Official Saturn IR Alt. Swap

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heirfaus
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Official Saturn IR Alt. Swap

Post by heirfaus »

Since there is so many people who are unsure of the details and specs, I thought I would make an official IR Saturn Alternator swap thread.

I went to the yard today and found a couple of candidates. I pulled 2 alternators and took one home. The one I took home was from a 1996 Saturn 1.9L. It is a 96 amp alternator with 3 wires.

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1991-1994
CS130 Alternator 85 AMP

1995-1996 and Part of 1997
(VIN's VZ100000-VZ266825 and VZ267042-VZ300901))
CS130 Alternator 96 AMP
Details here are fore this alternator

Rest of 1997
(VIN VZ266826-VZ267042 and VZ300902 and on)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lets start with removal. You will need a 10mm socket, 13mm socket, 3/8 ratchet, wire cutter, screw driver(or other prying device) and 13mm wrench, thats all.

It's EASY!!!!!

First a cut the serpentine belt off and pull it out of the way. In the yard the wheels is usually off. There are 2 "push-lock" type plastic pieces holding the plastic shield in the wheel well. Remove that and then you can access the alternator.

I found it easier to remove the power steering pump and bracket. There are holes in the pulley that you can access the 3 10mm bolts holding it in. After removing them pull the pump a little out of the way and remove the 3 10mm bolts holding the bracket on. Then move the bracket and pump out of the way.

You can now remove the top 13mm bolt from the alternator.

All of this up to now has been very easy access from the top.

Now go to the bottom and put your 13mm wrench on the back of the bottom bolt to keep it from spinning. Use your 13mm ratchet and take the nut off the front and push the long bolt out.

Last steps. Remove the oil filter which is right below the alternator. Use you screwdriver to pry the alternator of the mounting ears. From the top I squeezed my arm in between the PS pump and alternator to cut the wires on the alternator. It will now drop out the bottom.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Removal complete

If you spin it and it makes a lot of noise pick another, fortunately they actually come out pretty quick. If there is light noise that should go away after cleaning.
Last edited by heirfaus on 26 Aug 2008 21:37, edited 6 times in total.
"An intercooler...has never been, nor should ever be, considered icing on the cake. A proper intercooler is more cake."
Corky Bell, Maximum Boost

"one of the little things that add up"
-defdes
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heirfaus
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Post by heirfaus »

Next step is to clean that dirting thing up. I didn't take a before picture, but mine was NAAAAASTY!!! :shock:

I started off by soaking it in degreaser. After 10 minutes I soaked my rag and scrubbed down the exterior. I sprayed degreaser all over the inside and let that soak. I then rinsed it all down with parts cleaner/brake cleaner.

Then I fill a drain pan with one gallon of vinegar. Set the alt. in and let it soak. I took a glass from the kitchen and pour vinegar over it consistently while soaking. Roll it over now and then to make sure it all gets cleaned. You will start to see colors as the corrosion disappears. I probably took a good 30 min doing this.

Let it drain and I then rinsed it down (inside and out)with WD-40 a rust/corrosion inhibtor and a moisture "getter ridder of" :D
Attachments
P6100003.JPG
p6100001.JPG
P6100015.JPG
Last edited by heirfaus on 10 Jun 2007 21:32, edited 2 times in total.
"An intercooler...has never been, nor should ever be, considered icing on the cake. A proper intercooler is more cake."
Corky Bell, Maximum Boost

"one of the little things that add up"
-defdes
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heirfaus
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Post by heirfaus »

The next step is to modify the only 2 pieces that interfere.

The little sliding adjust piece in the bracket needs to be shaved to open the gap slightly. Use a hammer and 10mm socket to tap it out of the ear, use bench grinder/angle grinder to slim it down. I would guess I took about 3mm off it from the larger end.

