Generation III External Engine LS1 | LS6 | Bolt-Ons | Intakes | Exhaust | Ignition | Accessories
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Alternator AGAIN???

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old May 17, 2010 | 12:13 PM
  #1  
needtransam's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 664
Likes: 1
From: Texas
Default Alternator AGAIN???

Ok, i've searched a lot on the forums and google the alternator problems ls1's have, have found a lot of useful information but not sure why im still having this problem

Ok when i bought my 01 z28, the alternator died the day after so i took it to o'reilly and it checked bad so i bought a new one, that same day i guess they gave me a bad one cause it bearly lasted 4 hours so i replaced it again and made them tested before i swap it on my car

The car was working great and everything, but yesterday (about a week from the alternator install) my f body club and I were racing on the freeway and after some races the "check gauges" came up and my batter voltage was low again like before, so today jacked the car up took out the alternator and it was bad? Could it possibly just be bad remanufactured alternators or i have a short or something?


Also was checking my alternator connections, and extended my exciter cable since it seemed that the person before installed an aftermarket exciter cable and probably spiced the cable wrong so i extended it just to make sure












Last edited by needtransam; May 17, 2010 at 12:19 PM.
Reply
Old May 17, 2010 | 12:33 PM
  #2  
BennyB's Avatar
TECH Fanatic
15 Year Member
iTrader: (12)
 
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,079
Likes: 4
From: Omaha, NE
Default

I never "like" using remanufactured parts or brands that are sub par from OEM. I would try a used OEM junkyard alternator or one from the classified section. That way you can see if it was junk remanufactured parts or not that were the problem. Good luck on your issue man.
Reply
Old May 17, 2010 | 12:55 PM
  #3  
MeentSS02's Avatar
Kleeborp the Moderator™
20 Year Member
iTrader: (11)
 
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 10,316
Likes: 6
From: Dayton, OH
Default

While it may not be an issue, I've killed an alternator due to a leaking power steering pump - beyond that, alternators don't seem to like sustained high RPM operation, but that doesn't sound like the case here.
Reply
Old May 17, 2010 | 01:33 PM
  #4  
needtransam's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 664
Likes: 1
From: Texas
Default

it died after a few WOT races so im assuming its not liking all the load, ill get a new one from o'reilly instead of a remanufactured one, do the cables look okay? should the 12v cable that connects to the back of the ALT be like that (two sperated black cables)? Is the ground suppose to have that little black piece of metal on it ?
Reply
Old May 17, 2010 | 03:55 PM
  #5  
MeentSS02's Avatar
Kleeborp the Moderator™
20 Year Member
iTrader: (11)
 
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 10,316
Likes: 6
From: Dayton, OH
Default

It looks like the battery -> alternator wire has been modded. From the picture, it looks like he didn't have a ring terminal that was big enough to fit the wire, so he split one wire into two and used two 10-12 ga. ring terminals. Classic.

What exactly is that fuse running in the last pic?

Everything else looks okay I guess (at least from what I can tell at a quick glance) - ground strap from the block to the frame looks okay, although I don't remember seeing a black plate the last time I messed with mine (but it has been a long time).
Reply
Old May 17, 2010 | 05:49 PM
  #6  
crainholio's Avatar
TECH Addict
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,977
Likes: 3
Default

Advance Auto sells a brand new (not rebuilt) Delco-Remy alternator for not much more than a rebuild. I put one in mine last year after I smoked a year-old NAPA rebuild during a road course event...haven't been to a track yet this year but so far so good.
Reply
Old May 17, 2010 | 07:21 PM
  #7  
needtransam's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 664
Likes: 1
From: Texas
Default

So should I leave those cables like that? Or should I buy a single cable? The fuse was already like that so I'm not sure what it could be
Reply
Old May 17, 2010 | 10:29 PM
  #8  
massls1guy's Avatar
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (9)
 
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,311
Likes: 0
From: Mass
Default

I hope that wire with the fuse isn't running directly to the exciter. If it is you need to add a resistor in there, that would cause the alt to burn out.
Reply
LS1 Tech Stories

