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Offline Chris

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ALTERNATOR?
« on: June 21, 2005, 06:08:44 PM »
1997 GMC K1500 Z71 P/U 350

Measured across battery terminals...right at 12V.  Rev'd engine...no increase in voltage.  Turned on lights, a/c, etc...voltage across the terminals continue to drop with each additional load.  Terminals, wire and connections all good.  Got to be the alternator...right?

Anyway...what amperage alternator is OE?  Does it hurt to install a new or rebuilt 140amp alternator...if the truck came new from GMC with a 105amp alternator?  Any real difference between rebuilt or new...more than a few buck$ difference...but not astronomical.

Advice please.  THANKS guys!

...Chris   :D
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Offline Siskiyou

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ALTERNATOR?
« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2005, 06:53:52 PM »
Chris:  I went into NAPA in Redding and got a NAPA rebuilt.  There is major warranty difference when you get their brand name rebuilt.  When you get a NAPA brand replacement any NAPA store will make good on the warranty.  They brought out a machine and tested the original in my Z71 and it was not working.  That I knew.

Two years later I was out hunting and the replacement started to fail.  I drove up to NAPA and they brought out their machine and tested the alternator.  It needed replacing.  They gave me the correct size and I replaced it their parking lot.  Not bad people to deal with.  In fact they tried to upgrade me for free.  But the upgrade was to large to fit in the frame of the 350 1/2 ton Z71.  It was for a 3/4 ton which has a larger frame for the alternator to fit into.

My hunting partner is an independent mechanic and he is happy dealing with them.  The cost to me was my time replacing the alternator.
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Offline WD45

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ALTERNATOR?
« Reply #2 on: June 23, 2005, 04:10:05 AM »
Pull it off and have it tested at the parts store.  A bad battery can cause odd problems that appear to be other things. Normally installing a higher AMP rating will not hurt anything and may be needed if you are running a lot more electronic gear than what the truck came with factory..
Installing a lower AMP rating would be a bad thing.
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Offline IntrepidWizard

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ALTERNATOR?
« Reply #3 on: June 23, 2005, 04:20:21 AM »
Check your belts ,see if they missing,loose or slipping.
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Offline Chris

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ALTERNATOR?
« Reply #4 on: June 23, 2005, 02:14:09 PM »
Yup...the alternator.

Napa closed so I took it to Kragen to test...they told me it was probably the battery.  Wrong!  

Installed a new alternator...fifteen minutes and I'm back on the road.

Thanks for help/advice guys.

...Chris   :D
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