I think it's funny how over the past week or so everyone seems to be coming up with ways of curing their hesitation problems.
Anyways, my car broke down the other day (just before the BIG storm around here). Couldn't get a tow truck before the snow really started getting bad so we just pushed the car over to the side of the road. We had tried to jump the car but we saw that the alternator started smoking so we just let it be.
After spending a good SIX HOURS uncovering the car on Monday night I got it towed to the nearest parking lot, since the towing companies didn't want to go anywhere unplowed. Yesterday, I finally found a dealership that was open so I bought an alternator, installed it in the Target parking lot and started the car. Drove it slow for the first 30 miles or so . . . later that night decided to open it up and what do you know, hesitation is COMPLETELY GONE!!
The car even pulls noticeably harder than when I upped the boost!! Despite spending $250 to get a new alternator, now that the hesitation's gone, and the car's faster, well I'd think it was a good purchase
I've heard of this before, and i want to replace mine on the principle that it's ten years old now. With my MSD, lights and heater on, i can see the lights dim and get brighter at lights...
Good, clean electricity is as important to the combustion process as anything.
Do you know anyone with a turbo legacy that has done the circle-earth mod? I've done the ghetto stereo-cable SPG mod, but I've heard that the wires in the already made kits are better than anything you can get through high-quality stereo shops.
Just wondering whether it could possibly make a difference since we are talking about alternators and clean electricity.
Also, did you notice any improvements with the MSD system over the stock coil/ignition?
I think it could make a difference. I am going to do my own single-point ground (when it gets warm). I don't think I'd believe any of the hype that the wires in the already-made kits are any better than the wire you can get yourself. I got the nice 8 gauge Amp King power cable from Parts Express ( http://www.partsexpress.com/ ). This wire is awesome. 665 strands, oxygen-free, and really nice PVC insulation. The only way it could be better would be if it had silicone insulation, but that'd be way way more expensive. I'm eager to see if the grounding has a positive effect; I'm optimistic.
The MSD made a very noticeable difference in my car; it seemed to run smoother and pull a bit harder especially at low revs. I don't know how much of that was psychological though :). In any case, though, it seems strange to me that the turbo and N/A cars would have the same ignition system.
I'm running a grounding kit, one of those Arospeed ones, and i can't say i really noticed a difference.
Everyone pretty much agrees that the MSD is a good investment. I really, honestly noticed a difference immediately after installing it. I hit the rev limiter only once or twice before i installed it. Thereafter, the engine revved so smooth and fast that the tranny couldn't keep up and shift in time when i got into it. Proof Positive.
That is rather interesting about the alternator. There's a guy in Dallas that will rewind an alternator to be around 165 amps I think. I'm not sure if he replaces everything. With the age on mine....and the amount of juice I pull through just for the stereo.....it would probably be a good idea to replace it.
If and when I get some place to work on my car.....I have a list of stuff I want to replace as preventative maintenance.....just because the parts have got some age on them.
I've got a gimp SPG mod......I didn't really notice any difference.....as for wiring....stereo wire aka phoenix gold or fausgate.....you won't really find anything better.
The MSD units do work pretty good on the first gen legacies. I was very happy with the results.
Morgie: i had some sqealing too, but it was the two-part crank pulley's outer part sliding over the inner part. Problem solved with an UOR Underdrive pulley.
I think my alternator's on its way out, too. I only have a head unit, so I'm not pullin any major juice, but it is 12 years old...
Also, I think I'm lacking a little power from my raggedy-ass power steering pump, the noise is gonna drive me nuts before it gives out, I figure from Josh's explanation that a bad pump has a very-hard-to-turn pulley, that is gonna hurt power...
"Der Wahnsinn ist nur eine schmale Brücke/die Ufer sind Vernunft und Trieb"
I replaced my alternator at ~105,000 miles and my battery at ~110,000. They were both in dire need of replacement, but I've got a head unit, two amps and a 12" JL sub.
The local dealer replaced my alternator because it wasn't producing any output at idle, and that, combined with a new Purge Control Solenoid, cleaned up the idle problem I had been experiencing earlier. Good, clean electricity is great!
I'm also thinking about a grounding mod come warmer weather.
