Location of T5 Alternator?

[lemmiwinks]

Trying to find the alternator to do a cable upgrade in my T5. Can't seem to find it. Ive located a bosch cylinder looking part that leads to the negative terminal on the battery. Which im assuming is the ground to chassis?

Where can i find the alternators positive?

Haven't had much luck finding anything online either.

[lemmiwinks]

anyone have a clue?

[Transporter]

Look down under the inlet manifold, close to the gearbox you will see the ribs of the alternator.

[Kevo]

Good timing, i was going to do the 'big three upgrade' last weekend and once i had a quick look and couldn't find the alternator i gave up haha,
Im upgrading mine with 1 gauge cable to help out the stereo and hopefully reduce the amount my lights dim when tunes are played loud.


Cheers transporter

[lemmiwinks]

Thanks transporter! Will have another look this weekend when I find some time.

@ Kevo: Ive seen your build! It's coming up very nicely!

I'm also wanting to do the big 3 upgrade as my lights dim when my audio hits the big bass!

If you happen to find the alternator before me, don't forget to take a photo and post it up here

[lemmiwinks]

Update: I've located the alternator and the wiring that needs changing. However, I've got no idea how you would be able to remove the alternator - battery positive wire without taking 1/4 of the engine out! It is very hard to get to!

[Transporter]

You may need to clear the area a bit to get to the alternator.
I'd leave the alternator wire alone and upgrade wires from battery to the circuits that have increased load after whatever modifications you've done - lights, stereo etc. Wire from alternator to the battery is for charging the battery only, you would benefit from bigger diameter wire only if you draw max current from the battery 100% of the time or live in cold climates where temperatures fall below 0 degree C and want to run all your lights and audio at max when the battery is low in capacity due to cold nights, which is unlikely. VW most likely used adequate wire from alternator to the battery.

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[lemmiwinks]

I'm running 0ga wiring from the battery to the amplifiers, and 0ga earth cables to chassis. When I do play my music at a reasonable level, my headlights dim when the bass hits. Battery has also been upgraded to an Optima D34, so I'm assuming the alternator to battery wire is a bottleneck.

So I'll have to find out what needs to be removed to gain access to the alternator. Has anyone done this before?

[Transporter]

You need to upgrade wires to the lights. Is the optima battery higher capacity than the original one?


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[lemmiwinks]

The optima battery is a deep cycle which seems to be the most recommended battery for car audio.

The lights are standard halogens so I don't understand why I would require upgraded wiring for them. As the amplifiers can't seem to get enough power they draw it away from the lights?

I've done some research in regards to large audio systems causing lights to dim and they suggest doing the "big 3" wiring upgrade. alternator - battery positive, chassis - negative and cylinder - chassis ground.

[Transporter]

The battery is storage of the energy, like capacitor.

What you're observing is a battery voltage drop. When battery voltage goes down because you put more load on it, at that moment more current is flowing trough the wires to the lights. Upgrading battery negative lead could help.

It would be ideal to upgrade all 3 but you may try positive and negative from battery first if you can't get to the alternator wire. Then make sure that the battery is big enough.

EDIT:
I have just checked the specs of that Optima D34 battery it is 55Amp/hour battery, physicaly too small, I wouldn't trust it that it would always start my T5.
I have 80A/h battery in mine, that is standard which came with T5.
Optima YTS 5.5 would be more suited OPTIMA
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[lemmiwinks]

At the moment I think I'll try and upgrade the 3 wires firstly.

I've read that the Optima D34 battery can pump out power very quickly and recharge quicker than a standard battery. I'm not too sure what the a/h rating is on the standard battery will have a look tomorrow.