Spring cleaning part 2 update

[turbo chris1970]

Well guys , one thing I left out in my first post about my dilemma was when I changed the alternator and battery I fired up the car and I heard a horrible squealing
Noise coming from the alternator and the unit itself got very hot to the touch after about 1 minute so at first I thought maybe the belt was too tight but that's hard to do with a serpentine belt so for a second I thought the pulley between the AC , and the alternator was the cause so I took the alternator out and spun the pulley and no noise!!! So when the RPMs are up before I go into 2nd gear the noise is loudest and so on with the next shift luckily I'm taking the alternator back and getting another so anybody out there please give me advice on what brand of alternator,how many amps also the pulley btw the bearings sound shot and this piece of crap was made in Mexico and said AC DELCO on the casting go figure!!!! Please friends give me your honest opinions,I'm not a mechanic but I know this car like no other car I've owned I just can't figure this out April is here and the kirban BBQ get together is soon and I can't miss it this year thank you guys peace,chris

 

[Audiowizard]

If I am not mistaken, the original AC Delco units are old cores rebuilt in Mexico if it comes from Autozone, Oreilley, etc...

 

[626gn]

Well guys , one thing I left out in my first post about my dilemma was when I changed the alternator and battery I fired up the car and I heard a horrible squealing
Noise coming from the alternator and the unit itself got very hot to the touch after about 1 minute so at first I thought maybe the belt was too tight but that's hard to do with a serpentine belt so for a second I thought the pulley between the AC , and the alternator was the cause so I took the alternator out and spun the pulley and no noise!!! So when the RPMs are up before I go into 2nd gear the noise is loudest and so on with the next shift luckily I'm taking the alternator back and getting another so anybody out there please give me advice on what brand of alternator,how many amps also the pulley btw the bearings sound shot and this piece of crap was made in Mexico and said AC DELCO on the casting go figure!!!! Please friends give me your honest opinions,I'm not a mechanic but I know this car like no other car I've owned I just can't figure this out April is here and the kirban BBQ get together is soon and I can't miss it this year thank you guys peace,chris

Most aftermarket alternators have a different pulley diameter than the original. Maybe you needed a different size belt?

 

[Chuck Leeper]

A loose belt won't cause the alt to overheat.. The belt may fry, but??
Spinning it w/o the belt won't load the brgs, nor apply an electrical load.
Belt too long and tensioner can hit, and cause noise. W/ belt on, is the tensioner "tension indicator" where it should be? Look on the tensioner, behind the pulley, for the indicator.
Should be a 140A unit.

 

[NY Twin Turbo]

If this is your problem.

I think our Buick alternator is the same one that was available on the Chevy Caprice police package cars, wasn't it?

Like Chuck said, 140 amp. And that's plenty of juice. Normally any good rebuilt replacement from any of the major auto parts suppliers works fine. You probably will never, ever need more than that.

Although Autozone employees in my area are as close to brain-dead as a typical clam, most should be able to check if it's good using that idiot machine they have.

You could swap your pulley onto the new one if necessary.

 

[turbo chris1970]

If I am not mistaken, the original AC Delco units are old cores rebuilt in Mexico if it comes from Autozone, Oreilley, etc...

That exactly it your totally right it says made in Mexico and AC delco

 

[turbo chris1970]

A loose belt won't cause the alt to overheat.. The belt may fry, but??
Spinning it w/o the belt won't load the brgs, nor apply an electrical load.
Belt too long and tensioner can hit, and cause noise. W/ belt on, is the tensioner "tension indicator" where it should be? Look on the tensioner, behind the pulley, for the indicator.
Should be a 140A unit.

The tensioner pulley is a little off thanks chuck, Chris can you buy the tensioner at autoboneheads or any other place you recommend

If this is your problem.

I think our Buick alternator is the same one that was available on the Chevy Caprice police package cars, wasn't it?

Like Chuck said, 140 amp. And that's plenty of juice. Normally any good rebuilt replacement from any of the major auto parts suppliers works fine. You probably will never, ever need more than that.

Although Autozone employees in my area are as close to brain-dead as a typical clam, most should be able to check if it's good using that idiot machine they have.

