I just replaced the original on my '84

 

This describes my situation almost exactly, except mine has been doing fine for 5 years.

David

 

They oviously aren't junk. I just pulled my original off at 50K 17 years and it was still working fine. I will put it back on when I sell. I am running a power and amp pulley on the new one. I think a lot off people burn up alternators charging low/crappy batteries for long periods.

 

i agree with badduck; using the alternator to charge a drained battery is not a good idea
when i did my opti/waterpump had the alternator inspected and rebuilt by local shop (it had not failed yet); this was original alternator; car has 175000 kilometers (about 109000 miles) on it

 

I agree an alternator is a battery "maintainer" and puts a lot of load on it to charge a low battery.

But, I see posts where the original alternator has lasted a long time -- the important thing is the original was a NEW alternator and not a chain store rebuilt.
Also, from what I see, local rebuilt units seem to be done with quality components.
My original TownCar alternator never failed, but after 120K miles I decided to be proactive instead of reactive and replaced it with a chain store rebuilt because it was cheap. I had nothing but trouble with alternators for 2 years after that. Until, I decided to buy an ALL-NEW one for twice the money, then no problems for 5 years.

Even NAPA will sell you a cheap alternator with a lifetime warranty to compete with the discount auto stores.
When you go to NAPA, tell them you want a quality new alternator not the one they sell to compete with the chains.


Tom Piper

 

Thats less than 3K miles a year...I dont think thats a fair comparison to speak for them not being everyday driven units.Thats cool though,still like to hear who got what outta there cars.

Theres a reason for the Cs144 design,its designed to better to deal with the heat and hot engine temps the EFI type cars are run at.
My 95 3.8 minivan still has the original one,yet with new bearing installed when it made noise,and is nearing 180K miles now with no overhaul.It doesnt speak for all 144's but the mileage and longevity of the internals made me a believer,along with some other reports online.

Still glad to hear you got long life out of it though.I think also,I got alot of lousy rebuilds anyways when I had my Vette,so it just makes me think JUNK! -when I have to replace an alternator almost every year,and have a good battery,cables and etc in there.

 

At least they're easy to swap out on a C4. A lot easier than, oh, say, the darned spark plug wires.

 

Whenever I have issues with an alternator or starter, I just go to QuikStart, and they'll sell me brushes, bearings, bushings and anything else I may need. Or, if you haven't rebuilt your own stuff before he'll do it for you w/ parts included for $55. I haven't had any issues with any parts provided.

If I have any troubles with any alternators or starters, I just rebuild them. I don't make OT kind of money, so when my Town Car starter took a dump, I went and bought brushes for $15 and I cleaned up where they contact as well. Still works great.

See if there are any local shops that would rebuild(or upgrade) your alternator or starter if possible.

 

Mine has had 2 on it since i have has the car, and they were both Delco's

 

with only 26k miles on the car, your not driving it enough to keep the battery charged, and the alternator is killing itself trying to keep up.

Do you use a battery tender?

 

No I dont use a battery tender, I guess I will have to look into that. Thanks for all the input, sounds like there are several reasons for the failure and several avenues to pursue to try and prevent this problem.

 

mine just took a ****, an original 85 couldnt keep up with Michigan heat, how about that ? Its gonna cry when i take her to California.

Midas wants to sell me a NAPA alternator (1 yr warranty) and install it for a total of $395, including upgraded shipping since they dont have it in stock.

 

I bought a GM CS120 back in 1997 and it has worked great , even with the heat generated from the headers it has been fine. I will get another CS120 if this one dies.

 

I have been thru one. Car has 81251 miles on it now.

 

DO NOT do that... new alternators are not that expensive and you can replace it yourself in under an hour with no hassle. Just go to autozone and pick one up.

 

Details on the "small mods" required? And what models / years this alt. comes standard on?

 

I haven't had issues w/remans, I also keep the battery charged when not driving. You do need to look at the condition of the battery besides looking to only a alt. issue. I would buy the reman alt for around 100+ (reman), buy a FSM, install it yourself and you should still be ahead of the game. I bought a bosch re-man 2 years ago warrantied (life) at murries, is still good.

Wasn't there a sticky somewhere on upgrading to the zr alt?

 

I had the one on my 87 rebuilt at a local shop,works great.

 

I just rebuilt mine myself. I made certain the diodes had a good coat of silicone heat sink compound. I plan on keeping my battery charged when setting, lowering the engine cooling fan on temp, and replacing all the bulbs w/led replacements. With L.E.D.s there are a few precautions you have to take. For instance the polarity of the bulbs has to be correct, refrain from jumping or being jump started, and have a spare battery bolt to go into your - or + terminal so you can remove the cable when charging. L.E.D.s bulbs don't like much over 15.5 volts. I guess that is depending on the bulbs you get. I have replaced all my interior festoon bulbs, and the festoons under the hood. They are much brighter, and draw less than 1/64th the current. You can change most the bulbs in a C4, but forget about the headlights, and foglights. They do make a decent L.E.D. bulb for your backup lights, and you will have to replace your signal stat flasher unit with one that isn't current reliant. Yes I found out the hard way about the voltage. I didn't realize my battery charger was putting out almost 17 volts. The bulbs under the hood self destructed. Still, even with the stock incandesants, if your battery is charged, your belt isn't slipping as stated by Chris above, and you cool the engine compartment down. You should still be in good shape. I have to agree "all alternators are not created equal" . Some of those rebuilds, need to be rebuilt.

 

Mine lasted for a long time....of course I don have installed the the support bracket that goes back to the header bolt!