Last night the alternator in my '87 El Camino started whining, and the voltage gauge started going from low to normal, and then just stayed low. The car still ran and started fine, the lights were a little dimmer than usual though. I'll be troubleshooting this tomorrow night, but I think it's probably the alternator gone bad.

In preparation to get another alternator (if it's bad), I did some searching here and read some links that were posted. I'd like to upgrade to a CS130 or CS 144 alternator. What vehicle applications have you used when upgrading to this type of alternator? Which wire conversion adapter will I need to use since I have a volt gauge as opposed to a dummy light?

This might help. Rick





alt. conversion (http://www.montecarloss.com/community/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=493219#Post493219)

That link did help, thanks! It seems like quite a few links I have read have pretty much the same info, but there will be 1 or 2 things that are helpful information from each one.

Anyone have opinions on going with a CS144 as opposed to a CS130? Any personal experiences with using and installing either one of these alternators?

I completed this alternator upgrade a couple days ago and I am satisfied with the results. I decided to make my own wiring adapter to go from the stock SI style wiring harness to the later model style CS alternator, because I didn't want to order one online and wait for it to arrive. I checked the local GM dealerships and they stated that the AC Delco and GM part numbers for the wiring harness adapter that I found online doing my searches, were not "good" numbers. I had difficulty tracking down the correct resistor to make my own wiring adapter, but finally found it at Fry's. I got the wiring harness plugs from my local Kragen, along with the new alternator itself. I could have used the original alt bracket simply as a spacer, however I didn't like leaving the back of the alt unsupported so I had a buddy of mine weld one up for me. I used a larger bolt to mount to the upper alt bracket, which required me to file down the slot with a hand file in order for the bolt to fit. Take a look at the following pics and let me know what you think.

New bracket compared to original
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b5/K5Cruiser/alternatorupgrade001.jpg

Comparison of old SI alt with new CS alt and bracket
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b5/K5Cruiser/alternatorupgrade003.jpg

New CS alt mounted
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b5/K5Cruiser/alternatorupgrade004.jpg

Looks good. What's the amp. rating on that one? Rick

It's 140 or 144. I've read it as both ratings in different places. Either way, it's alot and more than I need at this time.

Got any pics of the plug conversion.

Possumz, that post is close to 2 years old (3 /2008). The K5Cruiser has not been active in over a year............Ken :beer:

You may want to check these guys out for quality and solid information. I'm running their products on two rides and quality is the game.
http://www.pa-performance.com/

One thing to think about if you double the amp capacity of the alternator, is the big wire running to it. The usual #10 wire is OK for a 63 amp for example, but for something over 100 amps, that wire is too small.