Lights are too dim

M

metric scout

New member
I went to kragen to get a higher output alternator. The one they have is an autolite 63amp.

My Scout manual says the stock alt is 63amp. Not like 37amp like people says. Which is the correct output?
 
37 amp alternators were stock with 63 amp being an option that came with air conditioning.
 
Check for voltage drop to your headlight buckets.

There are kits available from painless that incorporate a relay to get you a full voltage to your headlights.

Most old cars drop one or two volts over the years from the headlight switch to the actual lamps.
 
Fwiw --

if you were ordering your vehicle, you could order the 61 amp altenator (along with an "increased capacity" battery) without the air conditioning (like I did to "run" the driving lights I was going to put on).

Same with "increased cooling" -- the bigger radiator that was part of the air conditioning package / option.

I should add -- you need to check the grounds for your headlights.... (and taillights if they are dim).

Imo, a higher output altenator is not going to fix "dim". Whether the altenator puts out 37 amps or 63 amps, the lights still only draw "n" amps.

A higher output altenator just means that you can run more "electrical things" at the same time.

If your lights are dim just at idle, it May be an altenator problem. It also could be the idle speed is too low. And, it could mean that the altenator has the wrong size altenator pulley....

Hth
 
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