yotaman88210 Posted October 13, 2006 Report Share Posted October 13, 2006 1995 Cavalier 2.3 Quad 4 HO -90,5xxx miles I put a new alternator on last January-2005- and I honestly havent driven the car much in the last year, untill recently. The past two months I have had it out more, like 4-5 times a week. But anyway, last friday I put another new alternator on (lifetime warranty free replacement from napa) and I think I have driven the car less than 10 times since. Last friday after putting the new one on, the little battery light was still flashing. It didnt stay on, but on the drive home it was flashing every once and a while. Last night I barely made it home cuz it died on me again. Did the same exact thing as last week when it died. I am trying to figure out why... this is all I can think of. 1.) I switched the pully that came on it with an underdrive pully. It weighs alot less but it is a little larger in size so that would mean less revolutions. I think I'm going to start by switching back to the one that came on it. 2.) I was in a hurry when I put it on last week with my buddy and I had him slip the belt on while I turned the automatic tensioner. I didnt really check to see how tight the belt was. Maybe the automatic tensioner is getting weak and not supplying enough pressure the keep the belt tight and give me juice? Maybe it is slipping on the crank cuz it is not tight enough? 3.) Or maybe the wiring is bad from the alt. to the battery. But if this was the case then I figure it would not have worked for the less then 10 times I drove it this past week. What do you guys think? How would I Check the automatic tensioner? It did take some effort to pivot it to get the belt on. But I dont know if it is as strong as it should be. Let me know what ya think!!! THANKS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1647545494 Posted October 13, 2006 Report Share Posted October 13, 2006 you need to use the correct size pulley, increasing the size of the alternator pulley without decreasing the size of the crankshaft pulley can cuase premature wear. have you checked the battery yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yotaman88210 Posted October 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2006 I'm pretty sure the battery is cool. Its the red top gel filled one. It holds the charge fine when it gets it. So if I switched the pully back would it be ok to keep using this one or do I need to get it replaced. I put less than 300 miles on this new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tractor Posted October 13, 2006 Report Share Posted October 13, 2006 I"m not sure about increasing wear. I think your thinking of it backwards because if its got an underdrive pulley it would spin slower which would help the engine turn the part increasing horsepower. If it were an overdrive pulley it would be a smaller than stock pulley and would make it spin faster which would lead to faster wear, but it still shouldn't wear out that fast. More on the underdrive system. If it does have an underdrive pulley then it will spin slower and and would not charge as well as it would with the stock pulley. This would be especially noticable at idle or under heavy load from lights and a large sound system. Evan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yotaman88210 Posted October 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 Alright well I'm gonna put the stock OE pully back on and see if that makes a difference. I just hope the alternator is still in working condition.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90_EAGLE_TALON Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 Was the battery fully charged when you installed the alternator? This can cause alternators to go bad if they are installed with low or dead battery. Same as if you check the alternator by taking the battery terminal off to see if the engine will stay running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rice Eater Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 You should never test the alt by pulling off the cable while it's running! Go to Autozone or Advance and they will test it for free, don't fry something else trying to save 15 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90_EAGLE_TALON Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 That is what I just said in my previous post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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