Awesome, juat remember to also upgrade the feed wire, the small skinny wire going from the red positive box to the alternator. The bigger the wire the better. I used smaller wire in the video since i didnt have any more wire laying around
I did something similar with two batteries. I isolated one battery with a solenoid and used circuit breakers/fuses for safety. I hear the alt you used are top-notch.
Bro i never thought of that zip tie trick to keep all the strands together when putting on rung terminals im gonna try tht this weekend when i do my big three!
I bought a Mechman 400 amp for my 2000 Silverado but I replaced the factory alt with a Top Street Performance 220 about a year ago and when I'm driving the Top Street is steady at 14.4 to 14.6 and at idle about 13.6 to 13.8. I'm running 4 Wolfram amps with a W7500 @ 4 ohms on a single Wolfram AU 15V2 (2500 rms sub) but I have 2 of those 15's but only installed one. On the dyno video I saw that W7500 did 3817 rms @ 4 ohms and over 6700 rms @ 2 ohms that's why I bought the Mechman because I'll be running both subs at 2 ohms. I'll be running the Mechman strictly for my sound system directly to my rear battery (a Northstar SMSAGM480) as a dual alt setup with the Top Street running the truck's electrical system. I even upgraded that same factory wiring you replaced with GP Car Audio 4 gauge ofc because the ring terminal broke during installation and I had some extra wire I had from installing a small system in my wife's SUV. I'll also be running 2 runs of Sky High ofc 1/0 gauge from the alt to the rear battery. I was wondering how's your alt performing?
Good job bro, please get some mats for your fenders so you won't scratch that beautiful paint! Tahoe Gang baby! Can't wait to see the system when completed👍👍👍
Did you have to buy the 7.5 fuse I have a 01 Silverado 4.3 and got a 400 amp mechman just trying to figure out because your Tahoe looks the same style front end of my truck and this question is for the ignition switch
Just wondering if you used the sensor that the original ground wire ran through before it connects to the battery . I found on other videos if you bypass this or even if you keep it and run extra grounds to your battery it can bypass the sensor with a easier route and your battery will drain a lot more before charging . Maybe Mechman has some circuitry where you dont need the sensor anymore ?
Tbh there is a couple things i want to around the body... Like hd hood, escalade vents, & escalade bumper... Once i send it to bodyshop & paint i can ask them to fix that gap & the gap that the rear bumper will have.. There is alot of dings from previous owner as well... But thanks man! This truck will be one of a kind when im finished 💪
Fuck yea. Good job homeboy. I noticed you changed the 8g negative going from the battery down also. Or am I wrong? Going crazy with these escalade power draw problems.
I had high voltage charge after i installed my mechman 370 elite because I didn't hook up the blue wire to the fuse box at first. It was putting out 18 volts and my power window switch got smoked and all the lights super bright. Once I hooked the blue wire up it worked perfect. After about 6 months it started charging at 18 volts again. I took it out and have to send it in for repair. It might be the voltage regulator. I don't know.
If i was to install one of these on my 2002 Chevy Blazer Xtreme 4.3 Vortec,will it cause problems or harm any of my stock wiring or electrical or any electrical components? Like fry wires make things run hotter etc etc.Id like to know before I buy one.Thank You
On some cars the pcm controls the voltage. Would adding a HO alternator not either damage the pcm or charge the batteries at a too fast rate and damage them?
The reason why Mechman relocated the lug on the alternator is so that you would have to replace that wire. You should always replace that wire with the correct size. If your going to use 0/2 gauge wire for the power and ground then you should use 0/2 wire for that to.
The length of 8ga. wire he used is not a fusible link as is the 8ga. OEM one. There is a reason that it is a fusible link. Like to prevent a catastrophic fire/meltdown. Also the 2ga. positive wire from the alternator to the battery should have an inline fuse holder and a fuse of the appropriate size so if something were to go wrong in the circuit it would blow and hopefully save the entire truck. Mechman shows this fuse in their drawings. I just ordered and got a 240a alternator from Mechman and before I pulled the trigger I spoke with them to ensure I had all my ducks in a row in regard to wire size, fuse ratings, etc.
