Reman alternators are JUNK!

[PlayingWithTBI]

My wife's 2015 Escape Titanium's battery died last summer, I had to take the windshield wipers and cowl off to change it. I buy the best quality I can get so I don't have to do that as often but, the heat (and all the electronics) here will give them an early grave.

 

[stutaeng]

Fair enough 10 years, not 20. I've heard and watched videos comparing batteries and they say there's just 2 battery manufacturers who supply all the brands under different stickers.

I can't find any aftermarket batteries that have anything longer than 3 year warranty. Maybe try OEM battery at the dealership? Maybe manufacturers get a "special spec." or something?

Anyway, my question was regards to unknowingly killing an alternator with seemingly good, but weak battery.

In the time with my cheap AutoZone battery my alternator did go out and I replaced it with a busted junkyard 6.0 I have collecting dust. The battery was fairly new then, but have no idea howh to check. The old one looked aftermarket, and it's just sitting in my bench. I considered ordering a rebuild kit from ebay, but have never done that.

 

[Erik the Awful]

The Optima in my Mustang died last week. I drove to the hardware store and back, and it was suddenly stone dead. That one lasted about twelve years, but it cost $180. I replaced it with a Whama-lart special for $90. I have three other Optimas that lasted less than three years waiting for my next recycling run.

I don't believe that weak batteries kill alternators, unless your battery continually pulls more amperage than your alternator is rated for. I think more likely the current crop of alternators is filled with over-rated parts.

 

[Schurkey]

I don't believe that weak batteries kill alternators, unless your battery continually pulls more amperage than your alternator is rated for. I think more likely the current crop of alternators is filled with over-rated parts.

Of course a weak battery can kill an alternator. That's not the ONLY thing that kills them, and it depends on how the battery is "weak".

A battery that won't hold a charge, constantly demands heavy alternator charging current. Heavy charging current puts a greater load on--everything--in the alternator--diodes, wiring, brushes, heat sinks, etc. It also tends to boil the water out of the battery, and folks were never good about refilling batteries with water, even in the days before "sealed" and "Low maintenance" batteries became a selling point. Similarly, a battery with a parasitic drain needs the same heavy charging current, with the same results.

Point being, a stupid little parasitic drain can kill both battery AND alternator, and it's hard on the starter, and the ignition too. So, yeah, older cars with electro-mechanical clocks can have the dashboard clock kill the entire starting/charging electrical system. Thousands of years ago, that was common. Working properly, the clock would draw pulses of power from the battery--not enough to be concerned with. Let's say one-second pulses, about every minute-and-a-half. Duty cycle of 1 in 90, near to 1%. Took weeks, maybe months to drain the battery if the car wasn't driven. When the clock failed, those "pulses" of power became constant, duty cycle of 100%, and then the complaints started. Yes, people got pissed when you told them that you could install new battery, or new alternator, or both, but they were still going to have to fix the clock or they'd be right back where they were now.

We used to cut the wires on a lot of clocks because the cheapskate owner wouldn't pay for a proper repair.

Please note that I am NOT saying that you can't buy a defective replacement alternator, or that "rebuilt" or "new" alternators aren't made to a price-point and quality gets sacrificed. I'm saying that a LOT of "faulty" alternators--or starters--or batteries--or whatever--were fine before they were installed on a faulty vehicle, where the Tech failed to do a proper, THOROUGH diagnosis.

 

[scottydl]

AC-Delco is a sales organization, not a manufacturing organization. They have four "lines" of parts. (Advantage, Professional, OEM, and "something else".) The lower-end lines are the SAME stuff you can get under fifty other brand names, sourced from whatever hell-hole is cheapest this month. Only the "OEM-quality" line is the "real" quality line; and even then you have to be careful.

How would I know which version I'm getting when ordering online, from Rock Auto for instance?

What "process/equipment" does Advance Auto have? Far as I know, the only things they test would be the alternator, battery, and starter motor, and they do that testing off-the-car so none of the vehicle wiring is tested. Are you saying you had them test the alternator, battery, and starter?

Yes - they have a portable tester that connects to the battery, that supposedly tests all three (starter included). My battery has always tested fine, except this time... but it was almost totally dead from running the car several miles with no charge from the alternator. It was also ~5 years old and cheapo Auto Zone (Valucraft) model anyway, so it was replaced too. When I removed the alternator, Advance wanted to bench test it inside the store. They've got a rolling testing station just for that purpose, but the employee couldn't get it to work right. It was clear he did not have much experience using it. So he ended up just warrantying out the part anyway.

 

[Old77]

How would I know which version I'm getting when ordering online, from Rock Auto for instance?

When ordering from Rock Auto they'll designate the part as "GM Original Equipment" and it'll be on the more pricey end of the parts offered the majority of the time. With that said, the added cost is worth it and still usually cheaper than the parts store prices by a significant amount. For years now I've bought AC Delco "GM Original Equipment" exclusively (whenever possible at least) for all my GM vehicles and they've never let me down. I stay away from the cheaper AC Delco lines just like any other brand but the GM Original Equipment line is good stuff.


EDIT: so when I got on Rock Auto and look for your 95 Suburban c2500 with 454 the GM Original Equipment alternators for you are either ACDELCO 3211037 or ACDELCO 3211035 depending on the amps you're looking for. Another option is to look up those part numbers on eBay and see if you can't get lucky and get a NOS part that's brand new rather than re-manufactured. Rock Auto lists the alternate OE part numbers in their listing. It's probably a very slim possibility of finding a NOS alternator but worth a shot and only takes a couple of minutes to find out.

 

[Schurkey]

How would I know which version I'm getting when ordering online, from Rock Auto for instance?

MAYBE you don't. Maybe they advertise it as "AC-Delco Advantage" (low-line) or "AC-Delco Professional" (mid-grade) or "AC-Delco OEM" (top line).

I'm still bummed that I can't find a reference to Delco's fourth "line" of merchandise.

Yes - they have a portable tester that connects to the battery, that supposedly tests all three (starter included).

When I removed the alternator, Advance wanted to bench test it inside the store. They've got a rolling testing station just for that purpose, but the employee couldn't get it to work right. It was clear he did not have much experience using it. So he ended up just warrantying out the part anyway.

Yep, having the tools is half the battle. The other half is knowing how to use them. I find it's very common for the parts-store counterman to NOT have any idea how to bench-test stuff using the store's own equipment.

And I'm really surprised they could properly test the battery/alternator/starter "on-the-car", 'cause that's ten times harder than testing any one component "Off the car". Did they give you a print-out of the test results that you could scan 'n' post?

 

[Old77]

And I'm really surprised they could properly test the battery/alternator/starter "on-the-car", 'cause that's ten times harder than testing any one component "Off the car". Did they give you a print-out of the test results that you could scan 'n' post?

Those guys have a hand held device for testing the equipment on the car so it's super easy. They should also have a machine that will walk them through bench testing the equipment off the car. If they don't know how to use that then 1) they're probably not the sharpest tool in the shed and 2) their manager is too lazy to train them. Neither one is that hard to accomplish either in or out of the car with the equipment they're provided.

 

[Schurkey]

AC-Delco is a sales organization, not a manufacturing organization. They have four "lines" of parts. (Advantage, Professional, OEM, and "something else".)

I'm still bummed that I can't find a reference to Delco's fourth "line" of merchandise.

Delco's fourth line is "Specialty".

ACDelco gold-label SPECIALTY parts are engineered to OE expectations for exceptional applications that require enhanced performance, including police vehicles.

 

[454cid]

Delco's fourth line is "Specialty".

I've never run across parts labeled that.... maybe that line is mostly slotted/drilled rotors?