I went and had my stock alternator tested at Advanced Auto Parts and they told me there was a problem with either the alt. or the wiring from the alt. to battery. I was wondering if there would be any problem with only running 2gauge from the alt. to battery with out running bigger gauged grounds. Just trying to quickly figure out the problem
Not only CAN you do it, your upgraded batt to alt cable probably not doing much of anything without being able to dump off into ground (or if you listen to some of the more esoteric philosophies, dump into the positive)
I think you shouldn't upgrade one without the other.
But to figure your problem out sure that could help. Usually the corrosion, and loss of connection is on the ground side. So I would try cleaning all the ground connections, and the positive.
The guy at Autozone did he say if there was something wrong with the alternator, did he test it? Personally, I would trust the testers at Autozone, go to NAPA or O'Reilly. They seem to be more accurate.
What is your original problem, is it not charging? Does the light turn on in the dash?
Appreciate the responses. To Tyler, my original problem is that my battery doesn't seem to be getting a good charge from the alternator. I have a red top that is 2 months old and has been tested as a good battery, but I had to jump the battery two times in two days upon startup and I haven't been driving it since then. I've been running a Kicker kx1200.1 for a few months, so I know I'm over the limits of my stock 90amp alt. Getting it tested at some other places sounds like the best idea at this point...something I should of done in the first place...
Also consider taking it to a rebuilder, because they can full load test your alternator. It will probably test the same as on the small testers but it will be reasuring to you that it is working. They can also rebuild for usually $50 or less.
But the H/O is the ultimate fix.
What is the year, make, model, and engine of your vehicle?
I was planning on upgrading to a H/O eventually but wasn't thinking in terms of preventive measurement. I will look into taking it to an alt specialist as well, but I will put all my money into a HO alt before getting it rebuilt since I really don't need my car now that I'm in school. I have a 01 Mits Galant i4.