On Thu, 11 Mar 2004 22:55:30 -0500, thelizman
wrote:

Scott Gardner wrote:

So what's your course of action when a customer complains about
flickering or dimming headlamps/dash lights, but he's not having any
battery charging problems?

Bull****. If their stock electrical system can't supply the current to
keep lights from dimming, then they are having charging problems.

I disagree. Alternators only need to be able to keep up with the
*average* current demands of the car's electrical system, and as
you've pointed out in another thread, average current draw can often
be surprisingly low.

If you can drive around all day with the headlamps on and the stereo
cranked up without draining your battery, then the alternator is
obviously keeping up with the average current demand, even if you get
some flickering of the dash lights or headlamps during short periods
of peak demand. Rather than replacing the alternator with a
higher-capacity model, one or more small, well-placed capacitors can
stop the dimming problem. However, I think we both agree that the
sound quality/SPL level won't be affected.

I think that upgraded alternators are often recommended when they're
not needed, although I agree that capacitors are needlessly installed
MUCH more often.

Scott Gardner