I have a Honda 2003 Accord LX Coupe with the stock alternator. I'm trying to figure out how many amps it puts out. Some Honda OEM parts stores say its a Denso CSC29 L4 assembly but I can't seem to find how many amps that puts out. More to the point I'm trying to figure out how powerful of an Amp my car can support before requiring an upgraded alternator.

Basically I'm looking to upgrade my setup a bit, after realizing how cheap the free sub and amp I traded my previous broken down '93 Accord for (the important thing was my buddy helped me install a new head unit and run all the wiring to the trunk too) ;-) He traded me a Kenwood KAC-7201 amp that claims 460 W RMS / 800 W peak, along with some $75 Alpine sub. With these, my head lights would dim a bit at times, so I got a cheap capacitor which helped a lot.

 

People online have sworn to both sides( no straight answer) so I'd "play it by ear". I would upgrade the big 3 to 0 gauge and run 0 to the amp. If the lights dim on the extreme parts of a song only then all you need is a capacitor(1-2 farad). But if you loose voltage right away you'll need a better alternator.

 

You will get dimming when the ELD is is low, see the sticky in this section.

90-100A is likely for a 4 cyl.

An HO alt will put a larger load on the engine too. At idle, alt output is about half.

The big three, and ELD bypass, and smart use of the volume **** will go a long way.