Alternator for the 4th time. Help!
Alternator for the 4th time. Help! Ok. My 99 WS6 has torn through 3 alternators. It just chews through the bearings. My OE died at like 126k. I bought a AutoZone reman. 2 weeks later, bearings are gone. Got another one under lifetime warrenty. Bearings were blown as soon as I turned the car on. So I got pissed and bought a BOSS HO 160(amp?) alternator. It has worked for 2 months. Now the bearings in it are shot.
What would cause a LS1 to chew through alternator bearings. Because I have replaced everything ( idler, tensioner and pully, belt, water pump ) so I don't know what is going on. Please help!
What would cause a LS1 to chew through alternator bearings. Because I have replaced everything ( idler, tensioner and pully, belt, water pump ) so I don't know what is going on. Please help!
TECH Senior Member
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 8,807
Likes: 0
From: Vancouver,[KITSILANO].B.C. Canada *WestCoast*
Originally Posted by spy2520
something must be mis-aligned, causing stress on those bearings...the belt could also possibly be too tight???? havent heard of that but i guess its possible...
from what i have seen, if you examine the belt for any abnormal wear patterns, inside edge wearing down more than the outside, wear on one side of ribs, just look at the belt for a while and see if it looks like that could be the problem...
Trending Topics
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,629
Likes: 2,551
From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Originally Posted by sp00rkz
Ok. My 99 WS6 has torn through 3 alternators. It just chews through the bearings. My OE died at like 126k. I bought a AutoZone reman. 2 weeks later, bearings are gone. Got another one under lifetime warrenty. Bearings were blown as soon as I turned the car on. So I got pissed and bought a BOSS HO 160(amp?) alternator. It has worked for 2 months. Now the bearings in it are shot.
But in my experiance with Autozone alternators, they are crap. So there might not be anything wrong at all with your pulley system, you might just be getting **** alternators. You said the first one died at 126K. Nice long life,... what failed on it? Was it bearings, or did it just stop charging? If it wasn't a bearing failure on that one, then it seems very odd that suddenly something would just happen to go wrong with the pulley system right when you change the alternator. Leading me to one of two possilities....
1) Replacement alternators so far have been crap.
2) You somehow damaged or shifted the alternator bracket when removing/replacing the stock unit and have caused a mis-alignment condition.
In any event, I always get rebuilds directly from GM. These will be as good as your stock unit was. They've always lasted me at least as long as the originals did.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo Hm. Yeah the bearings went out on the first one. 
I'm thinking about just going to get one. But the BOSS has a 1 year warrenty, I at least want to try that. But, I didn't think I damaged the bracket. It's brand new. It might have shifted, which is what I am going to try and fix today.
I'm thinking about just going to get one. But the BOSS has a 1 year warrenty, I at least want to try that. But, I didn't think I damaged the bracket. It's brand new. It might have shifted, which is what I am going to try and fix today. Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,629
Likes: 2,551
From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Originally Posted by sp00rkz
But, I didn't think I damaged the bracket. It's brand new. It might have shifted, which is what I am going to try and fix today.
Well, I read a TSB about squeeking on the front of the engine involving the belts, idler and the alternator bracket. The old one was fine, but I had already replaced the alternator ( the boss ), idler and the tensioner and h20 pump. I was out of ideas and figured it couldn't hurt. I put the new bracket on and the squeeking went away until now. That was like a month ago.
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,629
Likes: 2,551
From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Originally Posted by sp00rkz
Well, I read a TSB about squeeking on the front of the engine involving the belts, idler and the alternator bracket. The old one was fine, but I had already replaced the alternator ( the boss ), idler and the tensioner and h20 pump. I was out of ideas and figured it couldn't hurt. I put the new bracket on and the squeeking went away until now. That was like a month ago.
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,629
Likes: 2,551
From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Originally Posted by sp00rkz
I thought it was for 99's as well? Hm. Lol, let me check into it
My mistake.
Yeah, Autoshit sucks. I bought mine from an online store. One of our sponsers I beleive. Well, i played with it today and i think i fixed it. I just moved loosened the alternator bolts and pushed the alternator up and retightened it and it seems to be working/not sqeeking for now. I wonder why that worked.