hey folks...

i've been having a bit of alternator trouble for the past year or so, off and on, with the Lesabre. it's had 3 ACDelco remanned alternators on it since i've owned it (thank the Lord for lifetime warranties), and the 4th one is on it's way to me right now.

i was told that the last 2 alternators i sent back were putting out low voltage because of worn bearings. The last alternator i put on lasted roughly 2 months before dropping output to 11.5 volts. i didn't even know this could cause low output, but the parts house is blaming my belt or tensioner for "straining the alternator pulley". could a faulty tensioner really be the cause of 2, possibly 3 alternator failures? and if so, what all should i look into replacing just to be safe? i'm not sure if just replacing the pulley would suffice, or if the entire assembly could be bad...though i don't see how the assembly failing would cause too MUCH tension.

this car's going on vacation soon, and i'd love to get it reliable. any help or tips are appreciated!

_________________
call me Steve...

HAI, full 2.5" exhaust, resonator delete, Pioneer Audio, F17 transaxle, Toyo Versado LX 215/70/15's

If the tensioner is within the marks its not over straining the alternator.... I had an AC Delco alternator on the van.. I went with the newer style when I did the engine swap... As soon as i fired the van up the new alt was hot, took nothing for it to heat up... In a minute it was hot enough to burn you... 3000 Miles later it was failing... We removed it 2 hours after the van was shut off and it was still too hot to hold...

The second was not an AC delco and functioned exactly as it should.. Lately it seems that even AC Delco is not the best for Alternators

ah wow, sounds just about like mine. i waited a couple hours to remove this latest one, and it was too hot to touch. i had to use a towel to get it off the car, and pack it for shipping 30 minutes later. know of any way i can check out the tensioner to make sure it's good? i'm thinking these guys just don't want to take responsibility for their products failing. the tensioner pulley is loud lately, but wearing the alt bearing out in less than 4K miles? If the bearing failing from belt tension caused output voltage to drop, wouldn'tit of been a gradual decrease in output as the bearing failed? the drop in voltage was fast, over the course of a single drive to my gf's house. i'm calling

oh, if the bearing had been worn that fast on the alt, shouldn't i have noticed an increase in noise, or the pulley having some side to side movement?...cause there was none of either when i removed them.

_________________
call me Steve...

HAI, full 2.5" exhaust, resonator delete, Pioneer Audio, F17 transaxle, Toyo Versado LX 215/70/15's

I agree with you....

Sounds a lot more to me like the Regulator/Diodes in the alternator were failing...

maybe i'll get lucky and they'll send me a good one. would you happen to recommend any specific brand or vendor i could look into to if this next one fails?

any tips on things to check on to make sure it's not fault at my end?

_________________
call me Steve...

HAI, full 2.5" exhaust, resonator delete, Pioneer Audio, F17 transaxle, Toyo Versado LX 215/70/15's

Just make sure the alternator is not being overloaded.. Make sure the cables are clean and the battery is happy...

We have been getting them lately from my buddies BIL... He runs a parts store local to me... The alternator among other items is made By USA Industries iirc...

Autozone and advance aren't any better as far as their brand... Not sure what to tell you..

NAPA's Alternators are generally of high quality. They also have a good warranty.

_________________
Bye Bye:

RIP sandrock

alright, i'll double check all my connections and cables. the battery is brand-spankin' new. if this one fails, i believe i will go to NAPA...

thanks for the tips, guys!

_________________
call me Steve...

HAI, full 2.5" exhaust, resonator delete, Pioneer Audio, F17 transaxle, Toyo Versado LX 215/70/15's

Also another idea, if you have a place or a person that is dedicated to rebuilding alternators/starters you could take it there. Generally I've found that these shops are run by people who have been working at it for years and will rebuild your alternator with top quality parts (and only what needs to be replaced too, saving you money!)
.
.
.

_________________
-Dan
_


2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium • Super Black • Charcoal • VQ35DE • Bose • Factory HID • 5000k LED Int/Ext
_
__I n n o v a t i o n__T h a t __E x c i t e s

ah man, i hadn't even thought of that! that'd be a great idea...

have you had one rebuilt yourself, and if so did you have good luck with it?

_________________
call me Steve...

HAI, full 2.5" exhaust, resonator delete, Pioneer Audio, F17 transaxle, Toyo Versado LX 215/70/15's

I had the same issue on my 98 se, had to replace the battery cables and the cable ends as they were corrodied on the inside, after I did that I have not had an issue.

hope it helps

Please refrain from bumping up old threads - this one is from 2010.

Do feel free to start up your own topic on this in General Chat though!

_________________

Jerry /// Past: 95 SSEi (June 2010 COTM) -- 04 GXP (July 2011 COTM)
91 Honda Civic Wagon DX 2WD (fuelly) -- 208,000km -- 92hp -- Autocross Warrior
09 Lexus LS460 AWD -- 94,000km -- Daily Driver
09 White Hot G8 GT -- 155,000km (fuelly) -- LS3 Cam -- GM LS3 CNC Ported Heads -- Kooks 1 3/4" Long Tube Headers -- Solo Catback Midsection -- Hooker Maxflow Mufflers -- Pat G Tune -- Rotofab Intake -- Tein S-Tech Springs -- GXP FE3 Dampers -- BMR Subframe Cradle Inserts -- BMR Subframe Connectors -- Forgestar F14 Gold 18x9 +40 -- Michelin Pilot Super Sport 245/45/18 -- Maverick Man Carbon Fiber Spoiler