one wire Altenators suck

[3.2L240Z]

I have a datsun 70 240z and put in a early gm style 200amp one wire (summit brand) and havnt been very pleased with its perfomance. Last night I did a burnout and it started acting up, lights flickering, radio on/off, lights bright/then dimm. I was wondering if the new msd one wire alternators are going to give me the same kind of performance and can they handle constent 3500-7000rpm racing. Or can I use a non one wire?

Or is there a place where I can take a stock 240 altenator case and have the guts changed/rebuilt so I have a plug and play 100amp+ altenator?

And yes there is a need for that much altenator.

[HizAndHerz]

A thought: The pulley that is on your alternator may be causing it to spin faster at high engine RPM than the alternator was designed for. If so, a simple pulley swap may fix your trouble. I haven't found any information on what speed the GM alternators are rated at, but you may want to research that one yourself.

To help rule out a intermitant wiring problem, you could temporarily run an extra wire to the battery. Even though it's a 1-wire design, having a dedicated ground wire is a good idea. Try to rule out wiring and battery problems before replacing the alternator since its a real drag to do the swappo-chango and then find out it wasn't the alternator.

I don't know anything about the Summit 200amp alternator and would expect it is designed for performance applications, but I did find the following on the larger 15si and 27si alternators at this web site:

We do not recommend these physically larger diameter alternators for high performance applications. They are larger and heavier, which often makes mounting more difficult. Also, the physically larger alternators are easily damaged with high RPM. (Centrifugal force at the rotating parts will become much greater as the diameter becomes larger.)

I've installed 12si alternators on three of our 280z's since the 12si's have a pretty good track record. I've had no problems but our cars are daily drivers and don't see much action above 6000rpm.

Good luck!

[BRE-240Z]

I have no connection to them whatsoever, but ZSpecialties in Washington has 105 and 120 amp alternators for the Z. Might be worth looking into....as I understand it, they're plug and play.

http://www.datsunstore.com/product_info.php/products_id/1

If you let them know that you're a Z club member, they'll give you a $10 discount.

[ZIII]

I would like to second that recommendation of Z Specialties.... I have installed their 105 amp and I will tell you it is one of the best mods I have ever done on my car....

The Z Specialties alt is a breeze to install. It’s a direct plug and play operation. You use the same pulley, bracket, and belt. Wiring is simple and straightforward. The instructions that come with it are fool-proof. The stock Voltage Regulator comes out. I opted to use an additional 8 gauge wire directly to the battery in addition to the stock wire. I also took some pictures of the install but believe me this is a simple, no-brainer operation. Strongly recommended…..

[John Coffey]

I have a datsun 70 240z and put in a early gm style 200amp one wire (summit brand) and havnt been very pleased with its perfomance.

A 200 amp alternator in a 240Z? Why? My Fleetwood Fiesta motorhome has a 160 amp alternator. I can't possibly figure out how the electrical load in your 240Z is 25% greater then a 30 ft. motorhome...

[gnosez]

Must be the George Foreman electric grill......

[Montezuma]

A 200 amp alternator in a 240Z? Why? My Fleetwood Fiesta motorhome has a 160 amp alternator. I can't possibly figure out how the electrical load in your 240Z is 25% greater then a 30 ft. motorhome...

Given the choice between 105amp and 120amp; why a 105amp? why a 120amp? I have a mostly stock 73 with a small amped stereo. I just brighter headlights and faster windshield wipers. The 105amp at $199 is not a bad price....right?

[John Coffey]

Its pretty simple, you size the alternator based on a calculation of your greastest expected load. Anything more then that is added weight, parasitic drag, and cost. For my BSP 240Z I ran a 35 amp alternator. For the Rusty Old Datsun I ran a 65 amp alternator because of amp requirements of the fuel injectors, Motec M48, Bosch fuel pump, etc.

Lets say we have a CD player that has a resistance of 40 ohms. Using Ohm's Law we know that it takes .3 amps to power that particular electronic device. Continue this calcualtion with the other electronic devices in your car and you can come up with how many amps the alternator needs to supply to keep from draining the batttery.

[zbane]

Here's a calculator that may help

http://www.csgnetwork.com/ohmslaw.html

[3.2L240Z]

thanks for the link to z-specialties

that looks like what im after

[TomoHawk]

Must be the George Foreman electric grill......

Either that or he's figured out the mystery of perpetual motion & a 100% efficient electric motor with power regeneration & amplification to power his car...

[BRE-240Z]

Factory rebuilt alternators, direct from Nissan, are running $195 plus a $25 core charge (and that's for either the 60a or 70a model). This is the last quote I got from my contact at Lynchburg Nissan.

Makes sense to me that 3.2L240Z would want more amperage, especially since he's not going to pay any extra for it. Who knows, he might have a big stereo and H4's and driving lights....