The bracket from your L motor. The raised sections of the ears on the bracket need to be ground down to fit nicely on the alternator. I also ground some ridges on the alternator body for a little closer fit to the engine.
Attachments
P6100012.JPG
P6100006.JPG
p6100002.JPG
Last edited by heirfaus on 12 Jun 2007 22:49, edited 1 time in total.
"An intercooler...has never been, nor should ever be, considered icing on the cake. A proper intercooler is more cake."
Corky Bell, Maximum Boost

"one of the little things that add up"
-defdes
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heirfaus
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Location: Portland, OR

Post by heirfaus »

I think it was Byron who said that a specific alternator design is meant to turn at a specific speed. Makes sense :idea:

As far as I can tell, by measuring the pulleys at there inside diameter of where the belts rest, I picked one that is almost the exact same diameter. I think the Saturn pulley measure 2.34 inches in diameter and the one I put on was 2.42 inches in diameter. The one on another Datsun one I had was about 1.85. Remember this is from the inside of the "clean area" that the belt rides in. If I am incorrect on this correct me, but I am pretty sure of my method.

Spacer on the right is from the Saturn. Datsun one on the left. There are a couple of variables to watch here. Do not change the fan blade. Use the Saturn one. Do not change the distance between the fan and body. You will most likely have to change the distance between fan and the pulley using a different spacer or thick washer to align the pulley with the others. You should have enough threads for the nut. If it is in question I would use Loctite Blue because it is removable. If it is really in question, like 2 threads in question, use JB Weld. It wile PERMANENTLY fix the nut there.
Attachments
DSC00079.JPG
I used the one in the middle
I used the one in the middle
Spacer on the right is from the Saturn. I used a Datsun one on the left. There are a couple of variables to watch here. Do not change the fan blade. Use the Saturn one. Do not change the distance between the fan and body. You will most likely have to chan
Spacer on the right is from the Saturn. I used a Datsun one on the left. There are a couple of variables to watch here. Do not change the fan blade. Use the Saturn one. Do not change the distance between the fan and body. You will most likely have to chan
Last edited by heirfaus on 12 Jun 2007 22:46, edited 5 times in total.
"An intercooler...has never been, nor should ever be, considered icing on the cake. A proper intercooler is more cake."
Corky Bell, Maximum Boost

"one of the little things that add up"
-defdes
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heirfaus
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Location: Portland, OR

Post by heirfaus »

The next piece is the adjuster. Buy one from MSA or whoever sells one. OR buy some square tubing and weld some nuts on the end. Buy 2 hiem joints(most likely your local hardware store will only have standard and not metric) and 2 jamnuts. Thread them into the welded nuts. Use the jam nuts to lock it into place. I don't remember what size it is, but I think it's the standard equivalent of 8mm(for the hiem joints) one on the bolt on the timing cover and the other on the top end of the alt(duh right?) :?
Attachments
P6100014.JPG
Last edited by heirfaus on 12 Jun 2007 22:34, edited 1 time in total.
"An intercooler...has never been, nor should ever be, considered icing on the cake. A proper intercooler is more cake."
Corky Bell, Maximum Boost

"one of the little things that add up"
-defdes
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heirfaus
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Joined: 30 Jan 2005 23:30
Location: Portland, OR

Post by heirfaus »

WIRING

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Another Option - You Decide
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If you're wiring is pretty much original and you want to keep it that way. Follow the http://www.dimequarterly.com instructions. They are straight forward and simple AND possibly copy written so I didn't want to copy it.

