High output Alternator

[Midnight GA]

I was looking at MotorCityReman.com for high output alternators but they only went up to 2002. Is there a difference between a 2002 and the 2003 I have in my 3.4l GAGT?

[Jake]

After 2002 (03+) It changed.

No company makes HO alts, but I believe motorcityreman will make a custom one for 03+?

Do a search on Dominick Irragi" He does custom alts and priced one at I think 350-400 bucks? For my 03.

[Midnight GA]

So the people at Motor City said it was the same alternator and I could just order for the 2002. So I checked the autozone website and they have the same part number for the 2000 and 2003 alternators, but the 2004 is different. So I should be good to go with the Motor City one right?

[Jake]

Originally Posted by Midnight GA

So the people at Motor City said it was the same alternator and I could just order for the 2002. So I checked the autozone website and they have the same part number for the 2000 and 2003 alternators, but the 2004 is different. So I should be good to go with the Motor City one right?

Idk dude I have heard from numerous people here on the site that the different alt's started in 2003.... But like I said via pm, my dad has a totalled out 01 ga that we are going to swap the alt's on to make sure, but I don't think they are the same..(99-03)

[cardude007617]

one word of advice tho-
i have one from them and it kinda stinks at idle. BUT there is a good part to it. If you get a deep cycle battery (i have one from DEKA, if you want details ask; it was 115 bucks ) so since iv added that the lowest i see no matter how much crap i run at idle (ie rear defroaster, full headlights, full fan, system pounding hard) the lowest i see is 13.5 verses like under 12 with my old normal battery

[Midnight GA]

I was thinking of getting a yellow top or something. I'm gonna wait till I get everything installed first though. Did you replace your battery with the Deka, or did you add it as a second battery?

[Jake]

Originally Posted by Midnight GA

I was thinking of getting a yellow top or something. I'm gonna wait till I get everything installed first though. Did you replace your battery with the Deka, or did you add it as a second battery?

I dont think Paul has a second battery.

[SSRacer]

I have a yellow top and a mr. alternator high output alt and at idle with just my headlights, fogs and the brakes on, mine drops to 12

Thinking of getting this with my economic stimulus check:
http://www.db-starter-alternator.com...2003%20%208279

220 Amp and they say it is 115 at idle.

[Midnight GA]

Originally Posted by SSRacer

I have a yellow top and a mr. alternator high output alt and at idle with just my headlights, fogs and the brakes on, mine drops to 12


Thinking of getting this with my economic stimulus check:
http://www.db-starter-alternator.com...2003%20%208279

220 Amp and they say it is 115 at idle.

That sucks. I don't know anything about the company but that looks like a really good deal for a 220 amp alternator. Kind of makes me wonder if I should've bought the one from Motor City. How many amps is the alternator you have now and how powerful is your system?

[SSRacer]

The Mr Alternator one is a 160 amp, but they do not give an idle amperage.

My system is just a 1/2 farad cap, one sony xplod 800w amp and two sony xplod 10's.

At speed, I have no issues with everything going full blast. At idle, even with the system off, if my lights are on, my volts are down.

[Midnight GA]

Originally Posted by SSRacer

My system is just a 1/2 farad cap, one sony xplod 800w amp and two sony xplod 10's.

At speed, I have no issues with everything going full blast. At idle, even with the system off, if my lights are on, my volts are down.

Have you tried a different size pulley? If you only have issues at idle it might help. I was having the same problem but in a completely different car. It had a 150 amp alternator and about 800 rms watts of stereo and at idle with everything on and the stereo blasting, it was dipping down into the low 12's. I changed the pulley and no more dimming headlights. The lowest it dropped was 13.2V, and I didn't have the Yellow Top.

[SSRacer]

Nobody makes an overdrive pulley for our alternators. ZZP has one on their site so I ordered it, but it is actually slightly bigger than the factory pulley instead of smaller, so I returned it. And it wasn't a part mix up because it had OVERDRIVE etched into it.

[cardude007617]

Originally Posted by Midnight GA

I was thinking of getting a yellow top or something. I'm gonna wait till I get everything installed first though. Did you replace your battery with the Deka, or did you add it as a second battery?

its my main battery. EVERYTHING FREAKIN RUNNING i see like 13.5 or so, which means im maxxing out my alternator at idle, and running off of battery. go with the DEKA dude, you seriously wont dislike it. i love it.....cant beat 1000cca (the case says like 750 or w.e, but they meter at 1000+) for around $120

[ChaunB3400]

db electrical is the best bang for your buck., better then iraggi and ea (sorry nate)

[cardude007617]

meh, i paid 180 for mine and it does its job just fine. jake had one like i have in his SE and he was happy with it i beleive

[Midnight GA]

Well the alternator wasn't right. The guy at Motor City said it's rare, but some of the 2003's got the newer style alternator. I assume he meant the 2004 version. There sending me one that fits so if anyone is looking for a 2004, I assume they can get it for you.

As far as telling them apart, if you look at the single bolt hole where the bolt goes in on the side with the pulley, on the 99-03 version, the hole is threaded and the bolt just grabs these threads. On the version that I have this hole isn't threaded and the bolt goes through this hole, and grabs threads on the alternator bracket. This hole is also moved by about 1/4 inch so if you bolt down one side, the other side doesn't line up.

SSRacer - The pulley that came on the alternator Motor City had sent me was an overdrive pulley so maybe they might be able to help you with that.

One last thing I wanted to mention for anyone that might be looking for an Optima Battery. I ended up going with a D34/78 and after I bought it I noticed a marine version that looked identical but had a 6 month longer warranty. After some internet searching I read somewhere that the reason for this is that the battery tends to last longer when used for marine purposes, but aside from the fact that it's blue and doesn't have side terminals, these batteries are identical.

Thank you everyone for all your help. I know at least one person posted about wanting a HO alternator for their 2003 so if I have any problems fitting the new one, I'll be sure to post it.

[SSRacer]

Sounds like you have the same problem my wife used to have. She had a '99 Contour, but it was built in late '99 and some of the parts (like plug wires I found out) were from the '00 style. Kind of like the GA, just little tweaks that are just enough to piss you off when trying to work on it. I'm so glad it's gone.

I may check out motor city. I need to do something soon. I'm fine during the day, but the other morning it was dark and rainy. Had the headlights, foglights, wipers front and rear defrost on and when I came to a stop, my volts would drop to below 12.

[gthompson1245]

Before you get a bigger alternator!! Make sure you don't waste your money folks. That should be your last option. First swap out the stock 8 gauge battery wires for 4 gauge. If thats not working get a PowerCap. Are you all seriously unaware that they exist?

[Rosado]

Oh goody,, look what I have here......... Oh I cant do it...

gthompson1245 Didnt you realize that this post is from April???/



Cardude why are you even answering that question at all? Shame on you.. go to the corner......

[Rexter]

So you cant use an older style alt on a car thats equipped with a newer style? What all changes? The mounting, the harness or both?