How in the heck did you guys with high output alternators configure your under hood wiring?

It is looking like I am going to need an under hood distribution block of some kind and I was hoping to avoid that

As it stands now, my stock alternator goes to the fuse box first then to the battery. In the fuse box it is protected via a 80 amp fuse. That is all fine and dandy, but my new alternator is 170 amps and I think that will roast the under hood fuse box main fuse. Heck, even the instructions on the alternator say to wire directly to the battery.

I guess one option would be to split the 1/0 coming off the alternator via those 1 in two out 1/0 power/ground distribution blocks. One goes to the battery, the other to the system with a fuse to protect the wire coming off the alternator.

Another option would be to get a dual 1/0 battery post terminal, run one directly to the system and run the other from the alternator to the battery through a fused distribution block.

Any other ideas? Also, is it necessary to have both terminals hooked up to the under hood fuse box? I am just trying to think out loud here before I draw this up.

 

I don't think you need both terminals hooked up to the underhood fuse box. The simplest thing to do would be to disconnect the stock wire that goes to the alternator at both ends, fuse box and alternator.

Then run a new wire from the alternator directly to battery (+). Ideally this wire would have a 200 amp fuse in it near the battery. All the other wiring remains stock, except the power for your amps also connects directly to battery (+) with its own fuses of course.

Most people also replace the ground wires with heavier gauge, since they are just as important to the circuit as the power wires.

 

I did the ground wires with 1/0 a long time ago. I was saving the charging wire for when I upgraded my alternator to one that produced more charging amps. My rationale for doing the alternator wire last was that 1/0 wouldn't have been that big of an improvement for the 75 to 80 amps that the stock alternator provided to charge the battery.

Regardless, now that I have managed to get some sleep, I finally figured out what I am going to do. Tsunami makes a battery terminal that handles two 1/0 wires and two 8 gauge hookups. That will allow me to upgrade my alternator wire while using the stock wires for the fuse box and starter without having to get another distribution block.

 

Sounds like it should work have you asked this on any car audio forums? probably have lol

 

Where do you think I found out about the dreaded ELD and the fact that it essentially turns the alternator off when there isn't much of a load being detected through the under hood fusebox? On one of the "invite only" audio forums that I am a member of, one of their most knowledgeable guys is also happens to moderate an EP civic forum and owns one himself. He is the one who told me that I would be wasting money on a HO alternator if I didn't find a way to bypass the ELD.

 

Haha ok J/w

 

well with my 99 civic i just wired a additional 0gauge power wire from the alternator to the battery. and kept the stock wire hooked up just like stock.
had it that way for quite some type..... and i never had any problems! well other than it didnt want to turn on unless i had some type of accessory on AT IDLE speed. but never had any problem as long as i wasnt sitting there idling at a stop light.

i hate the stock alternator!!!!!! weak @ss 70-80amps! good for STOCK but not much more!