Alternator Burnout

[Itsanemergency]

Hi All,

I have been burning out alteranors on my 84 about every 6 months. Any idea what could be causing this (other than cheaply remanufactured alternators). Somebody said it could be the computer or something.

Thanks!

 

[Ken]

C4s are notorious for eating alternators - the underhood temperatures wear them out early. There are several alternatives on the market now, such as the Iceburg Alternator that you can use that'll ease the tension of wondering when your alternator is going to die.

 

[Itsanemergency]

That looks like a great idea. Thanks!

 

[tyrel]

For several years, I too dealt with the horribly finicky cs130 alternator on the C4.

I tried the iceberg cs130 alternator a couple of years ago and raved about it...until two months ago when the rear bearing went, after only 6,000 miles of careful driving. Sparks, smoke, etc. were shooting from the back of the alternator. I thought that with the purchase of the iceberg that my alternator replacement days were long over, boy was I ever wrong.

I just bought a Bosch remanufactured alternator, had to special order it, it's probably the best alternator around with a price to match its reputation. It wasn't cheap, but it came with a roadside assistance warranty. It's still too early to tell whether this one will crap out as well, we'll see. I'm getting tired of this alternator burnout problem.

 

[Itsanemergency]

Thanks Tyrel. The roadside assistance seems like it might be worth it! I'm going to look into both. I'm still having a hard time with the fact that they just don't seem to work at all (but I'll get over it). Why would you ever have to buy a part that comes with a guarantee that there's a guy standing by waiting for you to call when it breaks.

 

[dzierke]

I've gone thru a few alternator's over the years. Finally took it to a local rebuilder. They put new brushes, bearings & a heavy duty regulator w/oversized heatsinks. Haven't had a problem since. Going on 3 years & 50K on this rebuild.