3G Alternator Question

chillman88

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IMO the only thing to buy from Napa is the gold oil filters,batteries and belts.

Everything else is the same crap the other places have but with inflated prices.

That situation may be starting to rectify itself. I know of two nearby Napa stores that have switched to Carquest. The franchise owners might actually be starting to catch on.
 

IDIoit

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if youre still running v-belts, save yourself from a week of agony by installing a GM 1 wire from summit racing.
this can be done very easily. and eliminate belt slap.

convert to hydroboost and delete the vacuum pump all together!

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Mulochico

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At least autozone gives you a roadside guarantee of their part fails.

Stopped using Autozone years ago. They earned the nickname "Neverlast" in my experience. I guess it is all a crap shoot anymore.

I bought a highly recommended (on this site, from San Jose area) starter for my '90. 12 month warranty. It lasted 13. I decided on O'Reilly for easy replacement. It lasted 3 years (I am always having to shut off and restart the truck for various reasons so I am ******* starters). Easy swap out and warranty exchange.
 

IDIBRONCO

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if youre still running v-belts, save yourself from a week of agony by installing a GM 1 wire from summit racing.
this can be done very easily.
I'm considering doing this myself. I have a friend who did this on his 68 F150 and he LOVES it.
 

IDIoit

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I'm considering doing this myself. I have a friend who did this on his 68 F150 and he LOVES it.
the ease of replacement, the availability, the price, the fact that its 1 wire, it either works or it don't..
the only con is, you gotta want it and work for it.
really not that hard. just time consuming.

I have one on every car and boat I own.
but this is a first for me... running it off the driveshaft!

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tradergem

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When I switched to a 3G alternator on my truck it didn't want to charge very well while driving around town. I found out my new alternator had a voltage regulator that was set to start charging at a faster rpm than what my truck was turning it while at idle or below 25 mph. Since I installed a voltage regulator that was set to charge instantly I have had no problems. Just one more thing to consider when doing a 3G upgrade.
 

chillman88

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Hey, if it works! And apparently it does.:Thumbs Up I doubt that I would have thought of that one.

Mel (Agnem) has a matching truck bed trailer for one of his trucks that he hooked an alternator up to the pinion so as the trailer gets towed down the road it charges the trailer batteries. Pretty darn slick!
 

Greg85

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Mel (Agnem) has a matching truck bed trailer for one of his trucks that he hooked an alternator up to the pinion so as the trailer gets towed down the road it charges the trailer batteries. Pretty darn slick!
Back to the original question of 12.4 v at startup,then going to 14.2 after a moment of running. If the glow plugs cycle every start like mine do, the volts wi be down til the GPS cycle off.
 

BR3

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Yea but on an idi the gpc cycles off almost immediately after the truck starts.

As for a quality "drop in" replacement electrical component

https://www.dbelectrical.com/produc...ckup-van-97-04-4-0-explorer-ranger-95-01.html

Good quality rebuilders right here in my state of TN. I'm running their high torque starter right now, and I found a deal on Amazon for one of their rebuilt alts for $20 shipped (open box). But even without that deal, they have great prices.

Or, you could go hog wild with this

https://m.autozone.com/batteries-st...alternator-dl2408-18-6/616349_1359172_0_11958
 

Kizer

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new alternator had a voltage regulator that was set to start charging at a faster rpm than what my truck was turning it

I'm pretty sure that the problem with the THREE bad ones from NAPA had screwed up / mis-wired regulators ... I can't think of anything else that would cause the type of problems that they were having.
 
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Booyah45828

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I don't see how you could miswire a regulator. It only bolts in one way and that's that.

If it happens again, take it apart and swap a regulator from a junkyard alternator on it.

I've seen more issues with rectifiers though. Typically the diodes will be cheap and fry.

Truthfully, if you have the time, I recommend rebuilding 3g alternators yourself. The parts are available and are typically cheap. It doesn't really require special tools to rebuild either.

The problem is, that most people don't, so to the parts store they go.
 
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