I have a 425amp alternator from JS and dont know what kind of battery i need to support it, i have a 22 silverado so im trying to avoid going with the 2 battery setup
Sometimes the whine is normal.. First things i would look at is your belt. Make sure its not loose , make sure its a perfect fit. I would also check your grounds, make sure you have good grounds.
hey bro, I was looking forward to doing the big 3 soon but was curious, would I have to fuse the positive cable from alt to battery? I have a 250 amp alt, I’m just worried if anything could go wrong if I don’t fuse it or if I can run it without a fuse
Why are you going with 2 altenators when your adding a 400amp? Just curious because I'm getting ready to install a 400amp in my siverado I have 2 4000watt amps pushing two 12s
Rear amps are probably grounded to the STEEL body in the back LOL. Body grounds are shit. Pull a 2/0 REAL BATTERY CABLE from the - post on the battery TO the rear amp area. Best ground on that truck IS the - battery post.
These alts range anywhere from 500 to 900 bro. Check out down4sound page. You can put you truck info there & diff amperage alts should pop up just for your vehicle.
yo what HPF do you use on your mids, the one on the head unit? i have the proneo ds 18 and i feel like the bass will kill them because the lowest frequency response is only 240 and i can’t use a hpf more than 250.
@@SleepyBoiii yes that’s what i was thinking, i thought that 250 would even be too high because it will still play as low as 120hz on a 250hpf. 250 is the highest i can go so 250 it is🤷🏻♂️
The reason for the different belts is due to the size of the different amp alternators. The center of the pulley of a 145 amp sits higher than a 105 amp. So the 145 needs a little longer belt.
As I stated in another post, people that are doing this” big 3” have left the original recharge wire because they already putting a zero gauge from the alternator to the battery so there’s no need to change that nothings going to happen I’ve seen so many people do it.
The big 3 is just the wiring upgrade. Bigger power wire from alternator to battery and then bigger ground wire to ground body, frame and engine together
I did this exact same thing but my battery keeps dying and everything seems to be working great. Does anyone know why this is happening? Should I upgrade my battery?
Hey is mechman’s website accurate if I put in the make and model I have a 02 Escalade I just want to upgrade my stock alternator to like a 350 or 400 so I can have 2 batteries
Where's the rear of the alternator ground at? You are running a 400 amp alternator with a crap ground. Don't be amazed if that alternator goes out due to a poor ground kid.
see ion do big 3 i do big 9 eng to batt eng to chassi eng to frame batt to fram batt to chassi batt to eng frame to chassi frame too eng frame to batt and its all 0 gauge. its excessive i know but see if you want big power you need big strong grounds then you run 4 or 6 leads too your battery bank. when your runnin 20-30k rms, thays what ya gotta do. one last thing i do quad 2/0 awg outputs on my 400 amp alts. less resistance you know?
@@SleepyBoiii heck yea! cant wait i gotta see. but when you ground too frame, do u use existing bolts?? and for ring terminals 1/0awg obviously, are you abble too find ones with the hole bigger then 3/8ths or 5/16ths. its allways jus a lil too small an i cant drill them bigger it eather flips or flys cross dah room. any tips??
You want to be sure your power output and ground of your alternator are upgraded all the way to the battery. 400A can burn through stock wiring. You don't want the alternator dumping 400A into a small wire trying to get it to the battery, and the ground path counts too.
Everything has held up fine no problema at all. Checked my grounds with volt meter & everything was good. But sure am going to have alot of grounds when i have my 2nd alt & extra batterys. Coming real soon
Make Sure You Upgrade The Feed Wire As Well to 1/0 Or Bigger! I Used 8 Gauge Since I Did Not Have Enough Wire. Bass On 💪
The feed wire is the ground wire in the small red box joining the alternator and battery correct
No. Its for the positive.
Did you use the factory belt?
That red box, I need to replace mine. How do I google it to order it
Did you have to do anything extra to mount the alt ??
Thanks for the video man, about to upgrade my alt and that fuse tap explanation was helpful.
Glad it helped 💪💪
Nice video bor. Since I converted over to electric fans on 2003 Silverado, this video will be very helpful when I upgrad my alternator.
Awesome, juat remember to also upgrade the feed wire, the small skinny wire going from the red positive box to the alternator. The bigger the wire the better. I used smaller wire in the video since i didnt have any more wire laying around
I did something similar with two batteries. I isolated one battery with a solenoid and used circuit breakers/fuses for safety. I hear the alt you used are top-notch.
gracias Bro. Definitely doing this same set up.
