Alternator swap

chakis24 · February 1, 2012

yep, I did this same swap on my 2003 truck when I put electric fans. Direct swap except for the belt. If they have trouble identifying the alternator or belt (most auto part store people would be lost without their computer), just tell them it's for a same year Cadillac Escalade with a 6.0L or a Denali.

why would the belt change? i ask because mine didnt change- i just used the same one that was on there. its been over a year now and i havent had any issues.

tesnoboy · February 1, 2012

yep, I did this same swap on my 2003 truck when I put electric fans. Direct swap except for the belt. If they have trouble identifying the alternator or belt (most auto part store people would be lost without their computer), just tell them it's for a same year Cadillac Escalade with a 6.0L or a Denali.

why would the belt change? i ask because mine didnt change- i just used the same one that was on there. its been over a year now and i havent had any issues.

I've seen it be a different size on some parts sites between the different size alternators.It was also asked of me when I was getting new belts and tensioners for my truck. I have the 105 alt.

nickvrebel · February 1, 2012

yep, I did this same swap on my 2003 truck when I put electric fans. Direct swap except for the belt. If they have trouble identifying the alternator or belt (most auto part store people would be lost without their computer), just tell them it's for a same year Cadillac Escalade with a 6.0L or a Denali.

why would the belt change? i ask because mine didnt change- i just used the same one that was on there. its been over a year now and i havent had any issues.

the belt changes because the alternator's case is a different size. The pulley is the same size, but the case is a little larger. It still fits the mounting bracket, but it pushes the pulley out a little more.

If you didn't have to change your belt you either had a stretched belt (unlikely) or the part store sold you a reman alternator that was originally a 105 amp that was wound by the rebuilder to a higher amp rating - depending on "test methods" used an alternator's amp rating can vary. The alternator I used was a GM original part from a wrecked truck.

chakis24 · February 12, 2012

why would the belt change? i ask because mine didnt change- i just used the same one that was on there. its been over a year now and i havent had any issues.

the belt changes because the alternator's case is a different size. The pulley is the same size, but the case is a little larger. It still fits the mounting bracket, but it pushes the pulley out a little more.

If you didn't have to change your belt you either had a stretched belt (unlikely) or the part store sold you a reman alternator that was originally a 105 amp that was wound by the rebuilder to a higher amp rating - depending on "test methods" used an alternator's amp rating can vary. The alternator I used was a GM original part from a wrecked truck.

thats probably what it was then. it was a remanufactured ac delco from autozone or advance auto (cant remember which). i couldnt find a new alternator and i didnt think of checking junk yards.

spankrz · February 12, 2012

the 145a will do fine with any system you run. mine came factory with a 145. at one point i was running a memphis mc1.1100 class d amp that read 1475 watts rms @2ohms on the birth certificate, with a jl 12" w7. a pop can would hop up and down on the top of the cab i was running 4ga welding ground lead for hookup wire, and had a little 1.5 farad cap on it. it would just bareley dim the lights.

z71MudDog · February 12, 2012

i wouldnt put a 145 in place of a 105 or whatever you had originally.it could put out too much voltage and mess some stuff up. go to auto zone .com put in your truck and see what kind of alt's they have. you dont want to over charge any of your stuff and it may do something to your dist and things like that

txab · February 12, 2012

i wouldnt put a 145 in place of a 105 or whatever you had originally.it could put out too much voltage and mess some stuff up. go to auto zone .com put in your truck and see what kind of alt's they have. you dont want to over charge any of your stuff and it may do something to your dist and things like that

You really don't understand electrical systems.......

Going to a larger capacity amperage alternator will not cause a problem

z71MudDog · February 13, 2012

and if the battery gets over charged what happens?!

00Silverado4x4 · February 13, 2012

The alternators of our vehicles all have a charging voltage of ~13.5 VDC. Voltage is the force being "pushed" through an electrical circuit. Amperage is only what the system will be "drawing" from the electrical system so the alternator rating only denotes what it makes available to use for the system. Just have to make sure the alternator is turning at the right speed (pulley size) so it can charge like it was designed. The battery will not be overcharged if the "new" alternator is putting out the proper voltage.