Mike ctsV

[QUOTE=AAIIIC;19640731]You can attach up to 10 pictures to a single post instead of posting 10 times. And if you right click and copy the link location, you can insert images full-size so people don't have to click 10 thumbnails:

Ok thanks, i finally figured it out now after an hour or so lol

Mike ctsV

Got this car from my brother up in Ga. Back in jan last yr, He bought a 00 trans am t top 6 spd black on black, not a ws1 but its the v8 one, with about 90k miles but he paid 10k for it, seems kind of high, and he would rather drive that instead of the caddy. He bought the caddy 3 yrs ago with 70k miles for 18k, then he sold it to me with 90k, now i just hit 105k. He said since he didnt want it he would be nice and give it to me for only 5 grand, yes only five k, so it was a steal i couldnt pass up, he was lookin at a vette and a gto also at the time but he still picked the trans am for some reason over them others and even liked it better than the caddy

vroom_vroom

iTrader: (5)

Dropped it off a a specialty alignment shop. Let's see what they have to say about my retarded steering.

In the meantime I came home with another damn vehicle 04 f150 super crew. The familia discount was too good to say no to.

vroom_vroom

iTrader: (5)

So definitely not snappy like it was at high speeds. Was it really that far off?

BudRacing

iTrader: (3)

Your initial rear toe looked the worst where one was toed in and the other was toed out. I wish my final alignment specs came out that well. I need to find a new shop. Although, I'm tempted to buy my own DIY kit.

https://www.tenhulzenautomotive.com/...s-w-stand-offs

wan2run

iTrader: (2)

That's ridiculous for an exhaust system that expensive.

AAIIIC

iTrader: (19)

Apparently broke my shift **** while trying to get it off the UUC shifter that I've had for a million years. The **** will now spin, but still won't ******* come off!!!

kra86

I like my new car! Just picked up right after Memorial Day!

AAIIIC

iTrader: (19)

^^^ Very nice, welcome to the club!

I guess the car was hurt that I broke the shift ****, so today it expressed it's annoyance by making the alternator **** the bed. In recent days I had noticed a whirring noise at low RPMs when I started the car - kind of like a mechanical fan would sound, but not as loud as that. The extent of my troubleshooting thus far had been to open the hood at idle to see if I could pinpoint where the noise was coming from, but no joy. Based on today's events, I'm guessing I was hearing an alternator getting ready to die.

I was about 25min from home when it went. I immediately abandoned my errands and turned for home. Things were progressively failing - Service Stability System, Service Steering System initially, with ABS and TC lights on. It stayed that way for a bit, then I got Battery Saver Active with probably 4 or 5 miles to go. Then the gauges died and it was all over. Coasted off the highway and stopped on the shoulder about 3 miles from home.

I may have killed the battery, which is only a couple months old. It doesn't want to take a charge from either of my chargers, and the multimeter shows it's pretty much completely flat.

jmilz28

iTrader: (13)

Yep, alternator **** the bed and your battery shorted. One may well have done in the other. I like WalMart's Everstart Maxx, best $100 battery around. I like the DieHard Platinum better but it's double the coin.

FuzzyLog1c

iTrader: (4)

That's pretty much what mine did when my alternator crapped the bed. Minus the sounds. Plus my speedo and tach started jumping erratically as the battery voltage dropped really low. If you can afford it ($400), the Mechman alternator is much more reasonably sized for our cars and underhood temperatures. Supposedly, it's a little more efficient than the OEM designs, but they're talking about a fraction of a horsepower difference there.

AAIIIC

iTrader: (19)

Pulled the battery out of the car and tried again with the charger and now it's working. Fingers crossed...

Looks like I last did the alternator in November '12, with ~95,500mi on the car. (I didn't bother to write in my maintenance log , but I found a couple posts about when it happened at a track event, and had entries in the log from just before and shortly after that event.) I recently rolled 137,000mi, so not the best lifespan out of the alternator.

FuzzyLog1c

iTrader: (4)

It's hot in that location and the alternator output is like 60% of nameplate at those temperatures. So depending on whether you're running lights and A/C, you can easily exceed the insulation rating of the stator windings for long periods of time. It's no surprise, then, that the alternator doesn't live long.

AAIIIC

iTrader: (19)

I'll give them a call tomorrow, but if they don't have one on the shelf, I don't think I can wait. I've got another track event coming up, and some travel prior to that, so I need to get things back together before I head off on travel.

