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Today's Alternator's 10-16-2014

S

schiker

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Location
Pendleton, SC
My alternator bearing is starting to make noise. I get an accessories bearing noise and when I spray some Liquid Wrench on the alternator it goes quiet. I can wait it will start making noise I can repeat this so pretty sure its the alternator bearing. I use the spray straw and get it behind the pulley. It wets the bearing area. Its not the belt. The tensioner still has some movement and the belt looks good.

Mine appears to be an internal fan 100 or 105 Amp? Not sure but think its about 3-4 years old maybe 5 years. Appears to be a remanufactured AC Delco.

So I look at Oreiley's, Autozone, Advanced Auto, CARQUEST, Rockauto, and Napaonline. Most are remanufactured price varies. A few new ones but are house brands so I don't know who makes them. Then there is a Bosch new sold by a few. I am leaning towards the Bosch new for around $115. I see the Bosch up to $200 plus on some sites.

What are your opinions of today's alternators? Is the Bosch a preferred one?
 
I suspect your talking CS130D w/dual internal fans its not who rebuilds or makes them more than its the quality of the parts installed Bosch is a good choice. There are speciality alternator dealers and rebuild parts available on the web and good deals on the bay or even vendors herein.
 
Step up to an AD244 while your doing the alternator. They have ALOT more idle output, and put out an honest 130+ amps. Look it up for a 2001 CHEVY 3500 with a DURAMAX. It is a bolt in swap, and uses the same plug as your current CS-130D. As for brands, most all of the remans are the same anymore. NAPA, CARQUEST, ADVANCE, AUTOZONE, O REILLY's, and so on are all made in Mexico reman crap IMO. I have a REMY brand new alternator from ADVANCE, but they no longer carry it. ROCKAUTO does have it for $144 brand new with no core charge though. REMY 91653
 
Where I grew up there was a reputable repair shop that did alternators, starters, and radiators. I think I took a few alternators in back in the late 80's. I don't know here if the shops are good or not.

How would I judge besides ask a few people and my impression of them if I go by their shop? I guess I could tell if they had a decent workbench and tools but how about the replacement parts what should I look for?

What is the going rate if I carry an alternator to a repair shop and ask for it to be freshened up? Can I or should I just ask for new bearing and a cleaning?
 
With a CS-130D, I would ditch it. They were a failure prone nightmare in all honesty, and is why GM only used them for 3 years. The AD-230 is a drop in replacement with the improvements in it to help it last longer. Your replacement could be a AD-230, but if it is in fact a CS-130D, ditch it and get a new unit. And most shops will charge you more for a rebuild than you can buy a new one for from rockauto. Most shops won't touch a small auto style alternator anymore unless somebody wants a custom built one simply because of the cost to rebuild one. I know the shop by me won't do them because he can order in a brand new one for not much more than the parts to rebuild one completely if it needs anything more than just bearings, brushes, and regulator.
 
"Just" changing the front bearing is about annoying as it gets. Un soldering the 3 connections to get to it suuccks. You basically tear everything apart just to get to the bearing. And need a new rectifier by accident. If you want to get the most life out of it, buy the alternator that Ferm is saying, and keep running it till it squeals like a stuck pig. Then put it on with a new belt. In the fleets we could get 200,000 out of the cs130, about half the time. Luck of the draw I think. Definitely don't replace it with another one...easy upgrade and pays for itself.

You can try a little grease with a needle tip, just go easy, a little goes a long way. http://www.zoro.com/i/G2034715/?utm...rGDKItokpDnviZkXxlcWHtVShn3CiooGHEBoC7bDw_wcB
Everyone should have one of these for the $ they will save a lot of bearing time till you can get to it. Never a permanent fix, but buys some good time.
 
Ok, I think you have talked me into it. With the upgrade to AD244 would I need to change the "charge wire" or is my stock one big enough for now? I think that is recommended upgrade even for the CS130 isn't it? I see ~ 140 amp alternators as options so I assume its possible with OE wiring????

