97 Suburban & Mean-Green Alternator

I just purchased a Mean-Green Alternator (MG8206) for my 97 Suburban
K1500, 5.7L with Optima red-top battery -- in anticipation of
replacing the reman alternator that I have to replace every couple of
years. The new alternator seems to be a direct bolt-in. However,
when I start up and run the engine for 10-15 minutes (per instructions
to stabilize the alternator output), I only get battery voltage and
amp readings. When I put the reman alternator back in, it works fine.
I had the MG alternator tested at Advance Auto, and it starts fine on
their test bench. I tried putting it into the Suburban again, and
same result -- no workie. It looks to me that the MG is not starting
and does not charge the battery when in the truck, even though
everything is connected correctly. Any ideas as to why that is?

In looking at other types of high-output alternators, they supply the
new installation with beefier wires and/or new voltage regulators. Is
that the case here as well? If I need new wire running from the
alternator to the battery, what gauge should I use? Instructions that
came with the MG made no mention of other installation parts or
procedures.

Does anyone have experience with this alternator in their GM? I would
like to not have to turn around and return this alternator (quite a
lot of $), or have to sell it at a loss.

TIA for any assistance. Please let me know if there is any other info
that I should supply.

Fred

Why did you cross post this with no reference to the original question?

You sure aren't helping the original poster that way.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Corey Shuman wrote:
>
> I would suggest contacting MG directly and asking for assistance. a
> phone call can save you a lot of time and wasted effort (like posting
> on a newsgroup..)
> btw.. Ive run MGs in both my Rovers and been extremely pleased, I have
> run all lights (headlights&fog-2 55w driving- 2 130w floods, 2 90w
> pencil beams, 2 55w driving lights(on the back)) in addition to the
> stereo (300w amp) with no noticible draw (pulsing etc...) They are
> sweet units, but they are not OEM, and as such, you should expect a
> glitch or two...

On Tue, 9 Aug 2005, Corey Shuman wrote:

> They are sweet units

....but they're also vastly overpriced. Plain ol' GM Delco/Delphi units,
sometimes with output increased via the use of commonly-available upgrade
parts. There is nothing that goes into a Mean Green brand alternator that
cannot easily be sourced and assembled by a competent local auto
starter/alternator rebuilding house. Mean Green brands their product,
though, and attaches fancy slogans and a slick website, which is what you
pay for.

Ok, then why did you cross post this all over a mess of newsgroups if it
wasn't to get some 'real' opinions or ideas for the original poster?

All it now looks like is you wanting to see your name in print or
something dumb like this answer and that helps the person asking the
question a whole pile doesn't it.....

Instead of cross posting this all over a whole pile of newsgroups, why
didn't you just give your smart assed reply to the one group where the
original poster asked the questions?

Or did you just figure you wanted a whole bunch of people to see how
'smart' you are or how much of an ass you are?

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Corey Shuman wrote:
>
> what part of:
>
> "I would suggest contacting MG directly and asking for assistance. a
> phone call can save you a lot of time and wasted effort (like posting
> on a newsgroup..) "
>
> did you miss??

I don't know where the original question came from, not the groups I am
viewing but I have seen the same issue on 'GM' style alternators.

On some of them they have the trigger wire on the wrong pin in the
plug. One wire has battery power, the smaller wire is the trigger. For
some strange reason, some alternators are built with that 2 pin plug
reversed.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

"John S." wrote:
>
> [email protected] wrote:
> > I just purchased a Mean-Green Alternator (MG8206) for my 97 Suburban
> > K1500, 5.7L with Optima red-top battery -- in anticipation of
> > replacing the reman alternator that I have to replace every couple of
> > years.
>
> There is some other problem if you have to replace alternators every
> two years. Rather than buying what is probably an expensive high
> output unit you should be spending your money on figuring out why you
> replace alternators so frequently.
>
> > The new alternator seems to be a direct bolt-in.
>
> I've got to ask - were you having problems keeping the battery charged
> and running accessories with a standard alternator?
>
> > However,
> > when I start up and run the engine for 10-15 minutes (per instructions
> > to stabilize the alternator output), I only get battery voltage and
> > amp readings. When I put the reman alternator back in, it works fine.
> > I had the MG alternator tested at Advance Auto, and it starts fine on
> > their test bench. I tried putting it into the Suburban again, and
> > same result -- no workie. It looks to me that the MG is not starting
> > and does not charge the battery when in the truck, even though
> > everything is connected correctly. Any ideas as to why that is?
>
> I would imagine the unit they sold you is bad. Or it is connected
> incorrectly.
>
> >
> > In looking at other types of high-output alternators, they supply the
> > new installation with beefier wires and/or new voltage regulators. Is
> > that the case here as well? If I need new wire running from the
> > alternator to the battery, what gauge should I use? Instructions that
> > came with the MG made no mention of other installation parts or
> > procedures.
>
> I would take advantage of their website and customer assistance phone
> line and pose those questions to the green people.
>
> >
> > Does anyone have experience with this alternator in their GM? I would
> > like to not have to turn around and return this alternator (quite a
> > lot of $), or have to sell it at a loss.
>
> Again, why did you feel the need to spend a lot of money on an
> alternator.
>
> >
> > TIA for any assistance. Please let me know if there is any other info
> > that I should supply.
> >
> > Fred

