The fix for my endless alternator failure's
06-13-2010, 05:48 PM
#41
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Great thread just put in the truck alternator in on my car,it works great ran bigger cables to the battery terminals.So thanx to the orginal poster of this for the advice working great so far.Im using a 130 amp alternator though not a 145 thats all the junk yard had but is working great.
06-14-2010, 10:57 PM
#44
Finally fixed my multiple alternator failures. I used a 145amp alternator from a 2003 Tahoe, picked it up for $50. I also had to recharge my optima battery for 2 days to get it to full strength, cleaned every ground on the car, cleaned the pcm harness connections, cleaned the fuse box fuses and connections, replaced both belt tensioners and belts (which are alot tighter than the original ones), and replaced every fuse and relay inside the fuse box.
All the fuses in the fuse box under the hood had black hot spots on them but none were broken. I took the safe (expensive) out and just replaced everything in there. I don't know what would cause that?
All the fuses in the fuse box under the hood had black hot spots on them but none were broken. I took the safe (expensive) out and just replaced everything in there. I don't know what would cause that?
Great thread just put in the truck alternator in on my car,it works great ran bigger cables to the battery terminals.So thanx to the orginal poster of this for the advice working great so far.Im using a 130 amp alternator though not a 145 thats all the junk yard had but is working great.
If you go to that website you can search for the 145 amp alternator from a 2003 truck and it will tell you the price of the alternator and how many miles away the yard is that has it. It will also sometimes tell you the mileage on the part.
And HELL YES im really glad this helped more people than myself, this crap has been plauging me for over a year and I cant count how many times I have had to pull over halfway home at my cousins or baby the car home only to hurry and pull the alternator and call around trying to find a ride to the store to get another so I could go to work the following day....
Thank you all for the feed back this should be very helpful to many boardmembers. This is almost approaching a "sticky" vote.
Big thanks to the alternator rebuilder and board member that got my thought process going to go this route!!!
Last edited by 00pooterSS; 06-14-2010 at 11:08 PM.
06-15-2010, 06:38 AM
#45
06-15-2010, 06:29 PM
#46
or go to car-parts.com I looked up junkyards around a random san diego zip code and there were lots of places anywhere from like 10 mile to 200 miles from that zip that had them so you should be able to find one fairly close.
06-16-2010, 02:21 AM
#47
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LKQ has a couple locations near you out there give them a call they have them in stock.
or go to car-parts.com I looked up junkyards around a random san diego zip code and there were lots of places anywhere from like 10 mile to 200 miles from that zip that had them so you should be able to find one fairly close.
or go to car-parts.com I looked up junkyards around a random san diego zip code and there were lots of places anywhere from like 10 mile to 200 miles from that zip that had them so you should be able to find one fairly close.
06-20-2010, 10:57 PM
#49
thanks bro, that link really helped. I found one and bought it and installed it yesterday, it helped because so far the car has not gone into the red when the car is idle-ling. But know i think I have a vacuum leak somewhere because my idle drops sometimes when I slow down for a stop. My car idles between 500-600rpm on the stock tach(it did that before), my next mod will be an ls6 valley cover
06-21-2010, 07:02 AM
#50
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I noticed mine idles between 600-700 rpm after the alternator. I almost think the engine dies because it's so quiet. Used to idle around 800-900 rpm. On the positive side, I swear my radio is louder and my ac blows harder. Maybe it's just me.
06-21-2010, 03:49 PM
#51
I had some alternator problems, and went through a few OEM ones under warranty, but the root cause ended up being a battery that was over-stressing the alternator. The car sat over the winters with battery in and no trickle charge, so the juice was dropping to around 60% and overtaxing the alternator.
Solution was a new battery. Now it's all good.
BUT, the newer GM alternators (newer model years, apparently not updated for older cars) has a better system for maintaining juice at idle with a load like heat and headlights at night, where the older alternators, in my case 2001, do not do so well. This is according to a GM Service Manager. So the original poster mentioned a newer model year alternator -- perhaps it is one with this newer engineering. The trick might be to find out when that update started?
Solution was a new battery. Now it's all good.
BUT, the newer GM alternators (newer model years, apparently not updated for older cars) has a better system for maintaining juice at idle with a load like heat and headlights at night, where the older alternators, in my case 2001, do not do so well. This is according to a GM Service Manager. So the original poster mentioned a newer model year alternator -- perhaps it is one with this newer engineering. The trick might be to find out when that update started?
