XJ.89.Limited

Hey everybody! I recently acquired some extra cash for christmas, so I think I wanna put it towards doing that alternator swap. I'm tired of my headlights dimming and the volt meter dropping every time I have my heat on and come to a stop. It runs fine while driving, but the power drops at idle.

So what year dakota do I get it from?
Engine size?
What's the amperage on it?
Will it screw up anything?
Do I need to modify things?
How many lights can I run before I need to upgrade again?
Better off buying new or from a JY?

I ask because I'm going to run another 2 sets of lights at least, and I would like to have enough power to run them all. I wanna be able to actually see people off in ditches at night during the winter season so I can pull them out (I know, I'm a nice guy). So I need to have some roof lights hooked up to see far enough into fields along the roads. Any help on this will be much appreciated. Merry Christmahanakwanzika everybody!

cruiser54

Dakota uses a different brand alternator. Yours is a Delco CS130. Lots of places make upgrades for that alternator as they were quite popular.

Have you done a cable upgrade like the one from here?
www.kelleyswip.com

That's where I would start. What si the CCA rating on your battery and how old is it?

XJ.89.Limited

That's basically upgrading the battery cables right? A few years back my dad did do a smaller upgrade to the wires. Not quite as thick, but better than stock from what I remember him telling me. They have extra ground wiring coming from the terminals also that I have yet to hook up. He never did cuz it wasn't necessary. The battery is about 5 years old, but the thing was barely used. I've had no problems with it yet, it being better than my other one. The CCA is 675, cranking amps is 840, and the load test is 330, whatever that means. haha. I only know the first two.

cruiser54

Kelley's upgrade includes larger cable from the alternator to battery also. Hook up every ground available. These Jeeps fall woefully short in the ground department.

XJ.89.Limited

His site is a little weird to work around since it's getting switched to a new provider or whatever it says. I can't seem to find where to get the kit exactly. Is there a way I could just DIY it with some thick gauge cable and terminals? I might be able to get some fairly cheap. The grounds I'm gonna go over when it gets warmer out. I cleaned up a few in the late summer, but my oil leak is a pain in the butt and my engine compartment gets dirty from wheeling anyway so I left it alone. I plan on cleaning it all out this summer. Cleaning out all electrical connections, degreasing the engine, cleaning the TB and intake tube/box, all that fun stuff.

cruiser54

YOu can do it yourself. Or contact darren@rushps.com

Klaatu55

Happy Holiday Man, I'm following your build. Interested in alternate alternator too.if possible without modifying engine mounts.

Compstall

I bought a used alternator to upgrade my Jeep but didn't realize the one I bought is for a newer model Jeep. Mine's a '97, and the stock alternator connection has the two "ears" on it. The Mopar alternator I bought I believe is from a newer model Grand Cherokee and has a single square plug connector on it. I have no use for this thing so it sits on a shelf.

rzldzl

3 mos ago i installed 220a alt from alterstart (ebay) and the 1/0 wires from www.kelleyswip.com

everything works great, though the alt was promoted as drop in, no grinding...grinding was necessary...mightve added 30 mins to it, no biggie

cruiser54

But yours is not a Renix with a CS-130 which is a much simpler deal. Did you do both alternator and wires together or separate?

5-90

Just the internal doc links. If you want to see anything, email me and let me know which ones, I'll send them back to you.

Right after I've had to move the site, my wife started needing orthopaedic ops - I've been playing physical therapist for the last couple of years or so...

XJ.89.Limited

I just need the wires for the battery and the wires going from the alternator to the battery. It's the first thing listed on the "electrical upgrades" page. This picture exactly: http://www.kelleyswip.com/img/cablekit.jpg I'll see if I can get those brass battery terminals from somewhere around me, but I might need those also. Would that honestly help my alternator output in the mean time? Because I am looking to upgrade soon, but I will definitely run another set of lights before then if it won't suck up too much power. I need an alternator to power at least 4 lights. Preferably about 6. 4 up top, 2 on the front bumper.

rzldzl

did it to one of my '98s

did alt and wires at same time

jhampton

hey cruzer, iv got a renix what do you suggest?

cruiser54

Re-wound cS-130 Delco. Same as yours but higher output. Gotta get upgraded cables either first, or at the same time.
www.kelleyswip.com