PA 200 Amp Alternator Failure

My car decided to die on me the other day, but prior to it going on me my battery check engine light came on, then everything else started turning off little by little. The car would not jump off so I had to have it towed for the first time. Well, I finally got a chance to check it out yesterday, and I let the car charge for a bit then BAM my PA 200 amp alternator fucking blows to hell out of no where and there are sparks and smoke everywhere. It kinda looked as if my engine just blew with all of the smoke everywhere! The Optima Yellow Top I had on there was shot as well.

I pulled the alternator out and checked all of the wiring from it to the battery, which from the looks is okay. Since I have the PA 200a alternator, I also purchased the 4 gauge wire kit with it last year when I put it on. It too is okay. I'm completely puzzled as to how the hell this happened out of no where. Anyone have any suggestions or clues? I've already got a new Optima Yellow Top, and am trying to decide if I want to go with a stock alternator or another PA alternator. I'm waiting until Monday to see if it is under warranty, which more or less with my luck it won't be.

Im pretty sure their 130amp is warrantied. The 200amp isn't. BTW ive had no issues with their 130 for 4 years after the stock one died twice.

ren274u said:

Im pretty sure their 130amp is warrantied. The 200amp isn't. BTW ive had no issues with their 130 for 4 years after the stock one died twice.

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It really pisses me off that I spent damn near $400 on a 200 amp alternator and 4 gauge wiring just to see it randomly blow to hell. Hopefully PA Performance will have some positive insight on my situation. If not, I guess I'll snag a 130a due to the lifetime warranty.

I have a PA 130 amp and 4 gauge wire and had an issue with it, the day we installed it and dynoed the car. they were very stand up about it and swapped for a new on without a hassle. Only thing is they wanted to verify the crank pulley size and mine is stock.

Good luck

LAK3RS said:

It really pisses me off that I spent damn near $400 on a 200 amp alternator and 4 gauge wiring just to see it randomly blow to hell. Hopefully PA Performance will have some positive insight on my situation. If not, I guess I'll snag a 130a due to the lifetime warranty.

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If you have a lot of accessories in your stang, be carefull to keep running the 130 amp alternator. I had an issue where when cruising around the car was fine. But when going for long trips (2 hours or greater), the alternator would get hot and would die on me. I have 4 amps on my stereo and a bunch of gauges and when using all the accessories the current draw that I had was greater than 130 amps. The original amp would get hot and couldn't handle the demand and would die on me. I put a 200amp and whala! Before putting the 200 amp on my stang, I took my factory alternator to check it out to 2 different places, they checket it and printed a diagnosis and everything was charging 100% fine, but it was 1 mile away from my house and that wasn't enough time for my car to overload the alternator. I suggest that if your car needs more than 130 amps because the accessories you have go with a 200 amp otherwise it's just a matter of time, but it will die on you, the thing is getting a good brand/quality alternator. If you really don't need the additional capacity (don't have a current draw of 130 amps) stick with the original.

AndrewNagle said:

I have a PA 130 amp and 4 gauge wire and had an issue with it, the day we installed it and dynoed the car. they were very stand up about it and swapped for a new on without a hassle. Only thing is they wanted to verify the crank pulley size and mine is stock.

Good luck

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That's nice to know that you had no issues. I'm anxious to see if I'm still covered under warranty or not.

06Saleen E said:

If you have a lot of accessories in your stang, be carefull to keep running the 130 amp alternator. I had an issue where when cruising around the car was fine. But when going for long trips (2 hours or greater), the alternator would get hot and would die on me. I have 4 amps on my stereo and a bunch of gauges and when using all the accessories the current draw that I had was greater than 130 amps. The original amp would get hot and couldn't handle the demand and would die on me. I put a 200amp and whala! Before putting the 200 amp on my stang, I took my factory alternator to check it out to 2 different places, they checket it and printed a diagnosis and everything was charging 100% fine, but it was 1 mile away from my house and that wasn't enough time for my car to overload the alternator. I suggest that if your car needs more than 130 amps because the accessories you have go with a 200 amp otherwise it's just a matter of time, but it will die on you, the thing is getting a good brand/quality alternator. If you really don't need the additional capacity (don't have a current draw of 130 amps) stick with the original.