06-21-2010, 06:09 PM
#52
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Cool glad to hear it fixed another one. As far as the vacuum leak it would make the idle go higher not lower and I believe the stock idle is somewhere right in that range anyway, like 550 maybe?? Also if you had a vacuum leak you should get a check engine light and a lean code set. I don't know for sure what the stock idle speed is I haven't had a stock idle in a couple years, mine is like 750 now.
06-21-2010, 10:02 PM
#53
I had some alternator problems, and went through a few OEM ones under warranty, but the root cause ended up being a battery that was over-stressing the alternator. The car sat over the winters with battery in and no trickle charge, so the juice was dropping to around 60% and overtaxing the alternator.
Solution was a new battery. Now it's all good.
BUT, the newer GM alternators (newer model years, apparently not updated for older cars) has a better system for maintaining juice at idle with a load like heat and headlights at night, where the older alternators, in my case 2001, do not do so well. This is according to a GM Service Manager. So the original poster mentioned a newer model year alternator -- perhaps it is one with this newer engineering. The trick might be to find out when that update started?
Solution was a new battery. Now it's all good.
BUT, the newer GM alternators (newer model years, apparently not updated for older cars) has a better system for maintaining juice at idle with a load like heat and headlights at night, where the older alternators, in my case 2001, do not do so well. This is according to a GM Service Manager. So the original poster mentioned a newer model year alternator -- perhaps it is one with this newer engineering. The trick might be to find out when that update started?
I being a tech for a long time have seen battery's pull too many amps to maintain a charge and cause repeat failures, but I checked the draw going into and out of my battery and there was only a 1 amp difference, so that means the battery was using 1 amp of the alternator's output to maintain a charge, I dont think it gets better than that.
Also I have put a ton of miles on the car since the alternator and NOT ONE of my previous issue has returned.
Sounds like your good then, enjoy the lack of stress that comes with constantly staring at your voltage gauge and watching it sink into the red, I sure am.
06-28-2010, 12:42 PM
#56
So really it doesn't matter as long as you get the 145 amp, 4 pin, KG3 alternator you should be good to go. I used 2003 for reference when I bought mine. So if that alternator were in service in years later, then thats what you may get when you go to pick it up, or vice versa it could be from the earliest year put into service.
06-28-2010, 06:34 PM
#57
EDIT: for clarity of what alternator is needed. Get a 99-2003 Truck alternator, 145 amp, 4 pin connector. The standard truck alternator is a 105, escalades and such trucks with a lot of electronics use the 145.
I posted a thread a while back about having alternator after alternator fail, one literally lasted about 5 minutes.
Long story short I tested every thing multiple times and even replaced the exciter wire and connector, never could find an issue and it all started when I replaced the factory original alternator with an aftermarket one, and it was all downhill from there.
The fix.... A truck alternator. I got the idea from another board member that the truck alternator actually fits the F body cars, so I went to the junk yard and spent $40 on a used 2003 Truck 145 amp alternator bolted it in and the voltage has never been more stable.
The 145 amp truck alternator only has one simple modification that needs to be made to use it, it does not use the rear support bracket that the F body alternator does so remove the one bolt and bracket, other than that it bolts directly in, plugs directly up, and works good!! So for less money you can have an higher amperage output, more stable, more durable alternator if you go this route. The pulley was even the same, this couldn't be easier.
I am going to add a wire from the back of the alternator to the battery to help carry the extra amperage since it has been stated the factory wire isn't even enough for the puny stock alternator.
I hope this helps anyone else with the same issues, here is the link to my original thread if you feel like reading more details of the problems I was having
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...ders-here.html
I posted a thread a while back about having alternator after alternator fail, one literally lasted about 5 minutes.
Long story short I tested every thing multiple times and even replaced the exciter wire and connector, never could find an issue and it all started when I replaced the factory original alternator with an aftermarket one, and it was all downhill from there.
The fix.... A truck alternator. I got the idea from another board member that the truck alternator actually fits the F body cars, so I went to the junk yard and spent $40 on a used 2003 Truck 145 amp alternator bolted it in and the voltage has never been more stable.
The 145 amp truck alternator only has one simple modification that needs to be made to use it, it does not use the rear support bracket that the F body alternator does so remove the one bolt and bracket, other than that it bolts directly in, plugs directly up, and works good!! So for less money you can have an higher amperage output, more stable, more durable alternator if you go this route. The pulley was even the same, this couldn't be easier.
I am going to add a wire from the back of the alternator to the battery to help carry the extra amperage since it has been stated the factory wire isn't even enough for the puny stock alternator.
I hope this helps anyone else with the same issues, here is the link to my original thread if you feel like reading more details of the problems I was having
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...ders-here.html
