alternators hit or miss?

[greylee]

i read either somewhere on this site of vfaq that the autozone alternators for dsms are either hit or miss and ever since i installed my new one is when i began to have all my belt troubles , is this what they mean by hit or miss? has anyone ever heard of alternators locking up ?


im aware now that my balancer is going to need to be replaced but the balancer moving a little bit would not make a clean snap of the belt ....it would make it fall off and get eaten up , am i right?


so for it to be a clean snap the only thing i can think of is something has to be locking up while the other 2 wheels are still pulling .


anyone read anything about this , have any info or etc.....



MODS : THIS IS A DIFFERENT QUESTION , PLEASE ALLOW 24 hours before merging with my other post , these post are very helpful to me and i am very grateful.

 

[nlzn]

If the alternator locks up you'll know it (mine basically caught on fire).

Are you sure you're putting the correct tension on it? If you've had more than one alternator and they are doing the same things with the belt it ###### isnt the unit, it's probably your tension strength or bent bracket.

Also if you preload the tensioner too much the set screw can be in too far and hit the underside of the belt causing it to wear very fast and snap in the same day (i've seen this happen recently)

The autozone stuff (usually Bosch remanufactured has a limited warranty. If you suspect the alternator is bad take it back and have it tested. I personally have a voltmeter so I can check the voltages real time while driving but without one you'll have to pull it)

 

[greylee]

no , it wasnt mutliple alternators , idk i just dont get how the belt being to loose could cause it to snap , i invision it falling off in that scenario and then gettng spagetti'ed by the spinning pulleys .

 

[da1sexmonk83]

If your going to get a new alternator make sure to ask for the one for the 2g spyder 2.4 liter motor, unlike all the turbo model 2g alternators it is 90 amp, a good upgrade from out 60 amp crap ones. I know it doesn't help this issue much, but mine was under warranty and I took it back in and told them their computer had the wrong alternator listed for my car and they gave me the 2.4 one without question.

 

[kergilman]

Just never trust thier "rebuilt" alts. Mine saw about 3k before the bearing starting whining and ticking louder as I put a load on it (brake lights, headlamps, etc.)...