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Supercharge Your Alternator

140-amp GM Alternator Upgrade
February, 2009
By David Kennedy
Photography by David Kennedy
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Disassemble the alternator,... 
   
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Disassemble the alternator, taking care to note the position of any spacers behind the pulley or bearings. The Iceberg kit’s instructions have no photos, so take your time to note how everything fits together. You will reuse the front half of the alternator case, the rotor, the voltage regulator, a plastic dust shield, the fan, the pulley, and the seven bolts that hold everything together. Clean up these parts, and ditch the rest.
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The rotor from your core alternator... 
   
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The rotor from your core alternator has to be good for the alternator to work. Here a multi-meter is used to test the continuity of the windings of wire that wrap around the rotor. Touch the test leads as shown to the two points on the rotor and you should have a complete circuit. These two points are where the brushes make contact with the rotor, so they may need to be cleaned up with a piece of fine sandpaper.
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The Iceberg kit not only increases... 
   
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The Iceberg kit not only increases the power output of the alternator but also cools the new rectifier supplied in the kit 400 percent better than a stock alternator housing would. A copper heat transfer compound is applied to the back of the rectifier to ensure as much heat as possible is transmitted to the outer housing.
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Here the two halves of the... 
   
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Here the two halves of the alternator case can be seen. The new rear housing on the left is part of the Iceberg kit. Except for the voltage regulator, all of the electrical parts and both bearings are replaced.
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The alternator is reassembled... 
   
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The alternator is reassembled and the three wires from the kit’s high-output stator are soldered to the rectifier. Do your very best soldering, as a poor-quality connection here will decrease the output of your new unit. In this photo you can see the Iceberg kit’s heat sinks that pull all the unwanted heat from your new powerplant. With it all back together, reinstall the alternator in your rig and pat yourself on the back.
JC Whitney Summit Racing
800/230-3030

summitracing.com
National Quick Start

GMC Acadia Research
GMC Acadia Consider the GMC Acadia for your next new car, and browse reviews featuring information on test drives, comparisons, options and features. The Acadia has a V6 standard engine producing 288 horsepower, and . The GMC Yukon and the Dodge Dakota are other vehicles that might interest you.

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