Bro i never thought of that zip tie trick to keep all the strands together when putting on rung terminals im gonna try tht this weekend when i do my big three!
Hope it helped 💪
Thank you homie 🙏🏼 Best video on how to do this 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Good bro, good attention to detail
Thanks going to upgrade big 3 soon!
Would be good if you threw a meter on to see where your voltage was resting and even to see the amperage output from the alt. ✌️
Story of my life when I'm either working on my truck or messing with my system.....it always rains lol #Subsribed
Good video keep it up!!
Good job , very informative
How the 400 amp.
So excited to unbox mine on Monday
So far its done me good no issues at all 💪
Legit video bro, thx.
Haha exact same heat gun and I think the same crimper but mine isn’t branded. Epic
Looks good ..I used big cable for mine as well ..I used 4/0 ..best way to do it,👍🏾
Killing ants with sledge hammers. You were good with 4 awg. I use 1/0 but it's probably more like 2 awg.
Thank you so much for showing me the right way bruh
Great Video
Bro A+ on this video
I bought a Mechman 400 amp for my 2000 Silverado but I replaced the factory alt with a Top Street Performance 220 about a year ago and when I'm driving the Top Street is steady at 14.4 to 14.6 and at idle about 13.6 to 13.8. I'm running 4 Wolfram amps with a W7500 @ 4 ohms on a single Wolfram AU 15V2 (2500 rms sub) but I have 2 of those 15's but only installed one. On the dyno video I saw that W7500 did 3817 rms @ 4 ohms and over 6700 rms @ 2 ohms that's why I bought the Mechman because I'll be running both subs at 2 ohms. I'll be running the Mechman strictly for my sound system directly to my rear battery (a Northstar SMSAGM480) as a dual alt setup with the Top Street running the truck's electrical system. I even upgraded that same factory wiring you replaced with GP Car Audio 4 gauge ofc because the ring terminal broke during installation and I had some extra wire I had from installing a small system in my wife's SUV. I'll also be running 2 runs of Sky High ofc 1/0 gauge from the alt to the rear battery. I was wondering how's your alt performing?
Good job bro, please get some mats for your fenders so you won't scratch that beautiful paint! Tahoe Gang baby! Can't wait to see the system when completed👍👍👍
How's it working from beginning to now???? I also have a Tahoe 2 subs , 2 amps, 6 mids, two tweets, estimated around 2800 RMS.
Did you have to put a resestor to that 12 volt wire to the 7.5 fuse?
Good Job
Thanks man! Appreciate it 💪
Did you have to buy the 7.5 fuse I have a 01 Silverado 4.3 and got a 400 amp mechman just trying to figure out because your Tahoe looks the same style front end of my truck and this question is for the ignition switch
Just wondering if you used the sensor that the original ground wire ran through before it connects to the battery . I found on other videos if you bypass this or even if you keep it and run extra grounds to your battery it can bypass the sensor with a easier route and your battery will drain a lot more before charging . Maybe Mechman has some circuitry where you dont need the sensor anymore ?
I believe that is on 05' and up. My 03' Z71 Tahoe doesn't have that ring sensor for the grounds.
this the same kit off Amazon i seen for 44 bucks not bad
Young man, good job! Quastion, how do I run big 3 from battery in the trunk. 2010 charger
Tbh i have no clue my man. I wanted to do it on my caddi... Since i had my battery in the back seat.. No clue thoe bud i wish i could help
Is it best to add onto the OEM wiring or replace it with the new wire? And if I wanna fuse the ALT should it be close to the battery?
What’s the hole diameter of those lugs? They fit the ground stud on the firewall perfectly.
It’s late but to anyone else who needs it, they’re 5/16
Good job bro, trucks looking clean !! Any plans on addressing the front bumper sag/gap ? Any idea on how to fix that ?
Tbh there is a couple things i want to around the body... Like hd hood, escalade vents, & escalade bumper... Once i send it to bodyshop & paint i can ask them to fix that gap & the gap that the rear bumper will have.. There is alot of dings from previous owner as well... But thanks man! This truck will be one of a kind when im finished 💪
What size belt did you use ? I got a 02' escalade 6.0 going to be doing the same thing.