On Wed, 10 Aug 2005, Steve W. wrote:

> > > They are sweet units

> > ...but they're also vastly overpriced. Plain ol' GM Delco/Delphi
> > units, sometimes with output increased via the use of
> > commonly-available upgrade parts. There is nothing that goes into a
> > Mean Green brand alternator that cannot easily be sourced and
> > assembled by a competent local auto starter/alternator rebuilding
> > house. Mean Green brands their product, though, and attaches fancy
> > slogans and a slick website, which is what you pay for.

> Gee you think 400 bucks is too high.... I looked at that price and
> laughed. What a friggen joke.

Oh, but you do get a keen "Mean Green" decal...

On 9 Aug 2005 09:14:39 -0700, "Corey Shuman" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>I would suggest contacting MG directly and asking for assistance. a
>phone call can save you a lot of time and wasted effort (like posting
>on a newsgroup..)
>btw.. Ive run MGs in both my Rovers and been extremely pleased, I have
>run all lights (headlights&fog-2 55w driving- 2 130w floods, 2 90w
>pencil beams, 2 55w driving lights(on the back)) in addition to the
>stereo (300w amp) with no noticible draw (pulsing etc...) They are
>sweet units, but they are not OEM, and as such, you should expect a
>glitch or two...

By my experience, it is a lot more wasted effort spending time on a
tech support line than tapping the potentially vast amount of
experience on the NGs, and more useful and interesting hearing other
peoples experiences and opinions. In addition, in my search for an
answer to this, I found some postings that stated the MGI was less
than helpful on their tech support. They have yet to respond to my
inquiry. I also spoke to a mech at OK4WD where I ordered the
alternator, and while very nice on the phone, they have yet to find
the answer either. I'll keep trying both avenues until I get it fixed
or refunded.

I also know what you mean by MG products in general. I used to have
an 89 Jeep Wrangler and put a MG starter in it when the stock one and
another reman gave me trouble, and I never had starter trouble again.
Hence my desire to turn to them again. I still hope to get it
working...

On 10 Aug 2005 08:33:49 -0700, "John S." <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>[email protected] wrote:
>> I just purchased a Mean-Green Alternator (MG8206) for my 97 Suburban
>> K1500, 5.7L with Optima red-top battery -- in anticipation of
>> replacing the reman alternator that I have to replace every couple of
>> years.
>
>There is some other problem if you have to replace alternators every
>two years. Rather than buying what is probably an expensive high
>output unit you should be spending your money on figuring out why you
>replace alternators so frequently.
>
This isn't the first component that I've had that is generally only
available as a reman, and not the only vehicle that I've had that has
had this challenge. From what I've been reading for quite some time
on various sources on the internet, I'm not the only one what has
challenges with reman parts, especially electrical ones. You may be
right that there is some other problem, but the vehicle has not
displayed any other symptoms of other failures, and troubleshooting
trees point to the alternator itself. The problem may just, in fact,
be that a reman part has already failed once or been close to it, by
definition, and depending on the quality of the process and parts that
were used in the remanufacturing and the outfit that did the
remanufacturing, those parts may not last as long as a brand new one
out of the box.

>> The new alternator seems to be a direct bolt-in.
>
>I've got to ask - were you having problems keeping the battery charged
>and running accessories with a standard alternator?
>
Like I stated above, "...in anticipation of replacing..." meaning that
the old unit was still running but showing signs of failure. As I
intend to keep the vehicle for as long as I can, I chose to spend some
more money to get a higher quality, higher output unit, and in the
long run possibly spend less money by buying an alternator I may never
have to replace. My choice to replace now instead of waiting for it
to fail at an unknown time and location.

