what alternator and where from

[ronstang94]

Pretty sure the alternator went out.

If I have to replace something I always want to upgrade

I am not into big stereos, but might put a 10" sub and mild stereo some day

I love chrome but I dont think i want the attention to be drawn to the alt (any one have pics that might change my mind )

some people have problems charging with underdrive pulleys, I want some pulleys but worry about charging issues and this is an opportunity to solve this future problem

I want a quality piece, I have bad enough luck with brand new stuff to mess around with reman parts or anything less than perfect


What alternator do I want? Where is the best place to get it?


Thank you for all of the help

 

[Car Nut]

PA Performance 130 Amp Alternator

At idle, it puts out more amps than stock big time. Couldn't be happier with mine.

No matter what brand or size alternator you get (130 is standard for us though), upgrade the alternator-to-battery cable to a 4GA or 2GA. PA sells an upgrade cable with the fuse built in.

Also, it would be a good idea to fix your two main ground connections:

1. Clean up the ground connection that is located below the waterpump. I opted to also add an additional negative battery cable from the battery negative post to the front support (literally inches away).

2. Replace the thin stock ground cable that goes from the block to the frame (located under the car on the drivers side. Use a new 2 or 4 guage negative cable.

The two ground fixes probably cost $15 or less and will help against future electrical issues to a degree unimaginable.

I've had a PA Performance 130 alternator for about a year now and couldn't be happier. Very nice and no issues at all.

 

[Frank.Rizzo]

If you're a cheap bastard (like me), or on a budget, I picked up a 200AMP alternator off of eBay for $150 shipped:

http://stores.ebay.com/Rareelectrical

I agree with ronstang94 100% though, after a lot of research PA (http://www.paperformance.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=176) has a lifetime warranty and was my first choice. I just ended up going the cheap route because I was thinking of selling my car at the time. The one I got off ebay has been fine, so far.

 

[ronstang94]

PA Performance 130 Amp Alternator

At idle, it puts out more amps than stock big time. Couldn't be happier with mine.

No matter what brand or size alternator you get (130 is standard for us though), upgrade the alternator-to-battery cable to a 4GA or 2GA. PA sells an upgrade cable with the fuse built in.

Also, it would be a good idea to fix your two main ground connections:

1. Clean up the ground connection that is located below the waterpump. I opted to also add an additional negative battery cable from the battery negative post to the front support (literally inches away).

2. Replace the thin stock ground cable that goes from the block to the frame (located under the car on the drivers side. Use a new 2 or 4 guage negative cable.

The two ground fixes probably cost $15 or less and will help against future electrical issues to a degree unimaginable.

I've had a PA Performance 130 alternator for about a year now and couldn't be happier. Very nice and no issues at all.

Im confused my stock one is 130amp, but an upgrade would be to get a 130amp from PA? It looks exactly the same as the stock one too. How many amps does the stock unit put out at idle? How many amps does the one from PA put out? Is that enough of an upgrade for what i want?

 

[HISSIN50]

As you surmised, the aftermarket alt's often have more idle output. That said, I actually think the stock 3G did pretty good (it' not uncommon for them to put out more than 130 amps at max output as well).

I went with a 160 amp unit when I needed one.

Be careful with chrome - it retains heat like crazy. If you dont want to sweat heat-related failures, chrome isn't necessarily your friend. On that note, the 6G's have improved cooling, bearings, etc, so if you really want chrome, one of those might deal with the heat better.

Good luck.

 

[turbogt]

PA 200 amp here.....

 

[Car Nut]

Im confused my stock one is 130amp, but an upgrade would be to get a 130amp from PA? It looks exactly the same as the stock one too. How many amps does the stock unit put out at idle? How many amps does the one from PA put out? Is that enough of an upgrade for what i want?

The 130 amp is an upgrade because it runs at 80 amps at idle and 160 amps max. I don't have the numbers on hand, but when I researched this seemingly odd upgrade, the stock alternator idled somewhere around 50 amps and the max was 140ish.

Considering how long an alternator lasts, I didn't mind spending a little more for more output. That being said, the other half of this upgrade was definitely attributed to the improved ground cables and 4GA alternator-to-battery cable from PA. The cable upgrades would have made the stock alternator's power more reliable for sure.

 

[ronstang94]

good info. Thank you