Diesel engine and alternator

[LKappenman]

I have just heard from a friend who has the izsuzu engine and has a alternator problem whe had our rebuilt 2 years ago and so far so good. He has had his rebuilt twice now and now the mechanic says the constent noise he is heaing is the alternator. The rebuild was done on vacation in Ca and he is in Mt. When he had it rebuilt and got it back he heard the noise so they took it out again and said the it was a bad bearing so the redid it so that made twice in a week of course there wasn't a charge for the fix. Noise is still there the drive home was fine charging was fine just the noise. Any ideas? warranty is 1 year but big deal if it is 1500 miles away. He originally took it in because the tach wire had burned.

Any help is appreciated

[74Argosy24MH]

Another bad bearing. If the setup was wrong when they started the run the whole run could be bad. Shaft worn or bore the bearing is in is bad. Maybe not the alternator, could be a water pump, ps, ac clutch, etc. Sometimes it is hard to pinpoint accessory noises, they are all close, you can't really get at the front of these engines very well.

John

[87MH]

Originally Posted by 74Argosy24MH

Another bad bearing.......you can't really get at the front of these engines very well.

Amen......

Given the difficulty of access, and the probability that if a failure occurs it will be about 1500 miles distant from the point of purchase, my philosophy is to go with new premium "accessories" (pumps, alternators, starters, etc.).

Like John stated above, often the rebuilds are not quite up to the same standards of a premium new manufacture. Sometimes it's just best to put out the bucks on the first fix to insure that you don't have to do it again on the road.

JMHO.

[john hd]

have to go with dennis on this one,

new parts in this case might be the best route to go. especially if access to it is an issue.

on my two prior tow vehicles alts lasted about 80,000 miles. mr. good wrench always stood by the warranty. that goes for water pumps too!

on my 2000, the 140 amp alt made it 28,000 mi before self destructing in a snow storm, it was changed out for a new one under warranty. no problems since.

i guess you can get a bad one every once in a while new or rebuilt.

john

[ALANSD]

many mechanics will try to isolate the noise using a tool, such as a long rod they listen thru to see where it is actually coming from. The water pump could be a suspect as it is so close to the alternator. Also the belt could be loosened for the alt and then see if the noise goes away, running a few minutes with no alt spinning.
If it is the alt..then new parts are the deal. I got mine thru www.4altertstart.com
in Dallas, they build their own with gm cases, and they are seriously put together.

[thenewkid64]

Dave,

Here is the thread where you went into the fact that a new one costs BIG $$$. Is there a possibility for a boneyard unit to see if the current shaft is just too worn?

[87MH]

Wow:

Just read the 2002 thread - hard to believe.......

Given the new cost and how long the rebuilt last, I would have to believe that a new (non-Nippon) heavy duty alternator and new SOB vacuum pump and Southern Engineered Bracket would be the way to go.

I replaced the vacuum pump on the E-350 7.3 liter diesel a couple of months back - I think it was around $75.

One comment on the new alternators - I was in a Peterbuilt service shop the first part of this year - they had a whole pallet of new 150 amp self-regulating alternators for $120 each - don't remember the brand - I guess if you have remove everything anyway it would be worth the effort to look around at options to avoid a $600 alternator.

I would be sorely tempted to replace EVERYTHING (water pump, fan clutch, belts, hoses, thermostat, etc,) while I had it stripped down enough to get to the alternator.

[74Argosy24MH]

Originally Posted by 87MH

Given the new cost and how long the rebuilt last, I would have to believe that a new (non-Nippon) heavy duty alternator and new SOB vacuum pump and Southern Engineered Bracket would be the way to go.

Best advice you have gotten. Nippendenso starters and alternators are not long lasting. It is not that hard to convert to something else, it will be worth it in the long run.

John

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by LKappenman

I have just heard from a friend who has the izsuzu engine and has a alternator problem whe had our rebuilt 2 years ago and so far so good. He has had his rebuilt twice now and now the mechanic says the constent noise he is heaing is the alternator. The rebuild was done on vacation in Ca and he is in Mt. When he had it rebuilt and got it back he heard the noise so they took it out again and said the it was a bad bearing so the redid it so that made twice in a week of course there wasn't a charge for the fix. Noise is still there the drive home was fine charging was fine just the noise. Any ideas? warranty is 1 year but big deal if it is 1500 miles away. He originally took it in because the tach wire had burned.

Any help is appreciated

IIRC, those alternators have a vacuum pump mounted on the rear. The noise could well be coming from the vacuum pump, that could be why a rebuild/replacement didn't eliminate the noise.
Terry

[ctdair]

Proper tension on the belt is critical , if over tensioned it will take out bearings in alternator and or water pump. After your reinstalation dont be overly agressive in tension , there are belt tension measuring tools but most are hard to use in cramped areas.

[LKappenman]

I will pass this on havn't heard from him in a while so probably fixed by now. I remember when we had ours done could not beleive the cost.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by LKappenman

I will pass this on havn't heard from him in a while so probably fixed by now. I remember when we had ours done could not beleive the cost.

The last one I replaced was $650.00 my cost for the part only. After markup and labor, the customer's bill was well over $1000.00
Terry

[74Argosy24MH]

D E L C O

John