Chrome Alternator Fried

94GTLaserRC · Dec 8, 2004

This thing is only 10 months old....

I was driving home, about 5 miles away and I turned the A/C off to drive with the windows open..I smelled what seamed like fuel coming from the vents, when I turned the A/C off....I figured it was a truck or something near me.

The CD flickered on/off a couple times... I thought it was maybe the CD itself.

When I got home and pulled in the driveway, I realized the smell was the same as when the ALT fried in FEB. I looked at it and didnt see anything that looked burned, but there was a slight funny smell. I started the car and revved it..and NO voltage change.

Called ALterstart (Ebay seller ) and they said the "LIFETIME" warranty did NOT include "burning" only the parts inside. ANYHOW, they said if I send it back and pay the S/H both ways, they will look at it to see if the warranty will cover it.

Wires look ok and As of now, it's still to warm to mess with, and Im heading out to church now. Is there anything else to check or is this it?

I will NOT put an ugly stock ALT back in after seeing the chromer in there.

RC

(note: all I have is an after market CD (no extra power boosters) and a basic car alarm...and the ALT is rated at 160A. The car was only about 200* when it happened)

THANKS

baglock1 · Dec 8, 2004

Get your new alternator and then head down to the alternator shop. Have them check the voltage regulator. It may be over boosting the thing.

My experience with chrome alternators has been less than pleasant (this was on one of my old trucks). The best solution was to obtain a new oem unit and take it apart. I then sent the frame in to get chromed and then put all the guts back in it.

donjohn · Dec 8, 2004

94GTLaserRC said:
I will NOT put an ugly stock ALT back in after seeing the chromer in there.

couldn't u just polish the 'ugly stock ALT,' u seem pretty good at that... i guess it would be a pain to take out all the guts like baglock said, but sweat for shine. does that rhyme?

baglock1 · Dec 8, 2004

donjohn said:
i guess it would be a pain to take out all the guts like baglock said, but sweat for shine. does that rhyme?

It's actually pretty easy to do. Matter of fact, if you want to supply me with the alternator RC, I'll strip it and chrome it or powdercoat it locally. You pay shipping and the cost for whatever coating you want.

BlueOvalStangGT · Dec 8, 2004

Could you take the internals of the stocker and put it in the chrome housing?

baglock1 · Dec 8, 2004

BlueOvalStangGT said:
Could you take the internals of the stocker and put it in the chrome housing?

Actually, you should be able to. Sometimes it's the simple solution right in front that you don't see.

Anyways, if the company doesn't honor the warranty, be sure to have them send it back.

94GTLaserRC · Dec 8, 2004

First of Dan, what is an "Alternator shop"

Second, I was thinking after I left for church and posted this, what Kevin said..and that was to use the chrome case with a new one..

NOW....where would the best place to go be to get one I could change out?

I do have to send it back and see if it would be covered first. Im required to send the money for return postage when I send it, so they WILL return it if not covered.

Thanks
RC

Killercanary · Dec 8, 2004

That sucks Rob. I polished mine, and powdercoated my buddies. Both of which I took to an "alternator shop" and had new bearing put in them. They are both the stock alternators BTW. The chrome does look good though.

94GTLaserRC · Dec 8, 2004

BTW...Does anyone know if an alternator from a V6 will fit/function with ours??

I can get Jose's from his "project" car and use it until I get mine back..

If I dont get a reply here, Ill post it in a separate thread.
Thanks
RC

Killercanary · Dec 8, 2004

Here's a pic of the one I powdercoated for my friend...

Killercanary · Dec 8, 2004

Rob, the V6 cars had the same 130amp alternator as the GT's. We got one off of a 94V6 in my dad's 91GT.

baglock1 · Dec 8, 2004

RC,

An "alternator shop" is a shop that works on alternators, duh.

I would be surprised if you didn't have an alternator/starter shop in so.fl. It's basically just a shop that deals specifically with those two devices. The local shop (when I lived in AZ) would rebuild (and rewind) an alternator for about $15. I sent so much business their way that we worked out a deal and the became a sponsor for my race car at the time.

If you can find a dedicated shop, it might be the way to go for you. Specialization usually drops the price by a significant amount.

