AuroraGirl please write me an essay on alternators that will make me cry to read but will provide a lot of helpful understanding if I need a alternator in the future or just wanted to learn for fun haha because people do that
say no more, citizen
your existing alternator and your replacement if you went ahead and bought it are a CS130 alternator. they have nothign wrong about them as is, but they are not the best you can get. The alternator has a problem with heat. The rectifier bridge and the diodes IE the electronics on the back are the weak point and thats because of the cooling design. You can change the alternator a lot if you have a lot of heat underhood+loads. If you have an OE, which yours appeared to be, then it can also last a long time if you dont have any large demands on them. and the position allows it a lot of airflow compared to some designs. what you want is a 1994(maybe 1995.. maybe 96?) alternator which has no fan on the outside. You technically dont want that either, but the one you want looks a lot like it. You want a 1999+ AD230 alternator if yo uwant a stock amp alternator, with better idle
output, and a much more reliable and long lasting design because of the cooling enhancements.
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the limitation of the CS130, the heat killing the electronics, can be eliminated by a remote rectifier bridge setup. if it uses the same programming/logic as the onboard ones, it will be very similar to the AD series alternators minus a few features, none of which you will ever perceive or be able to realistically chart the change between the two if you were to conduct experiements(it would require a sample much larger than yourself to quantify across many conditions like this whole forum doing the same testing.)
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now if you ever want to cheat life in the future, you could do something such as the first one. its an AD230 in which the rear rectifier bridge of an AD244 (a 140amp alternator, vs 105 ofthe AD230) which the only benefit in doing so is doing the same amount of work with more surface area and I believe a bump in idle output but the same overall capacity. this would increase the longevity of the unit and if I was right on the idle bump, it would be a welcomed stock+ experience. (105 amp alternator with bump in idle output and overall increased lifespan)
"The CS130 and CS130D used a rectifier design that stacks the positive rectifier half right on top of the negative rectifier half. This stacked design caused both heat and electrical interference. This problematic rectifier design was not changed until the Delphi Automotive Systems AD series alternator was released."
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this is yours on the left vs the AD244 on the right the AD230 has the same design generally as that AD244 but would be dimensionally similar to the CS130 because of the 14mm difference in stators (CS130 and AD230 have the same diameter stator, AD244 is 14mm more than both.)
CS=Charging system
1=Generation
30 is 130mm
(note: cs144 exists, it would be the equivalent of ad244 as in 144mm stator)
AD=
Air cooled
Dual fan
2=Generation
30 is is 130mm, 144mm
I said 1=generation above, because the whole idea to comparing the AD series is meant to compare it to the CS130D which itself was made by Delphi not Delco-Remy and the core is the same as CS130 but they upgraded the case and fans. So its 130 as originally intended, just if you compare to AD230 it would seem its got a 230mm stator which is most definitely not true! Haha, the
idea is that they are dimensionally similar, the output is similar, its everything about how its setup and gets that output that counts
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MY VOTE:
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If you bought this new one new not rebuilt, keep it. Maybe in the mean time find yourself an Ad230 or AD244 in a junkyard and have it rebuilt or learn to do it yourself. I say junkyard simply because you may visit them from time to time anyway. If not,
they are not too bad to buy new online
Just note, 2003-2005 ish, I know for a fact you could potentially get a Denso or Bosch alternator built similar to these Delphi units, so I just wanted to warn you and say if the case looks dramatically different from what i posted with large cast in lines at 90 degree angles on the face where its smooth on the AD244 i posted, Meaning it makes a bullseye, thats at least a Denso, not sure about bosch. AD alternators often say something like this:
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ended up finding an example of the size difference
note=the alternator on your truck has a rear support bolt. I have read about people who upgrade to a larger alternator especially for output having issues breaking the ears on the trucks brackets. The cases are held together stronger on the newer alts so they are not as worrisome but if you have any concerns, fabricating something to support wouldnt be hard and could reduce any worry, otherwise a vortec that came with the alternators CS130 would be a source for a bracket, no idea about what it would take to fit incase it had other changes.
also note=to upgrade the alternator you would need to change the 4 wire plug or adapt it which is simple and cheap. the only purpose of your 1 wire is to excite the alternator.
The only change I would recommend is an Alternator S terminal wire added which is on the opposite side of the "larger" end of the plug on your current one. So 2 spots over from your wire. This isnt required but it can help the truck especially if there are voltage drop issues in wiring as the spot you run that wire to is the one that the alternator sends enough to make it read the voltage its intending for the system. For example, if someone had a battery charge wire go to the battery, then 14 connections later your dash reads the voltage, your voltage will be lower on the dash than a reading off the battery with a multimeter. If you wried to the spot the dash read from, it would be very close/match, while the battery would be higher. the intention is that something like headlights or a fusebox distant from the place the charge wire is at may have less to work with, and the draws from those may take longer for the alternator to react to the demand, thus maybe being a stumble in an engine, or lights going dim before they then brighten after catching up. Or things operate slower than they were able to when brand new. Things get corroded and GM had a tendancy to barely size the charge wire large enough for loads or inevitable time passing and age/wear. Cant blame them, but thats why people have recommended a charge wire upgrade if you went that way.
The case grounds are also wonderful ideas