Where did you get your adapter?
Fuck yea. Good job homeboy. I noticed you changed the 8g negative going from the battery down also. Or am I wrong? Going crazy with these escalade power draw problems.
Thank you ! & that is the feed wire! (The black wire) i used 8 gauge since thats all i had to make it work. But if you can throw in a 0 gauge bro
🔴 How you change those instruments cluster lights❓They look good 👍🏾 💯 Everything looks good but does this model have the ground wire current sensor?
Came with the truck! Maybe i can do a vid soon since 1 is kind of going out on me. & not sure what you mean by that bud
Great vid!!! Do you know what would cause high voltage charge after installing big 3 and 370a alt.?
I had high voltage charge after i installed my mechman 370 elite because I didn't hook up the blue wire to the fuse box at first. It was putting out 18 volts and my power window switch got smoked and all the lights super bright. Once I hooked the blue wire up it worked perfect. After about 6 months it started charging at 18 volts again. I took it out and have to send it in for repair. It might be the voltage regulator. I don't know.
👌
Where did you get the connector for the plug? They are wanting me to splice mine and reqire itb
How long are your 3 wires?
yo chingon.....you use the same serpintine belt or did you have to use a smaller one?
What size belt you had to use? I own a 07 Tahoe
No fused power wire to alt?
If i was to install one of these on my 2002 Chevy Blazer Xtreme 4.3 Vortec,will it cause problems or harm any of my stock wiring or electrical or any electrical components? Like fry wires make things run hotter etc etc.Id like to know before I buy one.Thank You
Not at all.. A big 3 upgrade will be better if there are no upgrades such as sound system or performance being installed
On some cars the pcm controls the voltage. Would adding a HO alternator not either damage the pcm or charge the batteries at a too fast rate and damage them?
no
You have a link where we can get these stuff
What 300 amp or bigger will fit a 1995 lt1 camaro
The reason why Mechman relocated the lug on the alternator is so that you would have to replace that wire. You should always replace that wire with the correct size. If your going to use 0/2 gauge wire for the power and ground then you should use 0/2 wire for that to.
For sure! Been done that
I was gonna say, I think that 8 gauge is gonna be a bottleneck in your circuit. 🤣 that’s good if he’s changed it out tho
Lol yes its 2/0 now, needed something temporary
The length of 8ga. wire he used is not a fusible link as is the 8ga. OEM one. There is a reason that it is a fusible link. Like to prevent a catastrophic fire/meltdown. Also the 2ga. positive wire from the alternator to the battery should have an inline fuse holder and a fuse of the appropriate size so if something were to go wrong in the circuit it would blow and hopefully save the entire truck. Mechman shows this fuse in their drawings. I just ordered and got a 240a alternator from Mechman and before I pulled the trigger I spoke with them to ensure I had all my ducks in a row in regard to wire size, fuse ratings, etc.
Ive seen other guys leave the oem recharge wire. He already has the 0 gauge going to the battery, there’s nothing wrong with leaving it.
I have a 425amp alternator from JS and dont know what kind of battery i need to support it, i have a 22 silverado so im trying to avoid going with the 2 battery setup
Wat type of belt did u use was it shorter?
Where did you get your loads at
Aye Bro did you scrape the ground a bit or did you just place the negatives in and screwed them?
Yes i did scrape them up. I checked my voltage for ground & positive & everything is working correctly
Great video,did you use a smaller belt because the alternator had a smaller pulley?
I actually used the same size. I just bought a new one at autozone.
@@SleepyBoiii Any problems using the stock size belt because of the smaller pulley?
Hahahaa i broke the same engine ground bolt doing my bit3/4 a while ago.
Aye man nice job on the big 3 upgrade.i can use some tips on my setup bro I have a whiny noise?
Sometimes the whine is normal.. First things i would look at is your belt. Make sure its not loose , make sure its a perfect fit. I would also check your grounds, make sure you have good grounds.
@@SleepyBoiii ok man I will thanks a lot keep them videos coming bro.
@@javierhernandez7589 hell yeah man i do when i have time , just real busy with work, big thangs comin soon stay tuned 💪
@@SleepyBoiii yes sir I will bro I'll show a video of my setup and maybe use tips to better my sound I'm a beginner man🙂
Have any issues would you recommend for daily ride with no upgrades at all.
