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Alternator OEM KIA or GENERAL MOTORS
Reviews
The OEM alternator is only 55 amps and costs nearly $400, which is stupid expensive and wholly inadequate for off-road lighting, audio amplifiers, and other additional accessories so I decided to go with the CS130D GM alternator, purchased for under $100 new (no core charge) and has a 130 amp capacity.
I'm getting 14.8v from the upgraded alternator at 700rpm and maintaining 14.2v when every possible accessory and light is turned on at idle.
Pros: 130 amp capacity, under $100
Cons: OEM is expensive, inadequate
I Had a 200k mile 2011 Soul and didn't have any major issues. 3k mile oil change, 3-5 yr battery change, some tire change, alternator replaced at 190k.
Pros: no major issues
Vehicle:
Kia Soul
I have a 2013 Soul !. Got it about 2 years ago. Very reliable, only had one issue and that was the alternator going out on me a few weeks ago. 182k miles on it. It doesn\u2019t consume oil at the same pace others mention. It does currently idle a little rough, but Not terribly.
Pros: very reliable
Cons: rough idle
Vehicle:
Kia Soul
Mileage: 182000 km
The alternator itself can get bad only if the bearings are shot. If you don't have play on the shaft, and it spins freely then the alternating part of the alternator is fine. What can get pretty bad are the diode rectifier bridge.
Pros: spins freely
Cons: bearings shot
If you have the V6 4.3 it's one of the more dependable motors GM ever made. The factory alt is rated at 105 amps. Should be enough for your needs.
Pros: dependable motor, enough amps
My shitbox, I replaced my alternator just for my window motor to go bad, I replaced the window motor just for the thermostat to go bad the next day, it’s inevitable.
Had an appetite for alternators, as they put it behind the rear cylinder head and tried to keep it cool with some little rubber/plastic air duct. Failboat. We sold the car with its third alternator, each failure attributed to failure of the rear bearings.
Cons: failure of rear bearings
Mileage: 140000 km
Oh yeah and it went through 2 maybe 3 alternators in the 13 years we had it lol.
Cons: alternators failed often
My mom had a 93 Lumina Euro sedan with the 3.8. The only real serious issue it had was a failed alternator which drained the battery and almost left me stranded one night because the headlights dimmed to the point of being unusable. Other than that, yes the alignment was poor and it had some bad brake wear and warping of the rotors.
Cons: poor alignment, bad brake wear
Vehicle:
Chevrolet Lumina
Triumph TR7. You're a bunch of amateurs. I'm a British car guy in general but the Wedge was exactly as bad as advertised. When it couldn't keep a battery charged I converted it to a GM alternator, then the radiator fell out. A previous owner had pop-riveted a license plate over a hole in the floor. Keeping the carbs synched is a black art. The seat frame snapped as I went down the road - I later found out that it had been hose-clamped together by a previous owner. It didn't catch fire as many times as my Spitfire has, but at least the Spit is fun to drive. The headlights didn't just pop up out of sync, they popped up and *turned on* on their own.
I've also owned a Hyundai Pony and it was a Toyota Cressida next to the Wedge.
Cons: radiator fell out, carbs unsynched
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