Keep the boot from the B+ and use it on the wire you make as it will fit snugly and keep your connector clean

LOOK AT PIC FOR INSTRUCTIONS
Attachments
alt.JPG
P6100017.JPG
Last edited by heirfaus on 12 Jun 2007 22:35, edited 6 times in total.
"An intercooler...has never been, nor should ever be, considered icing on the cake. A proper intercooler is more cake."
Corky Bell, Maximum Boost

"one of the little things that add up"
-defdes
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bueiz
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Post by bueiz »

Nice!
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heirfaus
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Post by heirfaus »

Added diagram to help the visual to wire it up. Remeber that you need to have the appropriate fuses inline for that year. Also you need to know what wires to cut off(if there are more than 2). If you don't have access to that info PM me and I will check on AllData at my work.
"An intercooler...has never been, nor should ever be, considered icing on the cake. A proper intercooler is more cake."
Corky Bell, Maximum Boost

"one of the little things that add up"
-defdes
User avatar
heirfaus
Posts: 2173
Joined: 30 Jan 2005 23:30
Location: Portland, OR

Post by heirfaus »

Added Pulley spacing and selection
"An intercooler...has never been, nor should ever be, considered icing on the cake. A proper intercooler is more cake."
Corky Bell, Maximum Boost

"one of the little things that add up"
-defdes
User avatar
heirfaus
Posts: 2173
Joined: 30 Jan 2005 23:30
Location: Portland, OR

Post by heirfaus »

Updated wiring
"An intercooler...has never been, nor should ever be, considered icing on the cake. A proper intercooler is more cake."
Corky Bell, Maximum Boost

"one of the little things that add up"
-defdes
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heirfaus
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Post by heirfaus »

Semi Final Revision. If you have already read this and are considering, then please re-read as they are many changed details. I have tried to researched thoroughly. If you have questions let me know. Remember this is at your own risk. I just completed this swap per the exact instructions above and it works great for me. :)
"An intercooler...has never been, nor should ever be, considered icing on the cake. A proper intercooler is more cake."
Corky Bell, Maximum Boost

"one of the little things that add up"
-defdes
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thisismatt
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Post by thisismatt »

I should have done one of these for my maxima rear caliper complete rebuild. It would have concluded: DON'T DO IT :D

Thanks for the writeup.
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slodat
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Post by slodat »

Make sure you have an appropriately sized output wire on the alternator. The way I did this was to run an 8ga wire from the alternator output to the starter + lug. I also connected the stock white/red to the starter +. Shortens this run a little bit.

It is also a good idea to run a ground from the alternator case to the engine block or chassis. It is not enough to rely on the mounting brackets/bolts.
'70 510 2 door
chopped '69 521
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heirfaus
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Post by heirfaus »

I recommend using the same setup as the Saturn. It appears to be a 10quage or so wire for positive wire back to the battery. Upping it to 8 does sound good.

The bracket is an excellent ground. That is how this system is designed to work and it works FABULOUS on my car. This is how all manufacturers make them. And these manufacturers rely on perfection to get the cars throught he years. I have NEVER had a car, no matter how old or dirty, come in with a bad ground from the alternator to the block in my 4 years as a mechanic. But if you like to error on the side of caution use it.

Also if you use the Red/White wire to the alternator is a redundant feed. It would only be necessary as a back up in case there was a problem with your main alternator output wire. I would not recommend using it just for the simplicity. But if you want to be over cautious then wire it up.

As always this is your project and YOUR decision.

Mine is hooked up exactly as written in the first posts.

The one flaw with this setup is that Saturn uses an idle up feature for the alternator when high loads are applied. My charging voltage drops to 13.5 from 14.8 when my ECU, EDIS, Fuel Pump, Fans, and Lights(including 55 watt hellas) are on at idle. This is about a 45-50 amp draw. As soon as I take off from the stop light it goes back up to 14.4ish.

I am going to cure this by putting on a slightly smaller pulley(A permanent mechanical idle up) since I do not hardly ever go past 5k
"An intercooler...has never been, nor should ever be, considered icing on the cake. A proper intercooler is more cake."
Corky Bell, Maximum Boost

"one of the little things that add up"
-defdes
brainfood
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Joined: 04 Jan 2009 17:16
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Re: Official Saturn IR Alt. Swap

Post by brainfood »

Thanks for the write up mine works great. Pretty easy swap too.
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