I do have a couple of small blunt hypodermic needles and syringes used for real precise lubing and may even have that needle with zerk. Is there a sealed bearing to inject into or is it a bushing? How would I lube it? Let it get warm and put a little grease right down on the shaft behind the pulley and let it draw some inward? Or take the pulley off and inject the seal if it has one?
 
Yes, upgrade alt charge wiring to batteries and grounds too if its just an alt upgrade, however if going to run lots of additional electrical accessories wiring to distribution block needs to be upgraded to handle the amperage.

The AD244 is an excellent choice.

The CS130D has fallen from grace to higher output larger case units I run two of them the original and the aux I had installed some years back never any problem. The big killer is that air is pulled from the back not the front of all these units to cool them this is why aftermarket sells blowers and ducting that attaches to the back of the units.
 
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Looking at the pictures online for a 2001 chevy are you sure its drop in bolt up or do I have to change the small bolt to through bolt and spacers? Mine has a cast ear and the Remy has a through bolt hole.


Oops on edit they both have the big through hole mountings but the 244 doesn't have that cast ear do I leave that bolt out? Is that a ground connection I should add to the case?
 

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Off topic but on topic, do not forget about the pulley size. You might have to swap them. I have seen several aftermarket units with smaller in diameter pulleys (I suspect a gasser unit?). I have always bought Napa because so far the pulleys have been the correct size so the tach reads correct.
 
To grease the front bearing pull the pulley of and you can reach in with the needle and penetrate the seal face pumping the grease into the sealed bearing. Use of an impact for the 15/16 nut is required to pull the pulley nut. I slip on a glove and hold the pulley with my hand to keep it from turning.

Remember whenever changing the alternator to re use or match up the pulley size from your 6.5 as the gasser pulleys are a different size and are more common. Having a spare 6.5 size pulley on the shelf at home is never a bad idea.
 
The REMY I referenced comes with the correct pulley as I have it on mine and the tach is fairly close(mine has never been right, high in some spots, and low in others). The CS130D fell from grace because it sufferred heating issues and stator and rectifier failures from the heating. It is hard to tell the difference between a CS-130D and an AD-230, only way I know of externally is the rear cover. Your current alternator should just use the 2 through bolts to hold the alternator on. It's been awhile since I messed with a 96+ 6.5L, so I don't remember if it used a rear support like the 95- did or not. I know gassers of that era only used the 2 through bolts. As for the wiring, it doesn't have to be upgraded. GM used the same charge wire for the 105 amp CS-130D, or the CS-144(the AD-244's predecessor, it was phased out because it used an external fan). The nice thing about the AD-244 is it uses the same exact plug in as your CS-130D does. I know my DURAMAX had the AD-230(the one that came after the CS-130D, on the outside they are virtually identical as they use the same cases), and I dropped in a AD-244 REMY brand over 5 years ago, and haven't had any problems with it. I like being able to run my 6 on headlights(high's, low's, and fog's), and both A/C's without having voltage drop even with my 600 RPM idle speed. I know the 105 amp job couldn't do it, heck it had a hard enough time keeping up going down the road.
 
schiker said:
I found this website that says I might need to bend the rear bracket away some and its not needed.

http://alternatorparts.com/ad230-ad244-series-high-output-alternators.html
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You need to try and keep the rear bracket if you have it. Unlike smooth running gas engines the vibration of a diesel engine will snap the alternator case in half without the rear support on the 1995 and older era at least. Brackets are difficult to keep from cracking and breaking on diesel alternators as it is. When they moved the compressor to the driver's side of the engine the loads and vibration from the compressor are no longer put through the alternator so YMMV.

Your bearing is making noise so it's too late for it to be re-greased. Damage has been done from running dry. Think random smoking alternator burn up taking the belt with it in your near future in a remote area or bad area of town. If the fusible link burns from a short as things come apart when the bearing completely lets go add that to the repair. Take GM's "warning" and act on it by replacing the bad part NOW. I had one alt "loose" the balls out of the rear bearing. Talk about some impressive 'do I need to call 911' smoke.

