Smart Alternators?

[doinitsideways]

Hey All,

Short of Asking VAG, I’ve received conflicting info on the alternator in the V6 amarok.

I have a 2018 Argentinian build Highline and I’ve just bought a fridge to mount in the tub, but I’m unsure whether the alternator is smart or not? If not I can just use a heavy gauge cable (fused to 150amps) and run a second battery in the tub with simple solenoid, if it is I will require a dcdc charger and can run a cable that is smaller (fused to 30amps) to the dcdc charger.

Does anyone have any concrete knowledge??

Cheers,
Josh


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[syncro]

Put a multimeter on it. When first started you will get around 14 volts. Go for a drive for 30 minutes then check it again and if you get less voltage, probably around 13 then you have smart alternator. Air conditioning and headlights off.

If the voltage stays the same you have a normal alternator.

[doinitsideways]

@syncro

Cheers mate, I was thinking of this, wasn’t sure how long it would need to drop though. Will give it a go this weekend and post my findings.

Would a part number off the alternator provide any info either?? I’m chasing VAG for my fuse diagram, so when I finally get some contact from them I’m going to pose the same question to find there response.

Cheers,
Josh


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[drivesafe]

Hi Josh and you do have a smart alternator, but “ALL” Amaroks have smart alternators.

The issue is not about whether you have a smart alternator, as most vehicles now do, you need to know what sort of smart alternate your Amarok has.

The latest Amaroks may have a Kinetic charging type alternator operation. This is usually only found in vehicles with STOP/START operation, where your motor turns off when you stop in traffic or at intersection.

I have not had a chance to test the latest Amaroks, but unless they have changed them, you will have a voltage operation where the alternator runs at around 14.3v and after a set time, will settle to around 13.8v, and if this is the case, you do not need a DC/DC setup.

To find out how your alternator operates, follow syncro’s test procedure.

[Sherwy]

Hi Josh,

I've done a bit of research in this area and I'm happy to share.....

I was told by my dealer when I bought my Rok at the EOFY that the Amarok's have not and will not be getting the kinetic charging alt's which normally go hand in hand with the stop/start bluemotion nonsense. Apparently most customers who drive around town in a 2 tonne 3 litre V6 are slighty less concerned with their carbon footprint than the average Golf owner??? lol

You may already be aware but Rok's have an AGM start battery as standard so I will be using AGM for my AUX battery. The solenoid I have bought but not yet installed is particularly nifty and made right here on the Gold coast......

USI-160 | TRAXIDE - RV | Traxide - RV (http://www.traxide.com.au/isolators/usi-160.html)

The biggest advantage I think is the "shared" mode, so you will effectively be drawing from both your start and aux batteries doubling your capacity. When you get down to 12 volts it isolates the start battery, leaving more than enough to restart, even in colder climates. I had a chat with the bloke because 12 sounded a little low to me... he said they have commercial fleets of these things out in the field in some very cold environments and they are yet to have a failure to start. It reconnects when one of them hits 13.1, so it doesn't matter if you start your engine or plug your solar panels into the AUX, either way both batteries will get be getting charged soon enough.

It also has a winching mode and a few other useful tricks. I certainly have not seen anything else on the market that come close to being as clever as this one, and its half the price of a DC DC charger!

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Sherwy.

[doinitsideways]

Hi Josh,

I've done a bit of research in this area and I'm happy to share.....

I was told by my dealer when I bought my Rok at the EOFY that the Amarok's have not and will not be getting the kinetic charging alt's which normally go hand in hand with the stop/start bluemotion nonsense. Apparently most customers who drive around town in a 2 tonne 3 litre V6 are slighty less concerned with their carbon footprint than the average Golf owner??? lol

You may already be aware but Rok's have an AGM start battery as standard so I will be using AGM for my AUX battery. The solenoid I have bought but not yet installed is particularly nifty and made right here on the Gold coast......

USI-160 | TRAXIDE - RV | Traxide - RV (http://www.traxide.com.au/isolators/usi-160.html)

The biggest advantage I think is the "shared" mode, so you will effectively be drawing from both your start and aux batteries doubling your capacity. When you get down to 12 volts it isolates the start battery, leaving more than enough to restart, even in colder climates. I had a chat with the bloke because 12 sounded a little low to me... he said they have commercial fleets of these things out in the field in some very cold environments and they are yet to have a failure to start. It reconnects when one of them hits 13.1, so it doesn't matter if you start your engine or plug your solar panels into the AUX, either way both batteries will get be getting charged soon enough.

It also has a winching mode and a few other useful tricks. I certainly have not seen anything else on the market that come close to being as clever as this one, and its half the price of a DC DC charger!

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Sherwy.

Awesome!

Thanks Sherwy for the detailed write up. I actually live on the goldy, so I’ll take a look at these solenoids.

Are you running aux battery in your tray?, what size cables you running, I like the idea of both being linked during winching... I’m running a warn zeon10s winch... only had to use it once on Fraser so far thankfully.

Cheers,
Josh


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[Sherwy]

Yep, I've installed some Drifta drawers and the battery will be installed inside them.

The guys at Traxide are recommending a minimum of 25mm2 or 3 B&S. I'm going up a size to 35mm2 or 2 B&S just to be safe as I will be running a big inverter.

I don't have a bar or winch ... YET!! Maybe next year!

Cheers,

Sherwy.