The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time

story-0

Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-2

Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

 
story-3

Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

 
story-7

10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

Five Reasons the Camaro Was the Most Pivotal Player in the Pony Car Wars 2.0

 Brett Foote
story-9

10 Reasons the LS7 Is GM's Most Extreme Naturally Aspirated V8 Engine Ever

 Verdad Gallardo
Old May 18, 2010 | 08:22 PM
  #9  
needtransam's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 664
Likes: 1
From: Texas
Default

i dont think it is, but i swaped it in a new ALT, clean all grounds, reconnected starter and tighten it properly, removed and put back in the pcm for any possible lossness and i think its good so far but only the second day since i swaped it in, hope its good

What could that cable be? im not sure at all why its their any help would be appreciated? and how can i test the exciter to see it its working properly?
Reply
Old May 18, 2010 | 09:42 PM
  #10  
MeentSS02's Avatar
Kleeborp the Moderator™
20 Year Member
iTrader: (11)
 
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 10,316
Likes: 6
From: Dayton, OH
Default

Originally Posted by needtransam
i dont think it is, but i swaped it in a new ALT, clean all grounds, reconnected starter and tighten it properly, removed and put back in the pcm for any possible lossness and i think its good so far but only the second day since i swaped it in, hope its good

What could that cable be? im not sure at all why its their any help would be appreciated? and how can i test the exciter to see it its working properly?
About the only thing you can do to figure out what that wire goes to is to follow it - looks like the previous owner wired something up, but what? I have no idea...

As for the exciter wire, as long as you are showing a good charge on the voltmeter, that's all I would worry about. It just needs to be intact.
Reply
Old May 21, 2010 | 06:47 PM
  #11  
needtransam's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 664
Likes: 1
From: Texas
Default

well i think its bolted on to the batter cable aux post on the drivers side and the other little end goes to the fuse box i think?

its really wierd cause could this have caused a short that killed my last alternator? i dont want it to kill my alternator again?
Reply
Old May 25, 2010 | 06:03 PM
  #12  
needtransam's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 664
Likes: 1
From: Texas
Default

what do you guys think?
Reply
Old May 25, 2010 | 06:09 PM
  #13  
OUTLAWZ RACING's Avatar
TECH Addict
iTrader: (9)
 
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,726
Likes: 1
From: COLUMBUS GA.
Default

that looks like speaker wire on the exciter wire. plus it needs to be solider.
Reply
Old May 28, 2010 | 09:50 AM
  #14  
needtransam's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 664
Likes: 1
From: Texas
Default

well i just extended the wire not sure if its a bad thing, and how can i check for voltage on the exciter just to make sure its working fine?
Reply




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:29 AM.

story-0
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

Slideshow: A modern Camaro transformed into a retro icon, this limited-run "Bandit" build blends nostalgia with brute force in a way few revivals manage.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:57:02


VIEW MORE
story-1
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

Slideshow: Cadillac didn't just crash the high-performance luxury vehicle party, it showed up loud, supercharged, and occasionally a little unhinged...

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-16 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-2
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

Slideshow: Top ten most powerful Chevy trucks ever made

By | 2026-03-25 09:22:26


VIEW MORE
story-3
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

Slideshow: Hennessey has turned the Silverado ZR2 into a 700-hp off-road monster with supercharged V8 power and a limited production run.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-24 18:57:52


VIEW MORE
story-4
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

Slideshow: A one-off sports car that looks like a vintage Italian exotic-but hides a C6 Corvette underneath-just sold for the price of a new mid-engine Corvette.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-23 18:53:41


VIEW MORE
story-5
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

Slideshow: A heavily reworked 1972 K5 Blazer swaps its off-road roots for a low-slung street-focused build with modern V8 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-09 18:08:45


VIEW MORE
story-6
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There are thousands of used Camaros on the market but we think you should avoid these 10

By | 2026-02-17 17:09:30


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

Slideshows: Which one of these myths do you believe?

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-28 18:10:11


VIEW MORE
story-8
Five Reasons the Camaro Was the Most Pivotal Player in the Pony Car Wars 2.0

The world was a better place when it was still around.

By Brett Foote | 2026-01-23 09:20:37


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Reasons the LS7 Is GM's Most Extreme Naturally Aspirated V8 Engine Ever

Slideshow: The 7.0-liter LS7 was designed for absolute cutting-edge performance.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-07 18:36:00


VIEW MORE