>
>> However,
>> when I start up and run the engine for 10-15 minutes (per instructions
>> to stabilize the alternator output), I only get battery voltage and
>> amp readings. When I put the reman alternator back in, it works fine.
>> I had the MG alternator tested at Advance Auto, and it starts fine on
>> their test bench. I tried putting it into the Suburban again, and
>> same result -- no workie. It looks to me that the MG is not starting
>> and does not charge the battery when in the truck, even though
>> everything is connected correctly. Any ideas as to why that is?
>
>I would imagine the unit they sold you is bad. Or it is connected
>incorrectly.
>
Bad unit is possible, although it did test good on the bench, like I
state above. Can't really connect it incorrectly -- it is a 2-wire
alternator, plug is correct idiot-proof plug for the alternator, same
as on the one that came out, the other is the one that goes to the
battery. Like I said -- direct plug in.

>>
>> In looking at other types of high-output alternators, they supply the
>> new installation with beefier wires and/or new voltage regulators. Is
>> that the case here as well? If I need new wire running from the
>> alternator to the battery, what gauge should I use? Instructions that
>> came with the MG made no mention of other installation parts or
>> procedures.
>
>I would take advantage of their website and customer assistance phone
>line and pose those questions to the green people.
>
You must not have looked at their website -- there is no tech support
info there to take advantage of, hence the reason that I came to the
NGs in the first place. I have been trying to get in contact with
them, as I stated above, and they have not responded yet. My
experience is that the wealth of information from the people on the
NGs that actually try to answer the questions that are asked has been
immensely helpful in the past as an additional resource.

>>
>> Does anyone have experience with this alternator in their GM? I would
>> like to not have to turn around and return this alternator (quite a
>> lot of $), or have to sell it at a loss.
>
>Again, why did you feel the need to spend a lot of money on an
>alternator.
>
Answered at the top. Likely less $ in the long run, and I can choose
to purchase what I want. This question doesn't really contribute
anything to solving why the MG doesn't work, though.

>
>>
>> TIA for any assistance. Please let me know if there is any other info
>> that I should supply.
>>
>> Fred

On Wed, 10 Aug 2005 13:43:00 -0400, "Daniel J. Stern"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On Tue, 9 Aug 2005, Corey Shuman wrote:
>
>> They are sweet units
>
>...but they're also vastly overpriced. Plain ol' GM Delco/Delphi units,
>sometimes with output increased via the use of commonly-available upgrade
>parts. There is nothing that goes into a Mean Green brand alternator that
>cannot easily be sourced and assembled by a competent local auto
>starter/alternator rebuilding house. Mean Green brands their product,
>though, and attaches fancy slogans and a slick website, which is what you
>pay for.

While this may be true, it doesn't contribute to the original question
-- does anyone out here have an experience getting this to work in the
configuration asked about?

I chose to buy a bolt-in unit from a company that I and others have
had experience with and are very pleased with instead of shopping
around locally for a reputable tech that backs their products up like
MG does -- while I'm sure their are many out there, I'm not really in
a position to do that level of research and take that kind of risk. It
is your opinion that you are paying for the MG name, and while that is
true of any company that brands their products (they would quickly go
bankrupt if they did not try to profit off of their products, or if
they charge a high price for substandard products), I have used their
products before, and have read many articles, spoken to many people,
and seen many posts from those who state it has been worth the extra
money they drop on the MG and they couldn't be happier with the
performance they get. I chose to go that route, and am now just
trying to get the thing to work by asking the assistance of anyone who
may have some experience with the thing. Not an unheard of thing, and
really a simple question.

On Wed, 10 Aug 2005 13:45:08 -0400, Mike Romain <[email protected]>
wrote:

>I don't know where the original question came from, not the groups I am
>viewing but I have seen the same issue on 'GM' style alternators.
>
>On some of them they have the trigger wire on the wrong pin in the
>plug. One wire has battery power, the smaller wire is the trigger. For
>some strange reason, some alternators are built with that 2 pin plug
>reversed.
>
I would assume that such a problem would be on the alternator itself?
This alternator has a standard, idiot-proof GM alternator plug (only
one way to plug it in), and on the vehicle side of the plug (male)
only one of the 4 terminals has a wire going into it. I assume that
this is the trigger. The alternator side (female) has 4 posts, but
they are all the same, and I can't tell what on the inside of the
alternator connects to the other 3 posts. Since the unit tested good
on the test bench, as I stated below, I would think it would behave
the same on the truck, but it doesn't seem to be the case. Did the
problem on the GM style as you mention above show up on the test
bench?

Thanks!

