Kind of a follow up. I went to Napa to pick up the housebrand alternator along with a new negative cable and one of those 2 inch foil air breather hoses.

Out of curiosity, I had them check the new (reman) alternator. It tested the same as the stock original. 14+volts and fluctating around 3 amps. Hmmm.  I said "Maybe your machine is bad even though it's new or the adapter is bad?" I suggested they take some other alternators off the shelf and see what it says on those. I asked if there was a tech assistance # for the tester.

They said the alternator was good, was tested at the factory. Since I won't have time till the weekend to put it back on, I told them to order another one and test it. For all I know, my old alternator could still be good. I just don't want to take the time to put an alternator on and find it to be bad. Too much of a pain. I'll post what I find out tomorrow. If Napa tests another bad alternator, I will go to this other auto store called Mcgarrah's. I think they are a genuine auto parts store.  Adam 

no offence if anyone works at napa, kragen, or any of those stores. but they dont always have the most reliable people there hahha well at least here in Eureka Ca they dont.
i have learned to never trust them...or get multiple opinons and just avrage them out haha bound to get it right sometime. haha

Millski

Dont but a napa alt. Napa Electronics are very prone to failure. Most service shops will do an electrical systems check for 20 dollars or less. Well worth the money to have a qualified professional check it if your not sure. Is the Batt light on? If not I wouldnt be so sure its the alt. How old is the batt?

Make sure the wire or fuseable link that connects the alt to the batt is not bad. If it is bad the alt will test good in the store but bad in the vehicle.

Napa orderered a new one and it tested bad too. I think their state of the art machine is faulty. They called their tech and I bought the alternator and threw it on. Seems o.k. I will have it tested on the vehicle at a coulple of places to see if they say it's bad and post the results. I'm kind of curious. It will have to wait. I have the distributor off and the valve cover off + am trying to correct the emission hoses.

-Adam

MikerPM4x4, thanks. I had already ordered the alt b4 I read your reply. I guess I will try it since it has a 3 year warranty so if it goes out, I will insist on the bosch replacement. I have her apart right now for a few other repairs so I can't road test yet.

Milski. The battery is a bosch commercial and tests good so they say. It is a few years old though. My choice here in the home town of the worlds 2nd largest corporation (Walmart) is limited. The dealer wants a few hundred, O'Reilys has bad service, autozone--don't know about theirs other than $99.bucks. Napa had a Bosch for 139.00. There is another place opening up called advantage that I never heard of.

The G.M. upgrade would be ideal but I don't have the coin. I don't know if you can have it with the a.c. anyways. I suppose you can. I thought about adding powersteering at some point but I think you loose the a.c.

Oh well, one thing at a time.

Adam

I thought about adding powersteering at some point but I think you loose the a.c.

No, you can have both.

i think its a pretty tight fit, probly the reason so many people loose it. And the fact that its not seen as that big of a necessity.

Neither are probably necessaties but no powersteering can be pretty tough, and it gets downright nasty hot and humid here in N.W. Arkansas especially down state about 60 miles. I am originally from the Denver area, so this is a bit of a shock.

I can see the inconvenience of working on the engine with an extra component or too as well.

-Adam

Ya where i live (far far nor cal aka humboldt CA) the only time we ever use an AC is for de-frost, so most of us just ditch it.  But i can deffinatly see why it woudl be a necessatie over there haha. Our hottest day ever here was some 80* thats like once ever 5 years that happens hahha.