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- 2. GET A BETTER ALTERNATOR.
- 1. WATCH THOSE BATTERIES & GROUNDS!
- 3. UPGRADE YOUR ALTERNATOR WIRING.
- 4. GET GAUGES
- 5. BACKFLUSH THE OIL COOLER - LOSE THE FORD GOLD COOLANT.
- 6. INSTALL A COOLANT FILTER
- 7. MONITOR YOUR EGTS SPECIFICALLY
- 8. USE 10W30 SYNTHETIC
- 9. GET THE BLUE SPRING KIT AND SAVE YOUR INJECTORS
- 10. INSTALL A FUEL PRESSURE GAUGE.
- 11. GET SAFE WHEN TOWING.
- 12. GET A MORE FREE FLOWING EXHAUST.
- 13. EXERCISE THE VGT VANES IN YOUR TURBO.
- 14. INSTALL A BYPASS OIL FILTRATION KIT.
- 15. REMOVE AND CLEAN THE FUEL PUMP.
- 16. CLEAN THE OIL SIDE OF THE INJECTORS.
- 17. CLEAN THE FUEL SIDE OF THE INJECTORS.
- 18. CLEAN UP THE EGR VALVE.
- 19. CLEAN THE EXHAUST GAS BACKPRESSURE SENSOR AND THE TUBE THAT FEEDS IT TO PREVENT A NO-START
- 20. UPGRADE YOUR TURBO OIL DRAIN TUBE AND OIL SUPPLY LINES.
- 21. RE-ROUTE YOUR CRANKCASE VENTILATION (CCV) LINE.
- 22. UPGRADE YOUR TRANSMISSION
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2. Get a better alternator.
The stock alternator is truly undersized for the application as it puts out only 65 amps at hot idle and 100 amps when driving down the road at full operating temperature. It's the same part number used in the Ford Fusion! Further complicating things is the 230 amp draw caused by the glow plugs primarily right after the truck starts - check out this Fluke log compliments of user MisterCMK on FTE. While this 230 amp draw is not continuous, it stays for about two minutes at 0°F (-18°C), a minute and fifteen seconds or so at 32°F (0°C), and 45 seconds at 50°F (10°C). This is hard on your batteries, hard on the amplifier that is the FICM, and hard on the alternator itself.
Adding insult to injury is that the stock alternator commonly fails in the 120,000-160,000 mile (190,000-260,000km) range and that when it fails, it commonly does so with a failed voltage regulator that very often doesn't even illuminate the battery or check engine light!
It might make sense to get a better alternator if:
1. Your alternator is putting out less than 13.3 volts at hot idle (as measured at one of the batteries) with all accessories (headlights, blower motor, heated seats, inverters, radio, etc) on;
2. You are close to the failure range in mileage of these alternator just anyway;
3. You live in a climate that sees winter temperatures below 32°F (0°C) or so
If you've decided to get a larger unit, consider the offerings from Leece Neville or DC Power alternator.
The 190 amp HD series puts out 120 amps at hot idle and is a solid choice for you if you don't run a plow, winch, or serious inverter, live in a warmer climate, and don't run AGM-style batteries. If you live in a colder climate, consider how much of the 230 amp initial draw from the glow plugs, etc running at startup you want to cover (the more, the merrier), but minimally look at the Leece Neville 230 amp or even the DC Power 270XP or 370XP..
If you DO run a plow, winch, or large inverter, the Leece Neville 230 or 270XP are the alternators of choice. They are more money, sure, but you can run small cities off of the 170 or 180 amp, respectively, they put out at hot idle. Wow.
Of course, you should also consider coupling any alternator with auxiliary alternator wiring (see point 3 on this tips list) since the stock wiring size results in an excessive drop in voltage by the time it hits the batteries. A great discussion on all this, including the source of the above Fluke log can be found on FTE. DC Power posted a video showing the output of the 270XP unit as well.
Don't worry about over-charging your batteries with any of these options - the internal voltage regulator will only give the system the oomph it needs up to the capacity of the alternator but never more.
If your alternator is putting out the right voltage, but you are still concerned and just want a reason to move into a new alternator...we can help there too. We've seen many a FICM's logic board get completely fried by a bad voltage regulator - a common failure in any alternator even IF the voltage output measures within spec during your voltage test. It's a sad little reality.
Hope this helps!



















