DONE...Saturn Alternator with Jay Racing Relocation Kit

[JSchleim18]

Some background info:

I had a Bosch reman'd 90 Amp Mitsu alternator that was about 1,000 miles old. I had it relocated to the back of the block with Jay Racing's alternator relocation kit. After getting the car all together, I called up my buddy to get a tune. While we were looking over the logs, we noticed my voltage was going down...no good /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif. I left his place and made it halfway home before my alternator crapped out on me. Got towed home.

I was looking around, trying to figure out what to do about an alternator. I was thinking of getting another reman'd Mitsu unit but I really don't want to deal with swapping alternators all the time. So I looked into the Saturn alternator swap. There were a few other options, but more expensive and still contained the Mitsu voltage regulator which seems to be the problem.

I decided to pick up an AC Delco reman'd Saturn alternator from Rockauto and order the Jay Racing kit for the Saturn alternator. I also went with the upgraded steel version.

Everything came in so I went to work on the swap. I was extremely lucky that I didn't have to take the intake manifold off. I just had to unbolt the throttle cable, the wiring harness attached to the intake manifold, and take the spark plug wires off the coil pack. I got the old alternator out and the old relocation kit. The Saturn alternator went in with ease. It's identical in size to the Mitsu alternator and NO GRINDING IS NEEDED TO BE DONE FOR THE RELOCATED ALTERNATOR.

For wiring, I used a 3 wire pigtail from Dorman for the Saturn alternator. The wires were Red (S), black, and brown (L). The stock Mitsu pigtail has one thick and one thin wire. The thick wire got soldered into the red wire and the thin wire got soldered into the brown wire. The black wire on the Saturn pigtail DOES NOT get used.

For the "B" wire which is just the power wire from the battery, I ran a new 4 gauge wire to the stud on the back of the saturn alternator.

To ground the Saturn alternator, you can grind the anodizing off the relocation kit to the block and pray that it's a good ground. Or you can do what I did and ground a 4 gauge wire to the starter ground on the transmission. Then I took the other end of the ground wire and it went on the back of the alternator to the hole that the Jay Racing tensioner bolts to.

As far as clearance between the Saturn pulley and the frame rail, I'd say it's tight but enough to slip the belt between the two to get it on.

Started the car up and done...sort of. The alternator belt I had for the Mitsu alternator was too long so I had to order a shorter one. Will update with voltage readings at idle and at cruising speed.

 

[thecman02]

Let us know what length belt you get. I'm thinking about doing a saturn Jay Racing Relocation since my AC died this summer, and my alternator is at best, on shaky grounds.

 

[JSchleim18]

I ordered the GATES K040425 Micro-V AT Premium OE V-Ribbed Belt; K04 9/16" x 43 1/8"

But I have an ATI damper which is slightly larger than an OEM crank pulley so yours may be a size smaller than that.

The Jay Racing kit does come with a belt.

 

[birdman24]

I guess I'm bring this back from the dead but I'm curious. JSchleim18 why did you run the stock thick white wire from the harness to the red wire(S) terminal? Every write-up states to leave that wire (the thick white wire) alone or cut short and tapped up.

It was also stated to run the red(S) wire to a location where it can see battery draw and cause the alt to shut down or work harder. No one has run it(S) to the thick wire.

How has this worked out for you? how is your voltage? Is it steady?

Thank you

 

[jnava]

Move to "HOW-TO"section.

 

[4thStroke]

I'm beginning to wonder if Bosch had a bad batch. This is the third one that has died in short time recently that I've heard of. They had a great reputation for the longest time. I get a seemingly endless supply of warrantied units through work within a days time so I'll keep tossing them in. I just got my new one and they've been changed a bit (appearance wise). This one holds 14v all day long, no matter the RPM, but only time will tell if they're changed for the better.

 

[thruarod]

I did this also and then after my third alternator, I went back to a Mitsubishi alternator, still in the back of the engine. FYI it seems like the only difference in the Saturn and the Mitsubishi relocation kits is the length of the adjuster rod. But that my not totally be true, I was in a rush to swap them out.