Spaz said:
Do either of you that have done this have any photos of what the "main" wiring looks like? I was thinking of going to a 190amp alternator. I'm running Dual batteries with about 1600w of lighting on top of my roof rack, I don't notcie too much of an issue, but when idling with all of them on, I do notice a little of a drop.
Pics would be cool
Mains wiring is simply the large-gage wires from the battery to the users, battery to the alternator, and the main ground from the engine to the firewall. Chrysler used 6AWG wiring for pretty much all of those - except the engine to firewall ground, which is an open braid.
I don't have any file pix for your reference - but you can see what upgraded mains look like installed, if you click the link in my sig and pillage around (I'm fairly sure I fixed those pic links - please let me know if it didn't work. I've been a bit busy lately...)
A number of people have replaced their mains with something larger - ranging from 4AWG to 00AWG - and have reported good results.
If you want more electric power at idle, tho, the simple solution is to idle faster. That's where a hand throttle with a friction lock will come in handy, or you can see if your PCM will support the "Extended Idle" option (introduced by Chrysler in, oh, 1994/5 I think - as an option for Police XJ's. Prerequisites were the 4.0L engine and automatic - if you don't meet those two requirements, don't bother looking any farther.)
Have you checked the current output of your alternator at idle? 1600W of lighting is about 133.33A of draw - and you're probably struggling to keep up. Again, that's where the "extended idle" or a hand throttle with a friction lock will come in handy - push your idle up to 1000-1200RPM, and you should see that become less of a problem. Try it with the foot throttle, and you'll probably see what I mean...