>Mike
>86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
>88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
>
>"John S." wrote:
>>
>> [email protected] wrote:
>> > I just purchased a Mean-Green Alternator (MG8206) for my 97 Suburban
>> > K1500, 5.7L with Optima red-top battery -- in anticipation of
>> > replacing the reman alternator that I have to replace every couple of
>> > years.
>>
>> There is some other problem if you have to replace alternators every
>> two years. Rather than buying what is probably an expensive high
>> output unit you should be spending your money on figuring out why you
>> replace alternators so frequently.
>>
>> > The new alternator seems to be a direct bolt-in.
>>
>> I've got to ask - were you having problems keeping the battery charged
>> and running accessories with a standard alternator?
>>
>> > However,
>> > when I start up and run the engine for 10-15 minutes (per instructions
>> > to stabilize the alternator output), I only get battery voltage and
>> > amp readings. When I put the reman alternator back in, it works fine.
>> > I had the MG alternator tested at Advance Auto, and it starts fine on
>> > their test bench. I tried putting it into the Suburban again, and
>> > same result -- no workie. It looks to me that the MG is not starting
>> > and does not charge the battery when in the truck, even though
>> > everything is connected correctly. Any ideas as to why that is?
>>
>> I would imagine the unit they sold you is bad. Or it is connected
>> incorrectly.
>>
>> >
>> > In looking at other types of high-output alternators, they supply the
>> > new installation with beefier wires and/or new voltage regulators. Is
>> > that the case here as well? If I need new wire running from the
>> > alternator to the battery, what gauge should I use? Instructions that
>> > came with the MG made no mention of other installation parts or
>> > procedures.
>>
>> I would take advantage of their website and customer assistance phone
>> line and pose those questions to the green people.
>>
>> >
>> > Does anyone have experience with this alternator in their GM? I would
>> > like to not have to turn around and return this alternator (quite a
>> > lot of $), or have to sell it at a loss.
>>
>> Again, why did you feel the need to spend a lot of money on an
>> alternator.
>>
>> >
>> > TIA for any assistance. Please let me know if there is any other info
>> > that I should supply.
>> >
>> > Fred

On Wed, 10 Aug 2005 14:39:36 -0500, SnoMan
<[email protected]> wrote:

>"lentz3" wrote:
>>I just purchased a Mean-Green Alternator (MG8206) for my 97 Suburban
>>K1500, 5.7L with Optima red-top battery -- in anticipation of
>>replacing the reman alternator that I have to replace every couple of
>>years. The new alternator seems to be a direct bolt-in. However,
>>when I start up and run the engine for 10-15 minutes (per
>instructions
>>to stabilize the alternator output), I only get battery voltage and
>>amp readings. When I put the reman alternator back in, it works fine.
>>I had the MG alternator tested at Advance Auto, and it starts fine on
>>their test bench. I tried putting it into the Suburban again, and
>>same result -- no workie. It looks to me that the MG is not starting
>>and does not charge the battery when in the truck, even though
>>everything is connected correctly. Any ideas as to why that is?
>>
>>In looking at other types of high-output alternators, they supply the
>>new installation with beefier wires and/or new voltage regulators.
>Is
>>that the case here as well? If I need new wire running from the
>>alternator to the battery, what gauge should I use? Instructions
>that
>>came with the MG made no mention of other installation parts or
>>procedures.
>>
>>Does anyone have experience with this alternator in their GM? I
>would
>>like to not have to turn around and return this alternator (quite a
>>lot of $), or have to sell it at a loss.
>>
>>TIA for any assistance. Please let me know if there is any other
>info
>>that I should supply.
>>
>>Fred
>
>Never used one of them as I have always used stock one but I do not
>use rebuilds, I rebuild my own if needed because some rebuilds are not
>good quality. Am I correct to understand that alt does not work in you
>car at all as verified with a portable meter not the one in the dash?

I get battery voltage indicated on the dash, and I verified that with
a portable voltmeter, and also tested the current with an ammeter. All
show that the new alternator isn't starting.

Thanks!

On Wed, 10 Aug 2005 23:40:04 -0400, "Daniel J. Stern"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On Wed, 10 Aug 2005, Steve W. wrote:
>
>> > > They are sweet units
>
>> > ...but they're also vastly overpriced. Plain ol' GM Delco/Delphi
>> > units, sometimes with output increased via the use of
>> > commonly-available upgrade parts. There is nothing that goes into a
>> > Mean Green brand alternator that cannot easily be sourced and
>> > assembled by a competent local auto starter/alternator rebuilding
>> > house. Mean Green brands their product, though, and attaches fancy
>> > slogans and a slick website, which is what you pay for.
>
>> Gee you think 400 bucks is too high.... I looked at that price and
>> laughed. What a friggen joke.
>
>Oh, but you do get a keen "Mean Green" decal...