Rock Auto has the OEM ACDelco in stock, so that's probably what I'll end up with. I don't trust a reman, and it seems like all of the aftermarket options I've found (from a couple of threads searching back over the years) are places that build to order.

FuzzyLog1c

iTrader: (4)

When I ordered mine, they told me to hang on to my OEM alternator because the CTS-V alternator has that unique bracketry and they were uncertain of their supply. They said if I ever wanted another alternator (e.g. a high-end Elite Series or an S-Series with a higher rating), I could send them the old alternator and they'd cannibalize the case for me.

I wouldn't try to install this before the track meet (running the wiring sucks), but you might want to consider an AVBM (Adjustable Voltage Boost Module - $99) or AVBM II ($179) to go with that Mechman alternator. I'm not sure if you need the oval or square connector, but the LS2 requires the oval connector.

I have the AVBM II. Being able to adjust the commanded output voltage of the alternator allows me to optimize the battery charge rate (useful if you use lightweight batteries in the summer and full size in the winter) and can give your fuel pump a couple extra volts to work with. If you plan to do a battery relocate to the trunk, you can also use it to compensate for the cable voltage drop.

The regular AVBM is going to force you to pull the driver's side tire off to adjust battery voltage, so it's more of a "set it and forget it" kind of thing. By contrast the AVBM II is there in the cockpit (once you figure out how to run the wires and mount it) to tweak every 10 seconds if you're that kind of person.

jmilz28

iTrader: (13)

I think the best solution is Mechman, as heavymetals suggested. Second best is take yours to a local QUALITY rebuild shop and have them work yours over...as heavy also suggested. Frankly, that is almost exactly what Mechman does, so take your pick. That OEM Delco option is a good bet unless your local shop can knock it out faster than UPS can deliver the new one. Upgrade your big3, get a good battery, a good alt, and quit worrying about this one. JMHO...but I'm only a daily with high load, not a racer with high load.

FuzzyLog1c

iTrader: (4)

Mechman is not a rebuild. It's a completely different stator and rectifier design.

Heavymetals is a troll that spent the past 5-7 years bragging about his soldering expertise while failing to complete a head unit project. He shat on almost everyone's projects while driving a mostly stock CTS-V. Then he supplemented his cashflow by asking people to donate their nav discs for a supposedly humanitarian project and, once he had a large percentage of the available discs, tried to use his leverage to extort the community for money. Don't listen to anything he says.

Sssnake

Just installed a mechman alt (stock failed with 85000 miles). I suspect my stocker was suffering for a while as the voltage at idle was only 12.6V. With the mechman the idle voltage is 13.6V. MUCH better. I am not using the AVBM and have had no issues so far.

jmilz28

iTrader: (13)

I know Mechman is not a rebuild, didn't say it was but I can see where your confusion came from. It's a new, beefy unit with several substantive advantages over stock. I knew this long ago. Regardless of your opinion of heavy, he is spot on with this. Rebuilding the stocker with a local rebuilder is almost as good as locals simply usually do good work with good materials. Almost as good, for less money, with a priority on being reliable. So heavy is spot on with this too. I have personal experience with both options and did before I knew who heavy was. Fuzzy, if you're going to jump in with half cocked opinions of another member, at least try to offer some constructive ideas or suggestions. Yes, half cocked...I followed heavy's efforts closely and everything he did was honest, out in the open and entirely reasonable for an attempt at commercializing an idea. You're certainly entitled to your opinion but how about trying to help the OP instead of simply bashing someone else who offered solid advice. If you can't say something nice...didn't your mama teach you that?

AAIIIC

iTrader: (19)

- Pulled the alternator; new one should be here tomorrow. Was able to unbolt the PS pump and swivel it off to the side, then pull the alternator up from below.



- Ordered a suede V2 shift **** from Luke @ Lindsay. Have a couple other parts that should come in Wednesday, so I'll pick it up with those. Knowing that was on the way meant I could go all medieval and **** on the shift **** that wouldn't disengage from my old UUC shifter. (In trying to remove it the other day, something inside snapped, so it would spin, but wouldn't disengage from the lever.)





Even after cutting the ******* thing off with a hacksaw, the thick plastic collar and that metal clip that lock the thing in place were still stuck on the lever (as seen in the first pic)! I then had to cut the collar and pry it apart with a screwdriver to get the metal clip out.

- Unbolted the driver seat and moved it back in preparation for once again messing with the clutch MC.