DiscoStudd Posted July 20, 2004 Report Posted July 20, 2004 I bought a spare used alternator off egay and keep it in my trunk. Takes 4 minutes to install if it should ever fail. Yeah, well the alt on an L27 takes, like, 2 minutes to change, or something ... Seriously though, there's like 2 bolts that hold it in and it sits right on top of the motor, so it's a breeze to change. Quote
99RegalGS Posted July 20, 2004 Author Report Posted July 20, 2004 Yeah, well the alt on an L27 takes, like, 2 minutes to change, or something ... Seriously though, there's like 2 bolts that hold it in and it sits right on top of the motor, so it's a breeze to change. Yep, The L27 is very easy. Unlike the 3.4. Today I got the alt out in 1.5 hours and took it to the parts store. They yested it and said it was ok. So 1-2 hours later it was back in the Cutlass. Then I started it back up and had the same symptoms (charges fine for a few minutes then drops off). So I drive to the parts store and they put a tester on the car and saw that it was running at 11.6 volts. He then asked me to turn it off and try to restart. It just clicked . So they gave me another alternator and I went back home and started to remove the one in there. I got it down to an hour each way . And now the new one runs at 13.8 w/o much load and 13.2 with headlights and brakes on. But the charge light still flickers on and off. I'm starting to think that there might be a short somewhere because I made sure all my connections were good, and I doubt that they would have gave me 2 bad alts. Real fun day. Quote
99RegalGS Posted July 20, 2004 Author Report Posted July 20, 2004 Well after talking to a mechanic today I think that the belt and/or the tentioner are going bad causing the belt to slip on the alternator. Going to buy a new elt and tentioner and see if that helps. Quote
supreme_style21 Posted July 20, 2004 Report Posted July 20, 2004 There are the occassional alternators that go out the door bad. Its part of being human. Umm...actually thats called bad quality control. I work in QC for a company that makes drugs and if I let the occassional bad batch go out I'd not only get my ass chewed, but charges could be pressed. So if we can get something as complicated as drug formulations right, I should hope some morron could test an alternator to make sure it works before it gets sold. Things can test good one day and bad the next. Not sure who you're calling a moron, but try testing alternators and starters on a Sunday afternoon when the place is packed and people are in a hurry to get out the door. If you've worked retail, you know what I'm saying. If I stop to test some guy's alternator, the 10 people in line behind him are gonna get freakin pissed. Plus the guy probably doesn't want to wait for me to test it, so he'll get pissed. Its done when it can be done.. sometimes it cannot be done. Quote
Brian P Posted July 21, 2004 Report Posted July 21, 2004 No I think he meant test the alt at the factory before it's sent out. Quote
supreme_style21 Posted July 21, 2004 Report Posted July 21, 2004 No I think he meant test the alt at the factory before it's sent out. I figured.. that I have nothin' to do with. I sure wouldn't doubt low quality control with the cheap stuff. I don't sell 'em because I don't want some jackass coming back and throwing it at ME because it failed. I'll ONLY sell stuff I believe in.. I've seen a lot of good and a lot of bad. The bad I don't sell. Quote
GPXSS Posted July 22, 2004 Report Posted July 22, 2004 I bought a lifetime warranty Alt @ Western Auto (i think thats the name) and they got bought out by Advance Auto. After bringing the alt in for its 3rd replacement, they told me that was my 'limit' and that if i wanted another one i'd have to buy it. So much for lifetime warranty Rebuilts suck just as good as any of them, i had 2 go out in 2 weeks that were rebuilt. If you're gonna get another alt, I'd highly suggest an iceberg conversion kit, or just get the whole thing already done. (only applies to the older style CS130 w/ external fan) or switch to the CS130D (internal fan) http://www.alternatorparts.com/ *edit* holy crap, they have a CS144 conversion kit for the CS130 and CS130D on 3.1's 3100's 3.4's and 3.8's... if my alt ever fails, that sumbitch is going in its place! Quote
SigEpCutlass Posted July 22, 2004 Report Posted July 22, 2004 yea when my alternator died, i bought a bosch remanufactured alternator with a lifetime warranty! Quote
DOHCRagtopguy Posted July 22, 2004 Report Posted July 22, 2004 All of the above reasons is why I take mine to a shop by where I live and have it rebuilt with HD components. It's cheaper and you know that it will last. Only costs 80 bucks. I know that with two LQ-1s, this is a job I only want to do once! Quote
GnatGoSplat Posted July 22, 2004 Report Posted July 22, 2004 My 94 Cutlass 3.4 DOHC has a CS-130D alternator and it's lasted longer already than any CS-130 alternator I've ever had. I would convert to CS-130D if possible, but do they even use the same mounts? I thought the mounts were different, otherwise I probably would have done it a long time ago. CS-144 conversion looks interesting, although it's an older closed-case design so I would worry about its reliability. The closed-case alts do look nicer underhood though. It's also a few pounds of unnecessary weight. Only serious audio guys need 250 amps! Quote
SigEpCutlass Posted July 22, 2004 Report Posted July 22, 2004 i bought a bosch that had a few more amps than OEM because of all my aftermartket sound equipment Quote
joey b Posted July 22, 2004 Report Posted July 22, 2004 what is CS-130D, and please fill me in on other info. BTW, what way did you take the alternator out? Quote
93CutlassSupreme Posted July 22, 2004 Report Posted July 22, 2004 bosch can massage my hairy ass Quote
GnatGoSplat Posted July 22, 2004 Report Posted July 22, 2004 what is CS-130D, and please fill me in on other info. BTW, what way did you take the alternator out? CS-130/CS-130D comparison (from the page GPXSS linked to). CS-130D is the newer open-styled alternators used in 94+ W-bodies. Quote
Turbo231 Posted July 23, 2004 Report Posted July 23, 2004 Hello, When I first run into charging system issues...I usually like to check the battery first...if it's on it's way out, it'll look like a bad alternator...not to mention compared to the 3.4 alternator, it's much easier to swap with a good one and see.... Quote
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