It depends on the engine size, with or without cooled and heated seats, and with or without power converter. A 150-amp, 170-amp, 175-amp, and 200-amp generator were used. Some were made by Nippendenso. Some were made by Mitsubishi. The 150-amp unit has a round sticker over the rear bearing with "150" in the upper right corner.
Regardless of what an AC generator is capable of, they always only develop just the amount of current needed to run the entire electrical system, and recharge the battery after cranking the engine, and no more. The one time they develop their full rated current is during the "full-load output current" test as part of the overall charging system test. That requires a professional load tester, and takes just a few seconds.
Were you can run into trouble is when installing a replacement with a higher maximum current capability than the original one had. Again, it will only develop as much current as is needed, but there is usually a fuse link wire or a regular fuse for the output circuit. The size of that device is selected at the factory based on the capacity of the original generator. Installing one with a higher capacity could exceed the rating of that fuse device, but only during the full-load output current test.
If this sounds confusing, think of the municipal water tower in your town. You could replace it with a much larger one, but it isn't going to supply any more water than what it takes to meet the demand. The capacity is higher, but the volume won't change.
Here's a link to a related article you might find interesting:
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-alternator
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Tuesday, August 1st, 2023 AT 5:54 PM