"That shouldn't be a problem, since I do regularly visit the realm of subatmospheric manifold pressures." -- vrg3
Wow!! And I thought I was the only one!! Anyways, I used to have the squeeling issues when I started the car. It got worse closer to the time my alternator went out . . . now that I switched it, it's gone. I thought it was the ps pump going out, but now the ps works fine!!
Have any of you guys had an alternator rewound? I was thinking of having my alternator overhauled and rewound to produce more current, since I've got a fairly big current draw with the stereo, and I might be putting high wattage headlights in, and I often use the fog lights, and I might be mounting a computer in the car, and in the winter I spend a lot of time with the rear defogger on, and .... so forth.
Is it possible/practical to rewind an alternator yourself?
I wouldn't rewind it yourself........find a place locally that can rewind......or take a look at the thread I posted about a place in dallas that rewinds them for 200 bucks and it'll put out 160 amps!!!
For the last couple months i've noticed that at night when i'm at a stoplight or stopsign, with the lights on and heater running, the instrumentation lights and headlights are a bit dim. As soon as i touch the gas, they get bright. Uh oh.
I was pretty sure it wasn't my underdrive pulley, as i've had it on for over two years and it's never acted quite like this before, so i decided that it was time to replace my 11-year-old alternator.
$120 later, i have a rebuilt alternator and the problem is gone. Also gone is some of the coarseness on WOT accelleraton. I'll reserve final judgement for a few days, but it seems to have helped so far.
I must admit that my hesitation had come back. The motor mounts helped, as did the knock sensor. But I was figuring that my alternator was out of juice for a while.
So after going to two very reputable shops to have an alternator rewound that I bought off eBay, I found that there is no supply of parts out there, so keep that in mind people! So the second shop got me a brand-new one for a decent price of $120.
I just put it on in about a half-hour and...
Yes! My hesitation is gone once again!!!
The car idles low still, but much smoother, the engine pulls with some serious torque, and I have much more confidence about pulling into traffic now.
So chalk me up as the 3rd person to fix hesitation via a new alternator !
"Der Wahnsinn ist nur eine schmale Brücke/die Ufer sind Vernunft und Trieb"
Josh, the first guy I took it to said he couldn't find any parts necessary to rebuild the alternator. Now keep in mind, I know nothing about this, I just know I needed it done. He said he couldn't find a voltage regulator for it. A friend of mine needed the same for his `90 Range Rover, so I took that alternator with me too, and the guy said right off the bat there's no way the he could find anything for it.
To continue, I am just peachy with my car now. My headlights are brighter, my interior lights are brighter and don't almost black out when I turn the a/c on. Even my CD player sounds better, and the faceplate doesn't dim when bass hits either.
I am all smiles right now because my car just feels right now...
"Der Wahnsinn ist nur eine schmale Brücke/die Ufer sind Vernunft und Trieb"
That sounds quite low. My Brat has a voltage meter in the dash from the factory and it pushes a little over 14 at anything above idle, especially above 2000 rpm. Whether I'm pushing my 15" kicker hard or not .
Yes, I have a 15" Sub in a Brat. Yes, I have to roll the windows down to really turn it up.
I'm pretty nervous about my new alt.. just had it rebuilt for half the price of a new one, but after installing it again, the battery and abs lights flickered when i hit the gas... maybe that was remedied by tensioning the alt belt.. havent seen the lights since. however, if it improves the hesitation, which i know i've felt previous, i'll report back. My 91 n/a also squeaked during morning warm-up, so i'll listen for it next time to see if that was indeed the problem.
maybe this could be a permanent fix? all this time i thought it was my clutch needing adjustment...
as far as i know, they replaced the diodes, which i was told were defective. The guy basically said "anything that's worn or needs replacing will get replaced." so that led to the diodes and the brushes, and i'm not sure what else.. all for $99.95.. $120 by the time i was done and gave gas money to the guy ferrying me back and forth to the shop..
maybe you could PM me with some great subie shops in the northwest.. i know you still have WA plates, right?
91legacy_sleeper: I work down in Fife with a person who's uncle rebuilds alternators (i know a guy who knows a guy... hehehe..). Anyplaces you want to know, we can chat aboot.
that forum is a gold mine for info hehe
). Anyplaces you want to know, we can chat aboot.