Local rebuilds: well the shops could be using cheap China parts specifically starter solenoids. Went through 2 local rebuild 6.5 starters that would spin the engine 3 of 4 tries and returned it for a refund.
 
THEFERMANATOR said:
The REMY I referenced comes with the correct pulley as I have it on mine and the tach is fairly close(mine has never been right, high in some spots, and low in others). The CS130D fell from grace because it sufferred heating issues and stator and rectifier failures from the heating. It is hard to tell the difference between a CS-130D and an AD-230, only way I know of externally is the rear cover. Your current alternator should just use the 2 through bolts to hold the alternator on. It's been awhile since I messed with a 96+ 6.5L, so I don't remember if it used a rear support like the 95- did or not. I know gassers of that era only used the 2 through bolts. As for the wiring, it doesn't have to be upgraded. GM used the same charge wire for the 105 amp CS-130D, or the CS-144(the AD-244's predecessor, it was phased out because it used an external fan). The nice thing about the AD-244 is it uses the same exact plug in as your CS-130D does. I know my DURAMAX had the AD-230(the one that came after the CS-130D, on the outside they are virtually identical as they use the same cases), and I dropped in a AD-244 REMY brand over 5 years ago, and haven't had any problems with it. I like being able to run my 6 on headlights(high's, low's, and fog's), and both A/C's without having voltage drop even with my 600 RPM idle speed. I know the 105 amp job couldn't do it, heck it had a hard enough time keeping up going down the road.
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Well I guess I stand corrected with the charge wire issue, I assumed if the fusible link was for a 105 amp gen/alt it was not good for higher amperage.

As overheating goes I never had this happen guess I'm lucky anyway I'm upgrading to larger gen/alts soon.
 
FellowTraveler said:
Well I guess I stand corrected with the charge wire issue, I assumed if the fusible link was for a 105 amp gen/alt it was not good for higher amperage.

As overheating goes I never had this happen guess I'm lucky anyway I'm upgrading to larger gen/alts soon.
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Starting in 96 GM went to the same charge wire for the 105 or 140 amp alternators. 95- used a different lug, but starting in 96 they were all the same. Some of the later model trucks use a fuse which needs to be chnaged if you go to a bigger alternator, but as far as I know all the 6.5's used a fusible link. As for alternators, I run a single AD-244, and have no issues powering everything. The DURAMAX uses a good bit more juice than the 6.5L does(I believe the 6.5L used about 12-15 amps to run it VS the DURAMAX using about 20-25 amps), plus I have dual A/C and a pusher fan on my condenser(keeps head pressures in check at idle), 35 watt lows and fogs, and 65 watt high beams, and never have voltage drop issues. Even with the travel trailer hooked up and it's batteries pulled down, I still don't have issues running everything with no voltage drop.
 
I guess the seals leaking too since the Liquid Wrench quieted the bearing. Also guess the Liquid Wrench spray cleaned more grease out as it was squealing louder this morning. I had to go buy an Oreiley's Ultima Alternator. Its a new AD244. Its supposedly made by an OEM with made in Mexico stickers. Looks decent but I still dislike paying big bucks for house brands ($169 local) My truck is all quiet again. Thanks for the advice to upgrade.

I slightly bent the rear bracket away and kept it. It just hit the plastic cover on the back of the AD244 before I bent it. I meant to say the website said the rear bolt is not needed as the Alt. case is bigger and beefier. The website did not say the bracket was not needed. Everything else was a direct fit. If your Serp. belt is real tight it might not fit afterwards but mine had just enough slack to reinstall.
 
JayTheCPA said:
Just curious, what size wire running back to the 7 pin? OE?
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Yep, the OEM wire running back for the trailer power and electric brakes. I have mine hooked to a 30 amp relay and used one of the studs at the underhood fuse panel to feed it. This way if I'm camping with it plugged into the BURB, it cannot drain the BURB's batteries down. But if I want to I can turn the key to accy, and they are connected.
 
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