps. my friend rebuilds alternators all day at his shop. we looked into beefing mine up, and decided a custom job would be much safer and practical. course the japanese supplier for the 160 amp stator i wanted has totally ****ed up 3 batches now. so my friend is having the stator custom made for my application

[blue LEDz]

Originally posted by MisterT
I have always heard that you can't and have to drive around with the "check engine" light on. That is good to know if there is a way around it and get more amperage.

you can't hook up the harness to the ECU for 3rd gens with a different alt, and all the experts say it's got very high chances of frying the ECU if you beef up the stock alt too much. maybe going up to 100 amps would be safe, but not if it monitors current also and 1st mp3 said it was just the battery light that would come on once in a while no CEL. i should be able to tell you in a few weeks, when i get mine finished