Menace

I'm lookint for a high output alternator for a 91 Maxima and am having a hard time finding anything. A lot of the aftermarket companies don't seem to service Nissans, and I have no experience fabricating brackets. Anyone have any advise? I need to replace the alternator anyway so I don't really want to go with a two battery set up.

jmax

I am fairly sure that the engine in the 91 is mounted pretty much the same way as in the 4th gen. In which case the custom bracket is pretty simple. Could be done with a drill and a file if no better tools were available. Just a matter of making the old bracket work for the new alternator that needs to be rotated up a few degrees. But a high output alt really is not needed in the maxima until you go well over 2000 watts RMS. A capacitor will provide enough voltage during musical peaks. But you do need to wire your car properly. Poor wiring can kill a battery / alternator. Using too small of wire will not allow the voltage to pass as easilly, it has higher resistance. The voltage drops, and in order to get the same wattage, amperage goes up. Basically everything in the electrical chain gets hot and problems can start.

Quack 2x

Depends on how much output you are looking for. If you're looking for an increase up to around 110, I have been told that you can have the stock alternator reworked to this output without any real problems. Any more than that and it will run rather hot and its life expectancy will be shortened. The good news is, you can use the stock brackets and the output will be maximum at a near-stock RPM.

If you need more than that, you can look at the Powermaster line of alternators. Last I checked, they didn't make anything to fit for Nissans, but if you are willing to make custom brackets, you can get the size that fits closest and just make brackets for it. The other downside is that these alternators will put out the maximum output at high RPMs, but will put out less than stock output at idle.

If you really, really need power (e.g., lots of amateur radio gear, amps, etc...) and are willing to relocate the battery and fabricate new brackets, you can look into the Leece-Neville alternators. You can order them in almost any output you could possible imagine. They are not cheap, and they will increase parasitic drag losses considerably. Best recommended for larger displacement engines.

Hope this helps,

Quack2x

jmax

The stock alt in the 4th gen is roughly 110 amps. I think the 3rd gen is a little smaller, but don't know for sure. There are several companies who make alts that can be custom mounted in the maxima. But the expense normally outweighs the need. 200 amps of stereo equipment can easily be powered with less than 100 amps of alternator. And regardless of which aftermarket alt you were to choose, there would be more of your engines output devoted to the alt.