I got ripped off, then -- I didn't get a decal!

"Comboverfish" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Not really. His stock alternator is a Delphi CS series; CS stands for
> Crap Suck. Original units last about 5 years and average quality
> remans last about 2 - 4 years.

Its funny but two S-10 Blazers with well over 200K on both, and both have
the orginal
Delphi CS Alternators, one's an 87, the other's a 91. Clean battery
terminals, and good batteries
go along way to averting charging system problems.

>
> I would recommend looking at the side terminals (the wiring, not the
> battery) especially where the two positive terminals piggyback. Make
> sure they make a good, solid, corrosion-free connection when tightened
> and be certain the terminals don't spin on the battery when moderate
> twisting force is applied.
>
> Toyota MDT in MO
>
Whitelightning

[email protected] wrote:
>
> On Wed, 10 Aug 2005 13:45:08 -0400, Mike Romain <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >I don't know where the original question came from, not the groups I am
> >viewing but I have seen the same issue on 'GM' style alternators.
> >
> >On some of them they have the trigger wire on the wrong pin in the
> >plug. One wire has battery power, the smaller wire is the trigger. For
> >some strange reason, some alternators are built with that 2 pin plug
> >reversed.
> >
> I would assume that such a problem would be on the alternator itself?
> This alternator has a standard, idiot-proof GM alternator plug (only
> one way to plug it in), and on the vehicle side of the plug (male)
> only one of the 4 terminals has a wire going into it. I assume that
> this is the trigger. The alternator side (female) has 4 posts, but
> they are all the same, and I can't tell what on the inside of the
> alternator connects to the other 3 posts. Since the unit tested good
> on the test bench, as I stated below, I would think it would behave
> the same on the truck, but it doesn't seem to be the case. Did the
> problem on the GM style as you mention above show up on the test
> bench?
>
> Thanks!

I think we must be talking different alternators. The ones with the
main wire and trigger wire have a built in regulator. These have one
battery wire and a trigger off the ignition power usually.

Mike


>
> >Mike
> >86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> >88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
> >
> >"John S." wrote:
> >>
> >> [email protected] wrote:
> >> > I just purchased a Mean-Green Alternator (MG8206) for my 97 Suburban
> >> > K1500, 5.7L with Optima red-top battery -- in anticipation of
> >> > replacing the reman alternator that I have to replace every couple of
> >> > years.
> >>
> >> There is some other problem if you have to replace alternators every
> >> two years. Rather than buying what is probably an expensive high
> >> output unit you should be spending your money on figuring out why you
> >> replace alternators so frequently.
> >>
> >> > The new alternator seems to be a direct bolt-in.
> >>
> >> I've got to ask - were you having problems keeping the battery charged
> >> and running accessories with a standard alternator?
> >>
> >> > However,
> >> > when I start up and run the engine for 10-15 minutes (per instructions
> >> > to stabilize the alternator output), I only get battery voltage and
> >> > amp readings. When I put the reman alternator back in, it works fine.
> >> > I had the MG alternator tested at Advance Auto, and it starts fine on
> >> > their test bench. I tried putting it into the Suburban again, and
> >> > same result -- no workie. It looks to me that the MG is not starting
> >> > and does not charge the battery when in the truck, even though
> >> > everything is connected correctly. Any ideas as to why that is?
> >>
> >> I would imagine the unit they sold you is bad. Or it is connected
> >> incorrectly.
> >>
> >> >
> >> > In looking at other types of high-output alternators, they supply the
> >> > new installation with beefier wires and/or new voltage regulators. Is
> >> > that the case here as well? If I need new wire running from the
> >> > alternator to the battery, what gauge should I use? Instructions that
> >> > came with the MG made no mention of other installation parts or
> >> > procedures.
> >>
> >> I would take advantage of their website and customer assistance phone
> >> line and pose those questions to the green people.
> >>
> >> >
> >> > Does anyone have experience with this alternator in their GM? I would
> >> > like to not have to turn around and return this alternator (quite a
> >> > lot of $), or have to sell it at a loss.
> >>
> >> Again, why did you feel the need to spend a lot of money on an
> >> alternator.
> >>
> >> >
> >> > TIA for any assistance. Please let me know if there is any other info
> >> > that I should supply.
> >> >
> >> > Fred