94GTLaserRC · Dec 8, 2004

Killercanary said:
Rob, the V6 cars had the same 130amp alternator as the GT's. We got one off of a 94V6 in my dad's 91GT.

AWESOME!!

Now I can slap that one on there for now, pending the outcome of the warranty on the chrome.. Jose said I could just keep that one, so if the war. is no good, Ill just switch it out.

NOW, what is the thing Dan referred to as "checking voltage regulator" as a cause?

Do I do that myself, or take it somewhere.

Thanks all...
Ill check the replies in the AM..
RC

baglock1 · Dec 8, 2004

94GTLaserRC said:
NOW, what is the thing Dan referred to as "checking voltage regulator" as a cause?

Because the alt is capable of putting out so much juice, a regulator must be in place for times when the battery doesn't need the power. This keeps the battery from being overcharged and the alt from being overly taxed.

A quick way to get an idea of how it's working is to check the voltage across the battery while the car is running. At idle, without any accesories running, you're looking for 12.5-13.5 vdc. Now turn on a few accesories (radio, A/C, headlights, etc) and rev the engine up to about 2500 rpm. The voltage should be between 13.5 and 14.5 vdc (if the alt is good, you should be closer to 14.5).

If it's pumping out over 14.5 vdc, the reg is on it's way out. The worst one I've seen was putting about 18 vdc to the battery. I still haven't explained that one.

jwater7 · Dec 9, 2004

are you sure it's the alternator?

correct me if I'm wrong, but can't you just disconnect all the connections to the alternator and check the voltage on the terminals when it is spinning?

if it is the alternator, I'd just swap casing, like previously said. Or if you want to go more in depth after they tell you the warrenty isn't valid, you can take it apart and do some troubleshooting yourself on it, you wouldn't have anything to loose.

94GTLaserRC · Dec 9, 2004

baglock1 said:
RC,

An "alternator shop" is a shop that works on alternators, duh.
.

And a "pencil" shop is a shop that sells pencils, but I have never seen one of these around town either

Jose gave me the Alt last night off his project car, so I will be able to switch them out while I send it back.

DAN,
I have a Volt meter for house outlets....is that what I use to check what you said, or is there a different meter for that?

Thanks
RC

94GTLaserRC · Dec 9, 2004

OK....I just finished (was out with my wife all day, so didnt get started until about 4 PM)

Only problems were:

1. kept dropping the damn nut in the back that holds the LONG bolt on the bottom.

2. I loosened the chrome pulley with the air ratchet BEFORE taking the belt off (thought I was real cool)
BUT....I put the old V6 Alt first, but since the pulley on that is larger, I could NOT put the belt on to hold it, to take off the pulley, so had to remove the alt, and remove the pulley that way with the impact gun...but the pulley kept spinning.

I had an old belt lying around, so I "choked" the pulley with the belt wrapped around it and held it that way...popped right off.

Car started and volt gauge moved around to about o/r in "Normal"

The Chrome Alt has no visible outside signs of burning. Hopefully it will be covered under warranty.

Thanks again to Jose for lending me the dirty-old-ugly-disgusting-looking-but-it-starts-my-car alternator.
RC

RIO5.0 · Dec 9, 2004

baglock1 said:
It's actually pretty easy to do. Matter of fact, if you want to supply me with the alternator RC, I'll strip it and chrome it or powdercoat it locally. You pay shipping and the cost for whatever coating you want.

Sweet...a group purchase on the deal??? Im game...

I would like to do mine up or replace it this Winter...chrome or even the coating Paul used looks nice...

We used to have an old buck that did the starter/alt rebuild trick...he's gone and I couldn't find any one to do mine up, like a rebuild...I'm waiting for it to take a dump...

94GTLaserRC · Dec 9, 2004

Regardless of the outcome of the warranty thingy, I still at least have the chrome case that I can use.

Can anyone post what steps are involved in switching out the alternator internals?

Thanks
RC

yellow1995Cobra · Dec 10, 2004

Its most likely just the "brushes" which pick the electricity off the coils(two brushes). Typically they are made of carbon, and wear out quickly from high heat.

I cant see why they would not cover something like that. Unless the company determines you over heated it, which with the blower in Florida heat along with a chrome case, i can see how that happens.

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