Don't kid yourself. The "new" GM compact alternator that they started putting in cars back in 1987 is a piece of crap. It always has been, and it always will be. It is DESIGNED to fail; and the DESIGNED failure mode is catastrophic - to such an extent that the unit usually cannot be rebuilt - period, let alone by a properly equiped shop. Let GM up a "reconditioned" one in, and you are looking at a $300 + repair bill.
I did that ONCE. The alternater has a 12 month warranty on it. It lasted precisely 13 months. And GM said too bad, so sad - "would you like to book your car in for another non-warranty repair???". Hell no. I went to the local jobber and got a Dixie rebuilt. Ironically, it lasted for enough years that I finally traded in the piece of junk, um, I mean car, on a newer model. A Corsica. 60,000 km warranty. You guessed it! THe compact piece of shit alternator lasted 61,000 km!
After some severe cussing and swearing at GM, my local dealer gave me the part, but I had to pay for a tow, and for the intallation of the part. I was greatful for small mercies.
I have also come to the conculsion that GM, and others, have gone over to "the dark side" of Quality Assurance - otherwise known as "reliability engineering". ANd having done that, they have created designs that will maximize their profit by exploding just after the warrnty expires.
Well my pockets are not that deep. I cannot aford to be paying $600 per month on a car loan so that I can drive a $30,000 piece of JUNK.
I will never buy GM EVER AGAIN. This is the ultimate statement I can make as a consumer.
I now drive Chrysler. And I am very happy with it. Sure there are problems. Most are well known and documented. There is a huge support group, and parts are relatively inexpensive.
If they are now further complicting the alternator designs, then I guess I will just have to keep my old van running for a while longer until they smarten the hell up. K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple STUPID!
/rant off
Alternators, A Good Example of What's Wrong, GM, Ford, and Chrysler >
>In the beginning there was the third brush d.c. generator. It required an
>external control (cutout relay & voltage regulator). Mechanics found it
>easy to diagnose and service.
>
>Then there was the two-brush d.c. generator. It required an external
>control (cutout relay, voltage regulator and current limiter). Mechanics
>found this also easy to diagnose and service.
>
>The early a.c. generators (alternators) where configured similar to the
>third brush d.c. generators. It had a simple external regulator. It was
>easy to service.
>
>Then came on line the solid state regulators used with alternators. This
>was an improvement over the old vibrating relays. This was reliable and
>easy to service.
>
>The epitomy in charging system design was the self-contained
>alternator-regulator. The Bosch was compact, easy to service and
>exceedingly reliable. It consisted of an alternator and an attached
>sold-state voltage regulator, that's all. A Bosch self-contained unit was
>not only easy to diagnose and repair, it was most economical for the car
>owner. By far, this was and remains the best automotive battery charging >system.
>
>Now we have the abysmal EFI integrated systems whereby your alternator with
>its rectifier is bolted on the engine and its control (regulator) is part
>of the EFI system. The usual arrangement is alternator to power module to
>logic unit. This is the problem:
>
>Diagnosis of the Bosch all-in-one charging system takes 5 minutes, tops.
>The mechanic knows whether the plug-in regulator is at fault or the
>alternator itself, or the connecting wiring. There isn't much connecting
>wiring, being as there is just one wire from the alternator output to the >battery.
>
>Conversly, diagnosis of an EFI integrated system requires three pages of
>step-by-step procedure in the shop manual. You may have to remove the
>battery or other components to access the mult-connection connectors in
>both the power module and the logic unit. I cannot begin to describe the
>diagnosis procedures, but let it be known it can take hours if the problem
>is deep within. Hours equals hundreds of dollars. WHAT'S WORSE, IF IT
>TURNS OUT TO BE THE POWER MODULE OR LOGIC UNIT IS FAULTY, these expensive
>large scale components have to be replaced, rather than an inexpensive,
>discrete voltage regulator. The difference in parts price between a $20
>Bosch voltage regulator plugin and a logic module is hundreds of dollars in
>parts and hundreds of dollars in labor. For what good reason, I ask? >
>So, here you have it, hours vs minutes. Dollars vs hundreds of dollars.
>One system requiring a highly trained factory mechanic vs one a gas station
>attendant could do..
>
>An ideal charging system is an integrated alternator. It has only two
>wires out: The main output and a warning light output. It is diagnosed as
>simply as this: If there is no charging voltage on the dash gauge, the
>warning light comes on. Then the mechanic checks for voltage at the output
>terminal. If good, the trouble is in the wiring to the battery. If bad,
>the mechanic "bypasses" the regulator with a jumper. If the voltage comes
>up, its the regulator - replace it; otherwise, its the alternator - repair >or replace.
>
>Thus, we have a simple, cheap to service charging system. One claim for
>integrated EFI is the regulator can adjust charging voltage more finely for
>ambient temperature, etc. Well an integrated regulator does the same thing
>with a thermistor which senses the cooling air inducted through the
>alternator. Why make something immensely complicated that can be made
>absurdly simple? Why place the generator control in the power module where
>it can fail and take condemn that whole expensive unit to the trashbin? >
>Show your contempt for manufacturers that make it virtually uneconomical to
>service out-of-warranty systems by demanding discrete systems (ignition,
>fuel, charging, starting, cooling).
>
>EFI systems have hundreds of wires and a multitude of connectors, all
>potentially trouble prone from fatigue failure and effects of corrosion.
>Its great when new; but it is maddening and hugely expensive to fix. Be >advised.