Alternator

**j nix** · 09-13-2010, 03:53 PM

I have a whistling sound coming from under the hood. it gets louder when I accelerate. My car has an Alpine touch screen DVD player radio, a JL audio 300 watt amp, a JL Audio 1000 watt amp, 3 boxed 10" JL Audio subs, boston accustic highs and mids. I think that the radio may have burnt out the barrings, but not sure. Anybody ever have this problem?

**My00Z28** · 09-13-2010, 10:25 PM

sounds like you got a good set up in there if you have a bearing going out its not do to the system. but i dought that the stock charging system can handle all of that you will notice at night the most you can watch as the bass hits your lights will dim or you can even watch your volts gauge move.... may be time for a new charging system?

**RyanJM** · 09-13-2010, 10:35 PM

I have plans for a system I am finally getting around to now that the motor and suspension are setup pretty good but I planned ahead. Look up a site called powerbastards I got a alt. from them and there great think it was 230 or 250 amp and it comes in a factory housing so it volts in and looks stock but you will need to also run a new 4gauge wire or larger when you do the install to get the full potential from it. Have had it almost 2yrs and it works great and you can order them colored but since it sits at the bottom I.didn't see a point. The price was a lot better than summit and jegs for there high output alts and I like the stock housing look. Good luck I know from yrs of building custom systems for myself and other cars before I was a painter and into shows that stock GM altetnators burn out fast. Also remember to get a good.batt and a cap will also help but the alt is the main key.

**JaycenK** · 09-14-2010, 03:41 PM

Bearings will go bad from heat and the belt being to tight. That is what kills bearings in the alt. other than that use a Capacitor so there is no loading effect on the alts regulator. this will prolong the life of the regulator

**j nix** · 09-14-2010, 05:15 PM

Ryan JM. Powerbastards, I will check that out. Thanks. I was thinking of getting my stock alt. rebuilt to about 165 amps. Will cost me about $155. I thought that was a good deal. Then it is in its original housing too. They said they could rebuild it and have it to me the next day.
My00Z28. The lights don't dim. I was actually checking for that. I expected them too.
JaycenK. I forgot to add that it has a capacitor too. It might just be time to replace it, I guess. The car has 115,000 miles on it.

**JaycenK** · 09-14-2010, 06:48 PM

If your light are not dimming then the capacitor is doing it's job. Sounds like the alt is ready for a rebuild. Just make sure they use a good quality regulator in it. I had 3 cheap ones go bad in a row.

**sjsingle1** · 09-14-2010, 07:11 PM

truck alt........nuff sed

**sjsingle1** · 09-14-2010, 07:12 PM

http://www.ls1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=139889

**My00Z28** · 09-14-2010, 08:04 PM

Originally Posted by JaycenK

Bearings will go bad from heat and the belt being to tight. That is what kills bearings in the alt. other than that use a Capacitor so there is no loading effect on the alts regulator. this will prolong the life of the regulator

iv done alot of research on capacitors not to long ago i hear that they can be bad for your stock charging system because they still need to power the capacitor for it to provid power to the amp... it will still hide symtoms of power problems but can be very bad in the long run.... upgrading your alt. and your battery would be my recommedation...

**JaycenK** · 09-15-2010, 07:40 AM

Originally Posted by My00Z28

iv done alot of research on capacitors not to long ago i hear that they can be bad for your stock charging system because they still need to power the capacitor for it to provid power to the amp... it will still hide symtoms of power problems but can be very bad in the long run.... upgrading your alt. and your battery would be my recommedation...

That is usually the case when people buy capacitors that are too big for thier app. or under size the alt amps needed to suport it. A capacitor just holds power for excessive load but if you are not making enough power in the charging system to support the capacitor and all the other draw on the system then yes it can cause perminate over draw on the charging system and cause the alt to work harder than it should and this causes excessive heat and strain on the regulator. This usually happens when people run multiple capacitors on stock charging systems or large single or multiple capacitors on a charging system improperly set up to handle the load created. Most buy thier system and don't do the math to see what size alt they really need or don't want to use the extra power from the engine requiered to turn a huge amp alt.

**j nix** · 09-15-2010, 06:08 PM

If I get the Alt. rebuilt from 102 Amps to 165 Amps and it is of course the same size. Will it draw more power from the engine?

**JaycenK** · 09-15-2010, 09:11 PM

yes. The more amp load it producess the more power it requires to turn it. Thats why guys the drag race will not run an alt at all and just throw a charger on it in between runs.

**j nix** · 09-17-2010, 04:12 AM

Didn't know that they did that. That is interesting. Can't you also get a balancer that will give less power to accessories?

**JaycenK** · 09-17-2010, 03:04 PM

Under drive pully. Yes it will reduce the spinning speed of the accessories. I run a 10% reduction dampner on my 383 lt1. Smaller in size to the stock.

**j nix** · 09-17-2010, 06:52 PM

Is that the same as a harmonic balancer?

**j nix** · 09-17-2010, 07:00 PM

I pulled the Alternator out to find out it had been rebuilt already to a high output alternator. Bonus. I didn't look bad, so hopefully it is just the barrings on the rotor. The alternator was definately tricky to get out. It had to be flipped and spun, then squeezed between the sway bar and the cooling fan. When I replace it I will loosen up one side of the sway bar for an easier install.

**JaycenK** · 09-18-2010, 09:19 PM

I have seen that auto stores are carring bearing kits for my alt as well so maybe it was just some POS made in CHINA bearing. God knows they don't sell anything but now lol.

**j nix** · 09-19-2010, 01:32 PM

I think this new auto parts store I am going to really knows there stuff. The guy I deal with used to write the service manuals. He builds hot rods as well. A good guy to have access to.