pulsating electrical system when engine running

**Whoopazz** · 04-27-2008, 02:15 PM

Constantly pulsating when running whats the deal?

**BlueByU-SS** · 04-27-2008, 02:27 PM

let me guess.... lights on the interior are pulsating?? headlights too perhaps? its your alternator trust me i have the the same problem... your regulator is going out and you will need a new alternator before long! my 2cents buy an oem gm alternator and you wont be replacing it every year after that!

**Whoopazz** · 04-27-2008, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by BlueByU-SS

let me guess.... lights on the interior are pulsating?? headlights too perhaps? its your alternator trust me i have the the same problem... your regulator is going out and you will need a new alternator before long! my 2cents buy an oem gm alternator and you wont be replacing it every year after that!

It's the factory one in there now. I have a heavy drain on it though .. full system

**Anwazi** · 04-29-2008, 06:48 AM

i'm having the exact same problem. I noticed my battery gauge was reading a little high as well (needle hits the marker between 13v - 18v). I figured it was the voltage regulator. How much do the oem alternators run?

**bigrondownhiller** · 04-30-2008, 10:32 AM

You should look into an aftermarket alternator. It will put out more power at a lower rpm. Try also upgrading your battery at the same time.

**Anwazi** · 04-30-2008, 10:46 AM

Well the oem alternators are rated at 102Amps. I've seen an aftermarket one rated at 160amps for $210 on ebay or somewhere. Do I really need the extra 58 amps. is it going to give me electrical issues?

**bigrondownhiller** · 04-30-2008, 11:04 AM

It is not the max output that will help you the most. You want one that puts out more amps near idle. Those ratings are probably at 3000 or 4000 rpm.

**Anwazi** · 04-30-2008, 11:41 AM

i dunno. why wouldn't it have been done from the get go if this was a good idea? some component is not going to like the extra amperage and break. That's how i'm looking at it. unless i tweak some other things to hangle that extra load. correct me if i'm wrong though! I'm interested, but not sure...

**bigrondownhiller** · 04-30-2008, 01:09 PM

The factory only needed to have the alternator handle a given load. As soon as you start adding stereo equipment you overload it.

**Anwazi** · 05-01-2008, 05:52 AM

That would make sense if i get a stereo that can handle "munchies for your bass" by Genesis. haha!

**bigrondownhiller** · 05-01-2008, 09:27 AM

I just looked, I thought you had a system. If it is stock then a stock alternator will work fine. I wouldn't buy one from ebay, just in case there is a problem you don't want to wait for a replacement.

**Anwazi** · 05-01-2008, 11:15 AM

Did I say "Genesis" I meant "Nemesis" Cheesy bass song from the early 90's.

Nice bass though!
I'd like to get rid of all the little plastic rattles in the trunk area first. WOuld be nice to have a decent system. One that doesn't skip CD's like crazy!