CS-144 swap public service anouncement

[Mudflaps]

Maybe this is a stupid post, but I hope it helps someone else who doesnt know this. ound:

SO:

I started to do some research on the 3rd gen CS-144 GM alternator upgrade(OEM to 140amp). I went as far as to go to the junkyard and pull one off of an old Camaro. I even ordered the plug adapter. Then I stopped dead in my tracks because the most frustrating thing I ran across every time I tried to determine what belt to use was "get a belt that's 1-2 inches longer than oem".

Now, I could be the dim bulb on the tree here. The ironic thing is I never made any more progress because of the fact that I felt like I would look like an idiot walking into an auto parts store, then holding my belt up to the guy behind the counter and saying "Can you find me a belt that's 2" longer than this?". Not to mention trying to google and find the length of the OEM belt was a fruitless venture. :faint2:

Fast forward to my new side job at Autozone. Whilst stocking belts in the back one day I ran across this wonderful device:


This big boy measures the belt down to the millimeter in a matter of seconds, which *CAN* be cross-referenced in the computer to find something of similar profile and length. I hope this helps someone else. I plan to resume my project soon now. :heh:



TL;DR - Go to the autoparts store and ask for a 2" longer belt. They actually can do it.

 

[T4Rchadly]

youre overcomplicating the cs144, you just run a power steering belt now instead of alternator belt.

for orther stuff that tool could for sure be helpful.

 

[Brian.]

youre overcomplicating the cs144, you just run a power steering belt now instead of alternator belt.

Heck, Tim and Sean just reused the original Alt belt without issue. Talk about over-complicating things...

 

[T4Rchadly]

Heck, Tim and Sean just reused the original Alt belt without issue. Talk about over-complicating things...

thats right! forgot about that. i think my cs144 is the bigger pulley size so i had to run a PS belt

 

[Devbot]

Heck, Tim and Sean just reused the original Alt belt without issue. Talk about over-complicating things...

Could've just taken a tape measure to the thing too...

 

[hdoggie24]

When I did this to my 97 4runner, my original belt worked. Didn't need a new one. Its been on for over 2 years now too.

 

[Doc2012]

When I finally replaced my belts (after years of running the stock one) I noticed how tight the new one was.

While it was a struggle to get the new one on; it still went on.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Skibber]

thats right! forgot about that. i think my cs144 is the bigger pulley size so i had to run a PS belt

Do you have any voltage issues with the larger pulley diameter? I got a CS144 from DB Electrical and it has a 62mm OD versus the (53mm?) stock pulley OD. Recently noticed that it's showing between 11.8 & 12.3v when idling at 650-700 rpm. From 1200 rpm up it seems fine around 14.8v.

 

[T4R2014]

Is this mod still popular? I can't even get a non-Denso remanufactured OEM alternator to survive a year. Reliability on an ancient GM design old enough to have been remanufactured in Mexico multiple times over sounds like a tow truck driver's cash cow.

 

[GhostRing]

Is this mod still popular? I can't even get a non-Denso remanufactured OEM alternator to survive a year. Reliability on an ancient GM design old enough to have been remanufactured in Mexico multiple times over sounds like a tow truck driver's cash cow.

What's the reasonable alternative?

Anything that doesn't have a comma in the price, I'm all ears.
I can tell my aging stock O'Reilly special is struggling with both
the winch and stop lights. The wiring is in good shape, but I
can see the advantage of a stouter set up in the OEM location.

 

[phattyduck]

What's the reasonable alternative?

Anything that doesn't have a comma in the price, I'm all ears.
I can tell my aging stock O'Reilly special is struggling with both
the winch and stop lights. The wiring is in good shape, but I
can see the advantage of a stouter set up in the OEM location.

Denso 210-0461.

105A rated, drill out the lower mounting ear, swap the pulley and there you go. Denso reliability and >25% higher output, same frame size. Wiring connections are in slightly different locations, but all work.

-Charlie

 

[that3rdgen]

I'm not sure if this is any help to you, but I've been through 3 or 4 CS144s. The first was a new Denso one that went after a month, and the next 3 were advanced auto ones since I worked there, so warrantying them was easy. I'd say look into maybe a higher output stock design alternator or even a higher output CS144 such as they would use in audio builds as I'd imagine they are completely redone.

 

[T4Rchadly]

Do you have any voltage issues with the larger pulley diameter? I got a CS144 from DB Electrical and it has a 62mm OD versus the (53mm?) stock pulley OD. Recently noticed that it's showing between 11.8 & 12.3v when idling at 650-700 rpm. From 1200 rpm up it seems fine around 14.8v.

i never experienced low voltage from the bigger pulley. i did however have a few alternator regulators go bad on me, causing me to replace the cs144 about 3 times. my voltage would A. spike up to 16-17 V for minutes (holy Sh*t batman) or plain not even charge.