Big 3 on a 98 Toyota Camry / questions

 

Gold Member
Username: Suleman36

Maryland U.S.A.

Post Number: 3400
Registered: Feb-05
I should be getting my HO alternator from excessive amperage somtime next week. It is about 180A-200A which is the biggest he can do for 1 HO alternator on a camry. Nate recommended 4 gauge for the big 3.

I have a ppi a600.2 which pulls 300 watts rms and a Arc Audio 1500-XXK which pulls 900 watts rms so a combinced total of 1200 watts rms at full bohr which i wont even probably use..lol / Im using a 1/0 gauge knukonceptz wiring kit in my system right now.

How many feet of power cable will i need for each of the 3 wires ?

I measured the lengths and it came to about

-3 ft for alternator positive to battery positive

-1 ft for battery negative to chassis ground

-I needed your help on how long i need the engine block to chassis ground?

Where exactly is the enging block ? / Also when i go from alternator positive to battery positive, i will need a inline fuse right in the middle right between the two ?

Any info on doing the big 3 on this car will help. Thanks
 

Gold Member
Username: Theelfkeeper

Stockbridge, GA USA

Post Number: 1565
Registered: Feb-05
the big three wires follow the same rules as ground wires do. you want them as short as possible. 4awg should be fine, but if you could go bigger it wouldn't hurt. you can fuse the Alt to Battery wire, its a good idea.

the engine block is basically the whole engine. its the "frame" for the engine if you will. everything is hooked to it, on it or in it, lol. basically, hook a wire from where the Alternator is mounted on the engine to the frame of the car. if you could run that wire down to where the battery is grounded on the frame it would be best.

basically all i did was upgrade the alt to battery wire, added 1/0 AWG on top of what was already there. and all the other grounds i saw, i added larger wire to them, while leaving the original wires in palce. i have no problems and no voltage drops anywhere that i can find, so its all good.
 

Gold Member
Username: Suleman36

Maryland U.S.A.

Post Number: 3403
Registered: Feb-05
Thanks, im going to use 3ft for positive to negative on the alternator and 3 ft for engine block to battery ground

1 ft from battery negative to ground

I will use a ANL fuse in between the alternator positive to battery positive.

That sounds about right ?
 

Silver Member
Username: Djbeanpole

Naptown, Indiana USA

Post Number: 126
Registered: Nov-05
MO I'm glad to see this thread... I myself ordered a HO Alt from Nate (180) for my 99 Camry. Being the lazy person I am I still haven't done it yet, but this is givnig me some direction... You'll have to let me know how easy it went to stick in there. Do you need any kind of tools to do this install? I'm thinking about doing it myself but am not sure...

Dave
 

Gold Member
Username: Suleman36

Maryland U.S.A.

Post Number: 3421
Registered: Feb-05
Im going to have my uncle install the alternator and either my installer here or my uncle to do the big 3. I paid nathan $20 for the extra 4 gauge wires crimped with the ring terminals ready to go. I will let you know david.
 

Silver Member
Username: Matt12490

Benicia, California USA

Post Number: 571
Registered: May-05
So it doesn't really matter where on the engine you mount that wire to? Any bolt will work?

Also, how much was you alt MO?
 

Gold Member
Username: Suleman36

Maryland U.S.A.

Post Number: 3423
Registered: Feb-05
$265 total which i paid originally for my 1995 Mitsubishi Montero which i never used so i sent it back in for a 1998 Toyota Camry instead and he went ahead and offered to do it. Great Customer Service with Nate at Excessive Amperage.

He is a one man show so it may take longer then some places...
 

Silver Member
Username: Matt12490

Benicia, California USA

Post Number: 599
Registered: May-05
Did you install it yet?
 

Gold Member
Username: Suleman36

Maryland U.S.A.

Post Number: 3450
Registered: Feb-05
havent recieved the alternator yet..lol Its been taking a while
 

Silver Member
Username: Matt12490

Benicia, California USA

Post Number: 600
Registered: May-05
Ooh I thought you already had it.
 

Silver Member
Username: Djbeanpole

Naptown, Indiana USA

Post Number: 149
Registered: Nov-05
MO it will take awhile to get there so don't get discouraged. When I ordered mine from nate it took almost a month to receive it. I think because our cars our forgein they have to hand wind the stator or the alternator so it took some time. I was getting antsy and get emailing him about it... and then one day he sent me the tracking #. So be patient!
 

Bronze Member
Username: Excessiveamps

Dothan, Alabama Good Ol' U.S...

Post Number: 26
Registered: Oct-05
Sorry mo ! The stator did have to be hand wound for it. Mo is a great guy to deal with. I had a delay in getting the stator done but it will be finished today Mo. I will have the wire in with it as well. The best way to find the engine block ground wire is to start at the battery and follow it down until you get to the engine block. You can connect the ground to the alternator bolt as well but you need to make sure it will not interfere with the fan, belts, etc. It is not hard to do the big 3 and you only need a couple of sockets or wrenches.
 

Gold Member
Username: Suleman36

Maryland U.S.A.

Post Number: 3486
Registered: Feb-05
Thanks Nate, good to hear from you on here. Even though i know it takes time to build since its hand wound, i know it will be worth the wait. By the way to all you out there that are thinking about getting HO alternator, Nate is a great guy to get yours from. He will answer any questions and get you on your way to ground pounding bass that you been wanting to show without worrying about killing your electrical system or wallet. Thanks Nate
 

Gold Member
Username: Carguy

Post Number: 5460
Registered: Nov-04
Nate, sounds like you need some help, maybe start a franchise?
 

Bronze Member
Username: Excessiveamps

Dothan, Alabama Good Ol' U.S...

Post Number: 29
Registered: Oct-05
Its been busy here but I went on vacation for 2 weeks and that put me a little behind. I will be caught back up after this week though. The bad thing about a franchise, You dont know what kind of work someone will turn out and it will have my name on it.
 

Gold Member
Username: Suleman36

Maryland U.S.A.

Post Number: 3489
Registered: Feb-05
So 4 gauge is all i need for my big 3 to work with that alternator your building me nate ? I know its alot smaller then 4 gauge now.
 

Gold Member
Username: Carguy

Post Number: 5461
Registered: Nov-04
If your alternator is 200A, then 4 gauge is not enough. The max current for 4gauge is round 135A-150A. I'd get 2 gauge or lower for alternator to battery cable.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Excessiveamps

Dothan, Alabama Good Ol' U.S...

Post Number: 31
Registered: Oct-05
He is only running it from the alternator to the front battery, a short distance. It is not going to the trunk.
 

Gold Member
Username: Suleman36

Maryland U.S.A.

Post Number: 3493
Registered: Feb-05
So 4 gauge is fine for my HO alternator your building.
 

Gold Member
Username: Suleman36

Maryland U.S.A.

Post Number: 3494
Registered: Feb-05
See i already have 1/0 gauge going from the main battery to the trunk so im fine there. I only need to upgrade my big 3 and i believe 4 gauge should be perfect for the HO alternator Nathan is building me.

By the way nate, how big do you think you can make it and how much will i be getting at idle ? Thanks
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