My alternator bit the dust 2 weeks ago. I was going to order a new one but I have 2 CS144 alternators in storage. I had planned on installing them in my Toyota pickup I had before but it never happened. I decided to give it a try on my Lexus LX450. I searched and it seems there is no write up so I did this one.
The CS144 is one of GM’s better alternators. It’s large and designed for good cooling. It seems like the one shops use to hop up to get large amp numbers. Mine is rated at 120 amps with a max of 146 at 6000 rpm...according to the tag.
Comparision
Here is how my fried alternator looked:
To get the old and new alternator out and in there, I undid:
battery and tray
thin ground cable on the ear mount
power steering resevoir
the one large plug near the power steering resevoir
the main spark plug wire
oil filter
bottom tensioning bracket
Move the hoses and wires towards the fender and tie them there so it is out of the way. There should be a space large enough to get the CS144 in there.
The CS144 should be “clocked” like the picture below. My already came like that so no work needed but if you buy one at the wreckers, the halves may need to be turned so the plug is at the position below. There are instructions elsewhere to do this on the web if you need them.
You will need to add 3 washers to the back of the top large ear when you plan on mounting it. I taped mine together to make a small barrel to make it easier to install. The distance needs to add up to 2.25 inches.
Luckily for me, my alternator is new and came with some spacers for the pulley. The pulley needs about ⅜ inch between the pulley and alternator fan for the belts to line up. You may need to buy some spacers or washers to make this work.
There is actually supposed to be a larger spacer in the gap than show in the picture.
Take the old pulley off and put it on the CS144. An impact makes it so much easier. It might be a good idea here to not put the pulley nut on tight because you may need to add or decrease the pulley spacer size if the belts do not line up. Keep in mind you will need to use a belt strap to hold the pulley later to tighten with a ratchet. I could not get my impact on the alternator once it is mounted.
Take CS144 alternator and mount it tight but loose enough to pivot. Sorry, no pics here...forgot sorry.
The stock bottom bracket will not fit with the CS144. I did not want to cut up my stock bracket or wiring in case this mod was unsuccessful. If I couldn't get this to work, I would have just bought a new stock Toyota alternator and be done. I spent and afternoon making a new bottom bracket. I did it the old fashion way...with cardboard and finally came up with this:
I used self etching primer and black paint to spruce it up.
The tensioner is made of 2 welded nuts on top of a chopped up coupler leftover from my FJ60 Saginaw swap. I added 2 washers to the back of the large coupling to get the proper length.
fyi ..The bottom of the CS144 takes a 10x1.5 bolt.
Here it is installed with the tensioner. Pretty close there with the tensioner bolt and the fan. If I did this again I would have make the tensioner upside down.
Now is a good time to check the pulley and see if the belts line up. I used the wear marks on the idler pulleyn to see if the belts line up.
Then, I did the wiring which is pretty easy. Just follow the pictures.
The (S)ense wires go together.
The CS144 (F) goes to the (IG)nightion of the Toyota
The (L)ight wires go together
I did not cut the old plug off and put the new one on. Instead, I cut/stripped a small section of the stock wire and soldered the new plug on the stock wire. It’s a good idea to stagger the section to strip to avoid shorts.
I get 14.3 volts at idle and my alternator dash light is off..woohoo.
Some final thoughts...I think it would have been possible to cut up the stock bracket, weld and make it work.
I bought new belts and they fit easily over the new alternator's pulley.
I thought I took more pictures of it installed. I must have got too focused on the job. I'm going to dismantle part of this again to install a new battery cable. (didn't have it today) I hope it doesn't burn my stock cable and fusable link. I will try to take more pics of it installed.
I only finished this today and will update if I get issues next week.
The CS144 is one of GM’s better alternators. It’s large and designed for good cooling. It seems like the one shops use to hop up to get large amp numbers. Mine is rated at 120 amps with a max of 146 at 6000 rpm...according to the tag.
Comparision
Here is how my fried alternator looked:
To get the old and new alternator out and in there, I undid:
battery and tray
thin ground cable on the ear mount
power steering resevoir
the one large plug near the power steering resevoir
the main spark plug wire
oil filter
bottom tensioning bracket
Move the hoses and wires towards the fender and tie them there so it is out of the way. There should be a space large enough to get the CS144 in there.
The CS144 should be “clocked” like the picture below. My already came like that so no work needed but if you buy one at the wreckers, the halves may need to be turned so the plug is at the position below. There are instructions elsewhere to do this on the web if you need them.
You will need to add 3 washers to the back of the top large ear when you plan on mounting it. I taped mine together to make a small barrel to make it easier to install. The distance needs to add up to 2.25 inches.
Luckily for me, my alternator is new and came with some spacers for the pulley. The pulley needs about ⅜ inch between the pulley and alternator fan for the belts to line up. You may need to buy some spacers or washers to make this work.
There is actually supposed to be a larger spacer in the gap than show in the picture.
Take the old pulley off and put it on the CS144. An impact makes it so much easier. It might be a good idea here to not put the pulley nut on tight because you may need to add or decrease the pulley spacer size if the belts do not line up. Keep in mind you will need to use a belt strap to hold the pulley later to tighten with a ratchet. I could not get my impact on the alternator once it is mounted.
Take CS144 alternator and mount it tight but loose enough to pivot. Sorry, no pics here...forgot sorry.
The stock bottom bracket will not fit with the CS144. I did not want to cut up my stock bracket or wiring in case this mod was unsuccessful. If I couldn't get this to work, I would have just bought a new stock Toyota alternator and be done. I spent and afternoon making a new bottom bracket. I did it the old fashion way...with cardboard and finally came up with this:
I used self etching primer and black paint to spruce it up.
The tensioner is made of 2 welded nuts on top of a chopped up coupler leftover from my FJ60 Saginaw swap. I added 2 washers to the back of the large coupling to get the proper length.
fyi ..The bottom of the CS144 takes a 10x1.5 bolt.
Here it is installed with the tensioner. Pretty close there with the tensioner bolt and the fan. If I did this again I would have make the tensioner upside down.
Now is a good time to check the pulley and see if the belts line up. I used the wear marks on the idler pulleyn to see if the belts line up.
Then, I did the wiring which is pretty easy. Just follow the pictures.
The (S)ense wires go together.
The CS144 (F) goes to the (IG)nightion of the Toyota
The (L)ight wires go together
I did not cut the old plug off and put the new one on. Instead, I cut/stripped a small section of the stock wire and soldered the new plug on the stock wire. It’s a good idea to stagger the section to strip to avoid shorts.
I get 14.3 volts at idle and my alternator dash light is off..woohoo.
Some final thoughts...I think it would have been possible to cut up the stock bracket, weld and make it work.
I bought new belts and they fit easily over the new alternator's pulley.
I thought I took more pictures of it installed. I must have got too focused on the job. I'm going to dismantle part of this again to install a new battery cable. (didn't have it today) I hope it doesn't burn my stock cable and fusable link. I will try to take more pics of it installed.
I only finished this today and will update if I get issues next week.
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