02Z28LS1

iTrader: (2)

does anyone have a picture of a bone stock alternator off an f-body?

also, how many amps does the stock alternator put out, and what is a good replacement that doesn't require any modification to fit it?

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

What specific part of the alternator do you need a picture of?

I have seen these alternators listed with two different stock ratings; 102 amp and 105 amp. If you look up the RPOs for any given LS1 4th gen VIN, you'll see RPO K43 (Generator 102 amp), but I have seen 105 amp listed in certain places as well.

Generic rebuilds from local parts store chains are hit or miss. I always get alternators directly from GM or from Powermaster. Or if you know a local rebuilder that's really good, this would be another option.

Majestic9C1

iTrader: (19)

can also go with the 145 amp Alt out of a early 2000's Escalade 6.0

bolts right up and you dont need to use the rear alternator bracket

02Z28LS1

iTrader: (2)

yeah, i wasn't gonna get an AZ or O'Reilly alternator, i want to get the "real thing"....i've also heard a lot of bad about those alts.

i just wanted to see a picture of the entire alternator, preferably pics of it both installed & removed....just need something i can reference to make sure that the alternator that's on the car after i got my car out of the shop is the same one (or at the very least, the correct model) as what was on there when it went in.

i've been hearing a whine lately, and starting yesterday, i've been having charging problems....the charge meter on the dash dropped down to almost the "8" mark yesterday. i put a charger on it for 4 hours last night when i got home, and after just the drive in to work today (6 - 8 miles), it's almost dead again.

battery is "maybe" 6 - 8 months old, purchased from NAPA.

thinking it's possibly a bad ground, since the reason it was in the shop in the first place was for an engine rebuild, and everything would have had to be disconnected & reconnected again...but i already know for a fact that one part that's on the car now is not the same part (or even the same part number, for that matter) as the one that was on it when i dropped it off with them....

thanks, i knew i'd read something about an upgrade, just had not had the time to scour the forums for which ones were being used. i'll probably go this route, since i could use the extra amps anyway.

Footlead

iTrader: (18)

I did what Majestic9C1 said and it works great. GM put a POS ALt on the 4th GEN==Period!!! Bought mine from a LQK pick ur part for $45.00. Windows actually roll up faster with the adequate power.

1 FMF

iTrader: (1)

really?
does the extra 'power' also make your radio louder?

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I wouldn't call it a POS, it's definitely not THAT bad.

I've owned more than one of these cars from brand new, and the stock alternator was adequate for the factory electrical load. As these cars get older and used in foul weather, one of the issues seems to be corrosion building up on/at grounding points. My '98 has been spared any exposure to foul weather, and as such there is zero corrosion anywhere in the engine bay. The result is a factory alternator that can maintain 13 volts or better on the dash gauge even with multiple accessory loads while idling. And even with a nearly full accessory load (A/C, headlights, rear defrost, radio), the needle is still able to stay near 13 at idle.

The other issues are:

- People using cheap rebuilds from chain parts stores that are junk to start with, then giving folks the idea that more amps are needed even for a factory electrical load

- People with original stock alternators that have tons of miles on them, and don't function as well as when they were new. People then assume that something bigger must be needed, even though they have a stock electrical load.

Tossing a higher amperage alternator on a car with a stock electrical load might seem like a "fix", but really it's just covering up a resistance issue that has likely developed due to age and weathering. If you actually have increased electrical demand via aftermarket audio, etc., then you might in fact need a higher rated alternator regardless.

Footlead

iTrader: (18)

My car is a VERY clean 70k mile 2002 LE SS that doesnt see the rain period. It sits in the garage. And the lights dimming under WOT and the window motor GM mis engineered electrical issues have been happening for a long time. As far as rebuilds I had the ORIGINAL alternator rebuilt from a local guy who has been in business for 30 plus years and asked him to put the good american made HD diodes etc in it and it failed again after a little over a year and not many miles. Its not the CHINESE autoparts rebuilt crap in the car. I read the thread on here called my endless alternator failures and tried it out for myself and it has worked great and @ 1 FMF the radio doesnt seem to be louder but the windows do roll up quicker smartass.

xxtremes33

will any truck alt bolt right up? i have a truck alt sitting around that is supposedly higher amp output than the fbody alt.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Sounds like the local rebuild shop you used either didn't do a complete rebuild, or something else is wrong with your specific car that is causing these issues.