I Would Keep My Stock Alternator If There Is No Upgrades, But I Would Do A Big 3 For Better Current Flow Throughout The Vehicle
hey bro, I was looking forward to doing the big 3 soon but was curious, would I have to fuse the positive cable from alt to battery? I have a 250 amp alt, I’m just worried if anything could go wrong if I don’t fuse it or if I can run it without a fuse
If you are having second thoughts, fuse it bro. Its better to be safe!
where you buy the altenator and the pigtail adapter?I have a tahoe like your and I want to do the same you did
I got everything on down4soundshop
Why are you going with 2 altenators when your adding a 400amp? Just curious because I'm getting ready to install a 400amp in my siverado I have 2 4000watt amps pushing two 12s
My current/future setup needs it 🔋⚡️
Rear amps are probably grounded to the STEEL body in the back LOL. Body grounds are shit. Pull a 2/0 REAL BATTERY CABLE from the - post on the battery TO the rear amp area. Best ground on that truck IS the - battery post.
Everything is good on my side lol
Everything is good on my side lol
@@SleepyBoiii Steel body ground boy, LOL.
Did you have to change the size of your belt for the smaller pulley on the mechman
Yes they recommend a 1/2 inch to 1 inch shorter belt
Hey Bro great video how much does these alt. cost i wanna put a sound system in my 2011 Tahoe.
These alts range anywhere from 500 to 900 bro. Check out down4sound page. You can put you truck info there & diff amperage alts should pop up just for your vehicle.
@@SleepyBoiii Thanks.
Did you have to use a shorter belt with the mechman or is because the mechman is a large case small pulley that i can use the same size belt?
Yes 1/2" to 1" shorter belt
yo what HPF do you use on your mids, the one on the head unit? i have the proneo ds 18 and i feel like the bass will kill them because the lowest frequency response is only 240 and i can’t use a hpf more than 250.
So the lowest frequency response your speaker can play is 240hz ?
@@SleepyBoiii the frequency response is 242Hz - 13.6KHz they are the 5.25” ones only 46mm mounting depth
i don’t really understand what i should do because the manual says hi pass recommended is 80hz but i don’t want any bass on them
@@jwrcountry i would set the hpf on your headunit to 250hz for those speakers ... 80hz is wrong you dont need no bass going through them.
@@SleepyBoiii yes that’s what i was thinking, i thought that 250 would even be too high because it will still play as low as 120hz on a 250hpf. 250 is the highest i can go so 250 it is🤷🏻♂️
Where can I get that plug(adapter) you used to plug in the original Alternator plug in? Link? Or anyone know what is called?
Do you have a mechman alt ? This harness came with my alternator when i ordered it.
What’s that part called he tapped into the ignition with ?
Fuse tap.
Do u have a link to that tool you used to crimp the wire?
If you are talking about the tool i used with the hammer... its called a hammer crimper. Can find them on amazon or online
Does the belt matter when upgrading Alternators bc Ik they have different belts for dif amps, Or does that not matter?
The reason for the different belts is due to the size of the different amp alternators. The center of the pulley of a 145 amp sits higher than a 105 amp. So the 145 needs a little longer belt.
Would a thicker wire be better than that thin stuff at min 4:30 ? Keep in mind we are increasing amps exciting stock requirements.
Yes, correct thicker wire should be used at 4:30. That wire isnthe only thing i had around.
As I stated in another post, people that are doing this” big 3” have left the original recharge wire because they already putting a zero gauge from the alternator to the battery so there’s no need to change that nothings going to happen I’ve seen so many people do it.
Where did you buy the Adapter from?
Adapter came with my alt
How are you stripping the 2/O? They make a syrip tool for this, or you use a utility knife?
Klein wire cutters, cut the jacket without cutting any or least amount of strands & twisting off the jacket
@@SleepyBoiii thanks. And, why does the alternator need the blue wire, (switched 12v).
Who put the blue LEDs in your dash cluster?
Already came with the tahoe, but they are pretty easy to install, just gotta buy the bulbs & replace em with leds
Can someone explain what big 3 upgrade is
The big 3 is just the wiring upgrade. Bigger power wire from alternator to battery and then bigger ground wire to ground body, frame and engine together
Where's the fuse between the alternator and battery? You'd better hope those alternator diodes don't short out. That truck will burn to the ground.
