I bought a CS130 Alternator and adapter lead to replace my 12SI.
I used the lead with a resistor in it, not being too concerned with the volts bulb, having a gauge.
This seemed to work fine on the day I fitted it, with the voltage gauge reading ~14v. Today (the next day after it working fine) there's no rise in voltage after the engine starts.
I've pulled the adapter lead and removed the resistor, resoldering the wire together. Now I'm getting a volts light, however it's not going out and the alternator isn't putting anything out. The belt isn't slipping, and the shaft of the alt is definitely turning (open bearing on the back face).
I even considered the possibility that since the CS alternators won't excite when the system is under ~10v by hooking up my other car with jump leads - still nothing.
Any suggestions on where to look next? I really don't want to have to mess about returning this alternator (shipping is b****y expensive!)
Which leads did you choose and which one did you snip? Might have snipped the wrong one?
The lead is 2 wires, there was a resistor on the L lead (used where there is no alt light to provide the resistance required by the CS alt) which I've removed and rejoined the wire.
No wires have been removed, and are connected to the pins referenced in the Ogre's cave
I realize this is of absolutely no help, but I had the exact same experience when I swapped a CS130 for the ancient alternator in my 1967 Fleetwood. It worked exactly once, and never again. It's been like that for a year. I haven't had the time to dig into the problem.
I have read in multiple places that lots of rebuilt alternators are junk and don't work or don't work for very long, and honestly that is my best guess. I did read several accounts of poorly made pigtails that have poor engagement on one side or another, so you might check that.
Alternators just aren't that complex and I'm pretty good with car electronics, so I'm leaning towards a defective alternator over my bad wiring. Because, quite frankly, it isn't.
Hmmmm... I've checked and double checked the wiring, and I'm pretty sure that it's making a good connection.
It's a Remy reman done in Mexico; I did have to replace the pulley as it was bent out of shape so I have to say I don't have absolute confidence in the quality of the reman....
Is there any way of testing a voltage regulator other than just seeing if it works?
Mine was just the s and L leads. So the second and forth lead where snipped. If you've bought a remanufactured unit, there's a real good chance it's already failed. It's hit or miss with that stuff. Is there a parts warehouse that can test it with a load on it?
Not to the best of my knowledge, and I have further read numerous accounts of parts store alternator testers showing good and the part still being bad. I don't actually think the VR is at fault - I suspect it's electronics inside the alternator that are suspect - like the rectifier diodes, etc. The things that actually start and produce voltage. I think they are weak sauce.
Incidentally, my CS130 was either a Remy or an ACDelco - I thought buying "the brand" would improve the quality. I think it did not.
Incidentally, my CS130 was either a Remy or an ACDelco - I thought buying "the brand" would improve the quality. I think it did not.
This makes me very unhappy as I had the same thought
I'm going to have one last double check of the belt and pulley (the pulley & fan are not keyed and whilst I am pretty sure they were on nice and tight it would be silly not to double check). Though I could clearly tell that the alternator shaft was turning, I suppose the its feasible that the belt or pulley are slipping silently and the alt was just not turning fast enough.
If there's definitely nothing wrong there I'll see what Rock Auto have to say about it.
[This message has been edited by Gandalf (edited 07-16-2015).]
While your voltameter is attached, run the car, hit the lights and watch for a drop, then spike in voltage. I've heard of led lights not pulling enough amps to trip on a regulator before. For that matter, turn the hvac blower all the way up too. The end result should be 14 volts after fluctuating.
That trick did work for me for several attempts (on my Cadillac), but oddly the GEN light never went out. Then it stopped working and the alternator never did anything again.
It's behaving like the belt is slipping but silently - When I had a look at it yesterday I did hear some very very slight chirruping from the belt so it's POSSIBLE I'm just an idiot
I've got Rodney's idler pulley on there too though, and it certainly feels fairly tight. Got some belt dressing spray too which definitely helped with the old alternator.
If it still doesn't work, there's an alternator rebuilding shop in Manchester which will probably be able to sort it - I mean the worst case should be a new rectifier and regulator which should be less than having a whole new alt shipped to me. It's really annoying that GM don't appear to have used this alternator design in Europe at any point
I got a new Bosch CS130 from Amazon for around a hundred US last year. Still haven't installed it.
The electrical problems sound like when my current alternator was left unplugged by the shop. The regulator plug was hanging loose under the alternator. The car ran, the light was out, but voltmeter basically only went down.
The chirping also sounds like the current alternator. The chirp became a squeal when cold or wet. At the same time the lights would dim and the car would be sluggish. The volts would basically only go down. Then one day there was a noticeable rpm-dependent whine. The next morning the battery was dead. Since then it appears to charge, but not as much as before and the battery goes flat in a hurry.
I attribute this to the belt being overtightened, but it ran fine for many months afterwards, with the exceptions of overcharging at highway speeds and eating at least one battery.
Someone said they solved the squealing problem by installing a heavier gauge wire to the dash light. In other words the squealing might be an electrical problem. Something like the alternator has trouble turning because there is no place for the power to go. Somewhere I read that this could happen if the main wire connection was loose or corroded.
When changing batteries I've noticed there is a pretty good spark, suggesting I also have a short or drain somewhere. Someone installed a thirty amp fuse for the fuel pump, radio, and heater/air conditioner when each should only be ten. This is why I hesitate to install the new alternator. They pointedly warn in the instructions that the battery and charging system need to be working properly before installing the new alternator. Conveniently lets them off the hook doesn't it?
I suggest checking the connections, recording a video of the alternator while running, and having the car charging checked at a garage with modern equipment. If everything still points to the alternator, I'd take it out and have it tested.
Got under the car yesterday and tried to re-tension the alternator; started it up and the light went out but the gauge was still reading low. Then the squealing started!
Turns out that the bolt which secures the alternator tension had stripped its threads. The reman alt has a helicoil insert on it, and I've got Rodney's bracket repair piece on there. The helicoil is towards the inner end of the hole so the bolt wasn't getting threaded fully and as soon as I started the engine it was working loose despite appearing to be tight. A new slightly longer bolt and it's good as new!