You could swap your pulley onto the new one if necessary.

 

[turbo chris1970]

Thanks to everyone who took the time to try to help me out I really appreciate it, us buick guys have to stick together we are a small group
And they don't make cars like ours anymore and never will after all they are the GM legend! Don't crush em restore them or they will become a soup can

 

[626gn]

The tensioner pulley is a little off thanks chuck, Chris can you buy the tensioner at autoboneheads or any other place you recommend

Is your tensioner making a rattling or tapping noise when the motor is running with the belt on?

 

[turbo chris1970]

Is your tensioner making a rattling or tapping noise when the motor is running with the belt on?

I wouldn't say so it spins freely but how do you adjust it to 140A??? Do they sell the tensioner anywhere but online?

 

[626gn]

I wouldn't say so it spins freely but how do you adjust it to 140A??? Do they sell the tensioner anywhere but online?

I would not buy a tensioner just yet if its not making any noises. I would start by getting a good working 140 amp alternator first, use the correct size serp belt for your set up then see how it goes.

What Chuck was talking about is if your serp belt was too long for your application then that could put the tensioner outside its operating window and cause noise.

 

[turbo chris1970]

Ok I understand now this alternator was wrong in amps and wrong for my
Set up so next step is to find a 140w amp alternator and take the belt with me and see what happens and tell u guys my results tomorrow cause I have all day to work on it thanks guys
Chris

 

[626gn]

A 635 (63.5") belt is what works for most. If your parts store guy looks it up on his computer he will more than likely give you a 640 (64") belt. This belt might work at first but will stretch out and become too long and may cause problems. This is all assuming you have an alternator that has the same size pulley as the factory one. If the pulley is smaller than the factory alternator you may need a 630 (63") belt and vice versa. If unsure just buy a couple different sizes and return the one that doesn't work.

 

[turbo chris1970]

A 635 (63.5") belt is what works for most. If your parts store guy looks it up on his computer he will more than likely give you a 640 (64") belt. This belt might work at first but will stretch out and become too long and may cause problems. This is all assuming you have an alternator that has the same size pulley as the factory one. If the pulley is smaller than the factory alternator you may need a 630 (63") belt and vice versa. If unsure just buy a couple different sizes and return the one that doesn't work.

I never thought of that DUH well the alt is gone it failed on the test bench and I found a bolt turntable by hand on my tensioner so I removed that as well and cleaned it up and checked it for anything wrong so I ordered another alt and now I'm gonna get the belts like you said , thanks I'm making fwd progress now car should be ready for inspection less than a week thanks for that tid bit , Chris

 

[turbo chris1970]

A loose belt won't cause the alt to overheat.. The belt may fry, but??
Spinning it w/o the belt won't load the brgs, nor apply an electrical load.
Belt too long and tensioner can hit, and cause noise. W/ belt on, is the tensioner "tension indicator" where it should be? Look on the tensioner, behind the pulley, for the indicator.
Should be a 140A unit.

I took off the tensioner chuck and one of the bolts was ready to just fall out that's how loose it was,so I cleaned it up very thoroughly and after it was clean I saw #s but no 140a on it but it's the sAme as the ones I see in the parts for sale section on the board!! And Also those springs and stuff can they be adjusted to a different setting or something???? Chris

 

[John Larkin]

The 140a is referring to a 140 amp alternator, nothing to do with the tensioner. The tensioner is not adjustable.

 

[GNRick]

Factory tensioner is no longer available. When you install your new alternator make sure you don't over tighten the bolt that goes through the "ear" of the tensioner. Some people have broken off the ear.

 

[turbo chris1970]

The 140a is referring to a 140 amp alternator, nothing to do with the tensioner. The tensioner is not adjustable.

Thank you for clarifying that now I really feel like an ass DUH but I got my 140 alt today and getting to work on it tomorrow thanks john
Chris

Factory tensioner is no longer available. When you install your new alternator make sure you don't over tighten the bolt that goes through the "ear" of the tensioner. Some people have broken off the ear.

thanks for the info on that also I'll get all those bolts tightened with the care these cars deserve and as for the ear bolt I had a special one made for the ear of the alternator