Did it
What size belt did you use?
I used the same size belt. Brand new though
I did this exact same thing but my battery keeps dying and everything seems to be working great. Does anyone know why this is happening? Should I upgrade my battery?
You have a bad battery
@@Channel0002 Not true possibly. His alternator might be bad too.
Check you alternator first. The alternator CREATES the voltage and amperage. Your battery JUST STORES IT. Simple as that.
Do we reconnect the factory positive wire To the battery as well. And just add to it?
Yes, the extended side with the hex nut is where you add accessories.
Is your oil pressure actually above 60psi at idle? 🤔
Its reading wrong tbh
Hey is mechman’s website accurate if I put in the make and model I have a 02 Escalade I just want to upgrade my stock alternator to like a 350 or 400 so I can have 2 batteries
It is, give them a call & they can help you out anytime.
Sloppy blue wire install. Where's the OCD at now?
Is that the elite series or the regular for $549.00??
Regular series
How can I get this for my 07 Yukon Dinali XL
Check out down4sound page or mechman alternators page on google. You can type in your vehicle info & different amperage alts will pop up for it
You shoulda just got a bracket to add a 2nd alt. That way you have the oem alt for your truck and the mechman for your beats
That’s what I done on my 04 Burban. 2nd alt and it made running wires sooooo much easier.
Where's the rear of the alternator ground at? You are running a 400 amp alternator with a crap ground. Don't be amazed if that alternator goes out due to a poor ground kid.
You didn't have to get a new belt?
Yes i had to
see ion do big 3 i do big 9
eng to batt
eng to chassi
eng to frame
batt to fram
batt to chassi
batt to eng
frame to chassi
frame too eng
frame to batt
and its all 0 gauge. its excessive i know but see if you want big power you need big strong grounds then you run 4 or 6 leads too your battery bank. when your runnin 20-30k rms, thays what ya gotta do. one last thing i do quad 2/0 awg outputs on my 400 amp alts. less resistance you know?
Yes sir. I will be showing under the hood soon. Everything is so diff from this video, i use my frame as a ground.
@@SleepyBoiii heck yea! cant wait i gotta see. but when you ground too frame, do u use existing bolts?? and for ring terminals 1/0awg obviously, are you abble too find ones with the hole bigger then 3/8ths or 5/16ths. its allways jus a lil too small an i cant drill them bigger it eather flips or flys cross dah room. any tips??
Frame ground?!
He doesn't need that, LOL.
stock battery?
Yes was stock battery. I have a d3400 now from xs power. & 2 d7500s for the rear
Stock harness ?
No, you have too connect stock harness with the harness that came with the alternator
You want to be sure your power output and ground of your alternator are upgraded all the way to the battery. 400A can burn through stock wiring. You don't want the alternator dumping 400A into a small wire trying to get it to the battery, and the ground path counts too.
Thats going to be a shitty ground where those two bolts are bro..you might wanna just make your own
Everything has held up fine no problema at all. Checked my grounds with volt meter & everything was good. But sure am going to have alot of grounds when i have my 2nd alt & extra batterys. Coming real soon
How’s it working bro??? Should I spend the money?
Overall its been great bro, just give it a couple weeks and ill tell you wassup im hooking up my setup in a few weeks bro
Overall its been great bro, just give it a couple weeks and ill tell you wassup im hooking up my setup in a few weeks bro
Thanks bro. Keep us updated, keep up the great work
Did you use a standard serpentine belt??
Did you have to get a shorter belt?
Nope i did not
Thanks!!
Did you install a smaller belt for your alternator?
Luckily i didnt, everything fit well
That's $600
Nooo upgrade the alt wire too. 8 gauge seems too small
Yes for sure ! i just had to use that wire for that moment.
What kinda wire would he use.
@@traviscrowe5469 4 gauge or bigger
@@SleepyBoiii we’re would I get it at?
@@traviscrowe5469 sky high car audio
600 bucks for a one year warranty when are u going to do better
Throttle body is FILTHY.
Bruh big 3 on an ever start battery? 😅 yellow top or kinetic battery swap out asap. I have same Tahoe my build is pretty clean.
It was temporary till i got the d3400
Nice nice!! 👍🏽