I saw on the site here that I can swap an S10 alternator into my 05 SC SS.. Anyone know what year or engine that should come out of?

Or are there any known substitutes with a little more amperage and is this even a good idea?

I ask because the s10 alternators are cheaper and higher amperage..

Thanks.

 

I've not heard of that before, but certainly doesnt mean its not possible. The one upside to the 3800 is it's such a common engine that there are several good alternator options out there.

Plenty of options out there for a higher output alternator, but you've got to be careful of the scam places.

Like audio amplifiers there are plenty of places thatll slap a crazy # on the cover and you'll never see that in the real world - in some cases having even worse output at idle.

The big 3 from the audio side are Ohio Generator, Iraggi, and Mechman. There are probably other good companies too, but those were just the biggest names for quality stuff when I was into car audio.

How much amperage do you need? As for if it's a good idea - it is a good idea if you've added a substantial amount of electrical draw (big car audio amplifiers being a common one) and your current alternator can't keep up with the steady state amperage draw. It's ok if its sporadically deficient, but you don't want a case where you have prolonged periods of net negative energy to the battery.

 

Not sure what amperage I need. Right now, everything (headlights being the worse) dim with the stereo playing. This is with just two 400W amps but soon well be adding two 1000W amps to it. So Ill have the two 400s and two 1000s. Honestly tho, thats not much of a concern at the moment. The two main issues are, 1. I need a new alternator because the bearings are shot and the squealing/whirring is unbearable. 2. I want to address the current dimming issue with the smaller amps I have. Should I need another upgrade when I upgrade the amps, Ill worry about that then. I would rather take the cheapest route at this point because the bigger amps can wait a few months, I dont think my current alternator can lol. Poor thing has put in its time and needs to be put out to pasture AKA scrap bin.

Here is the thread that mentions the s10 swap but the user was talking about a Toyota 3.4? Not sure what to make of it. The link takes you to a page that specifies GM 3x00 series engines.

Id really like to just go to the junk yard and find a cheap upgrade but not sure thats possible.

Ive also realized that batteries I buy usually are dead before a years time if that says anything.

 

I don't see a link for some reason.

The only OEM swap I've heard of is to a police package alternator (obviously off an Impala), but its not much of an upgrade. I think stock is 105 and the police ones are only like 125 since all of the electronics they add are lights and radios - nothing particularly high draw. Thats probably not going to be enough to even cover your current draw needs today.

The easiest way to figure out current draw is with an inductive pickup ammeter. It can be clamped around the wires to find out how much is being drawn. Some have the option for data logging which is helpful for music type draws in car audio as you can average over a period of time (since music output fluctuates, the amp draw isn't sitting pegged at max the whole time).

Without that, you can approximate it from fuse size on the items you added. I.E. if the amp has a 40 amp fuse, you know it can't draw more than that for extended periods. Rated wattage isn't particularly useful as manufacturers play so many games with the numbers. Some amps are wildly over-rated (ie cheapo 1000 watt amp with a 30 amp fuse) and others are under-rated.

If you've got 800w rms of power now, that's probably 60 amps of added draw (probably closer to 75 or 80 as that doesn't take into account amp efficiency as no amp converts 100% of electricity to sound). If you're using it hard, you really should have something beyond a mild upgrade even now - especially if you're killing batteries because you're draining them so much. That's more than a 50% increase over the stock electrical needs.

Id seriously consider at least an entry level high output unit from a major manufacturer. Of course the bad thing is you'll be back in the same boat again soon with the new amps added as thats another full 200 amps worth of draw so you may want to consider the "buy once, cry once" approach if you're serious about adding 2kw. Back in my car audio days, I ran that much power and more - and the electrical demands are on another level from what the stock vehicle is intended to provide.

 

Ok so for the time being im staying with the amps I have and go with entry level HO alt. These upgraded alts are not cheap, wow! Having just moved into a new house that needs a little work, its not the wisest decision to be spending that kinda money unnecessarily. Im sure I dont need to tell you how much a bathroom remodel is....

Anyway, I had to replace the one I had on the car. It went from a squeal to a gravel sound and got so hot it started smoking. This caused a problem tho. Every time the car drops down to idle, I get a battery warning. What would this indicate? The alternator I replaced it with is from an NA 3800 so I assume that has something to do with it just not sure what.

The odd thing is, the alt I removed has a visibly larger pulley. I would think that the new alt with its smaller pulley is spinning a bit faster even at idle so why the alert? While running, the alt is putting out 15V and on my meter im getting 13.7 to the system which is the same as the old alt. 15v testing directly on the alt and 13.7 from obd port.

EDIT: The voltage does not drop when I get the warning at idle.

 

It seems high at first, but in perspective of the total costs for a nearly 3kW system, its a fairly small % of the total investment.

I want to say the one I got for my 3100 was like $250 and that was 20+ years ago. That wouldn't have covered 2 sets of my main speakers or even half of one of my subs, so I just saw it as part of the cost of playing at the higher level (same with the larger gauge wires).


Not sure TBH. Curious why you changed to a l36 alt rather than getting a same replacement?

 

Just cause I had it here. Dont wanna buy an OEM while waiting for the upgraded one. Figured a known good (well, thought good) alt would be better than what was on there. Worried about getting stranded should that pulley decide to grenade or something. Questioning that decision now, however.

Would you think Ill be ok for the time being with this battery warning I get at idle? Puts out good voltage...