I was wondering if anybody has gone to a larger alternator on their CJ. I have an 85 CJ with the 258 and I'm not sure if it's big enough. I want to add electric fans, fog lights, stereo,etc... The jeep also has a Howell fuel injection. How to you know if the alternator is sufficient?
The SIZE of your alternator is probably sufficient, the '85 model year came out with around a 65 amp unit, and that should be plenty for most appliances.
*IF*
You intend to use fuel injection, it might not be the correct TYPE of alternator...
The Delco Remy SI series of alternators were 'Full Field' alternators, meaning they could come in with FULL CHARGE when they kicked in...
That would voltage spike the computers in modern cars, and screw fuel injection computers into spastic fits!
The reason most fuel injected vehicles use a Delco Remy CS series alternator is the CS series has 'Avalanche Rectification'...
And they have voltage regulators that don't let them spike when they first kick in.
Personally, I still use SI series alternators because they are Dirt Cheap, Common As Rocks, and available everywhere.
When I build fuel injected vehicles,
I always use the CS series alternators so they don't voltage spike the computers for the fuel injection.
Since many of the CS 130 alternators will bolt right in your current bracket, and only require a $25 adapter to run in your vehicle, I would consider one before investing in a Howell...
Might save you some problems in the long run!