If the [healthy] stock charging system was inadequate for the factory electrical load, then all of these cars would have had these issues from day one, right off the assembly line - which is not the case. And all these years later, mine still seem to function adequately without any modifications/upgrades to the system.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

I just went PepBoys.....only because it takes me about 15-20 min to swap out an alternator. So with the Lifetime warranty.......why not. I think they are like $80.00

And it's more than powerful enough to run my last 427ci, at night, A/C on max, fan on high, headlights on and my 1,000watt amped stereo and 12" woofer turned way up.....no problems at all.

And my last one that just got re-installed on my new 390ci engine.....it's gotta be like 8 years old.

.

Footlead

iTrader: (18)

Read the thread called "The fix for my endless alternator failure's" and tons of good info and satisfied people there doing the upgrade to the 145amp truck alt. It works. You can also go to Utube and the electrical alternator guy has videos there talking specifically about the 4th gen alternator shortcomings and why GM/Delphi STOPPED making that specific model. The truck alt has a much larger rectifier and spreads out the diodes etc and is a better designed/engineered model because GM/Delphi discovered there was a problem with the one on the 4th gen. Sure some people have been lucky and there 4th gens have worked flawlessly but many many others have had the issues just like I had and you will have a hard time finding a 4th gen as clean and unmolested as mine is. Doubt all you want but I had the symptoms described in that thread and did their mod for the hell of it and those symptoms have completely vanished with the alt change. That is the only thing changed. As far as my alternator repair guy not doing the job right is laughable as Ive known him for 40 years and he did rebuild the part. The rectifier is the main issue with those units. Maybe VooDoo fixxed it.

N20zuki

Try driving a fully loaded Gbody with a 60amp alternator and see how you feel about a 105amp in your Fbody...

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Mine work fine, so I'm not looking for any upgrades.

Part #19244783 (RPO K43, 102 amp CS series) is still available from GM currently. I ordered one a couple years ago for one of my 4th gens, it was the same as the original unit I removed from the car. That one lasted about 80k miles before starting to develop a slight surge at idle. Not sure if anything was changed internally since the earlier models, but on the outside it was identicle to the original and NOT a truck unit.

It's always possibile that the four 4th gens I have owned over the last 15 years have been flukes that don't seem to spit up alternators every year. If so, then lucky me.

No hard time here. One of mine is a 97 point, 16k mile garage queen. The electrical system is issue free.

If there was a design flaw with these units that caused them to fail in "a little over a year and not many miles", then most of these cars would have needed alternator replacement while still under factory warranty. I have owned enough of these cars (both new and used) to know this is not the case. Either there was/is a related electrical issue with your car, or there was a quality issue of some sort with that rebuild.

Footlead

iTrader: (18)

All that I was trying to do was help the 4th gen community that may have run into this problem with their cars. There is obviously a common issue with those alternators. I was helped by those that posted the info on the site in the thread that=== because you don't need upgrades u do not have time to read. I had the headlights dimming issue on WOT from the car but it still charged until one night I made a WOT pull and the lights dimmed and never made it back home cuz it takes alot of juice to run all the components on a 2002 LE SS 35th SLP car. Im not driving a 13 or 12 second car either. Plenty of evidence on the net to prove there is a problem/flaw with that application on those cars. You just have to search for it and not stick your head in the sand but U stated above that yours work fine and your not looking for any upgrade. I wasn't looking for an upgrade either ==just one that WORKED. Others on this site had the same problem and worse so they searched for a SOLUTION and They Found one. I read it and did the experiment and guess what==Their solution to this problem that you don't think exists fixed my problems /issues also. Must be a fluke. Just like looking for window motors/window motor electrical systems that actually work and dont move as slow as molasses in 30 degree weather. Another GM POS design. Let me guess you have never had a 4th gen that had slow or bad window motors either. Im sure.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

No more than any other LS1 4th gen with full power options.

No head in the sand here. All I've stated is that the problem is obviously not as severe as you seem to think, otherwise they would all be spitting up alternators every year. Some people might be covering up other electrical issues with a more powerful alternator, since there are many of us that don't seem to need the truck unit just to keep the stock accesories running correctly.

Window motors are a different issue. Yes, I've had to replace one. But strangely, I haven't had to replace those every year like some people seem to find necessary. There must be something special about my cars.... original window motors on the '98, and a still-working stock passenger side motor on my '02 at 105k miles. Driver's side lasted about 90-95k.

Anyway, we're just going in circles now. No point in continuing to re-type the same things with different words.

PS. I'm assuming you are also Footlead? I see you deleted the replies under your other name. We don't allow members to have multiple accounts, so you'll have to pick one and the other will be removed.

Footlead

iTrader: (18)

I pulled up the site and my son was logged in so i posted under my sons login by mistake and didnt see it until i posted. That is why I deleted it and put it in under my login.

PS. Thanks I only have one.