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The issue is that I currently have a PA 200 amp alternator, which of course just blew up. The only things extra on my car that are pulling extra amps would be my head unit and my two gauges. Other than those three items, there is nothing else pulling in amps. I'm just completely confused on how the 200 amp alternator blew on me with the little amount of accessories I currently have on the car. I guess shit just happens?

LAK3RS said:

That's nice to know that you had no issues. I'm anxious to see if I'm still covered under warranty or not.



The issue is that I currently have a PA 200 amp alternator, which of course just blew up. The only things extra on my car that are pulling extra amps would be my head unit and my two gauges. Other than those three items, there is nothing else pulling in amps. I'm just completely confused on how the 200 amp alternator blew on me with the little amount of accessories I currently have on the car. I guess shit just happens?

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If I were you I'd get an 130amp alternator since it seems that you don't need a 200 amp.

Good luck though.

Did you get in touch with them? Isn't there a lifetime warranty on them?

My newly installed PA Alternator whistles like it won't align or a bearing is not rite, so it's gotta go. Their site says they warranty ALL of their products for as long as you own them.

http://www.paperformance.com/scripts/openExtra.asp?extra=18

I do remember something about them not warrantying them if they are overspun(above factory rev limiter I believe) or spun in a reverse set-up such as how the alternator is mounted for my e-force setup.

I can't remember where on here I read that though but it has stuck in the back of my head since I'm sure some day I'll need to replace my factory alternator.

isnt there a fuse on that 4 gauge wire? If i remember correctly when i had one on my v6 there was a black box with a fuse in it, i wonder if it blew then the alt went out.

Towelly said:

Did you get in touch with them? Isn't there a lifetime warranty on them?

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I called, but missed them on Friday. I'm going to call first thing Monday morning.

erat said:

My newly installed PA Alternator whistles like it won't align or a bearing is not rite, so it's gotta go. Their site says they warranty ALL of their products for as long as you own them.

http://www.paperformance.com/scripts/openExtra.asp?extra=18

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Though it does say that, it also goes into detail stating that high output alternators retain a one year warranty. Regardless, my alternator should of lasted longer.

Lee's05GT said:

isnt there a fuse on that 4 gauge wire? If i remember correctly when i had one on my v6 there was a black box with a fuse in it, i wonder if it blew then the alt went out.

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I forgot about the black box. I'll pull it out and see if there is a fuse in it.

dysan said:

I do remember something about them not warrantying them if they are overspun(above factory rev limiter I believe) or spun in a reverse set-up such as how the alternator is mounted for my e-force setup.

I can't remember where on here I read that though but it has stuck in the back of my head since I'm sure some day I'll need to replace my factory alternator.

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you are 100% correct!!




Warranty can denied for:

• upgraded main power wire with in-line fuse not installed in (+) cable (200 amp models)
• the alternator being spun in the reverse direction (Saleen S/C installations)
• running an OD crankshaft pulley - over speeds the alternator**
• rev limiter raised above stock - over speeds the alternator**

Any of those conditions voids your warranty

**Here's some more useless information: with the stock diameter balancer and the rev limiter set to 6,000 RPM (stock), the alternator is turning 16,738 RPM. Switch to a 10% OD crankshaft pulley with the rev limiter still set to 6,000 RPM and the alternator speed is now 18,670 RPM. Upgrade to a 15% OD crankshaft pulley and the alternator is spinning 19,313 RPM. If that's not fast enough, go for the gusto and install an 18% OD crankshaft pulley and you're spinning the alternator 19,957 RPM. All of these RPM are based off of WOT.

Now let's turn the rev limiter up to 6,500 RPM and the alternator RPM gets crazy fast:
0% OD balancer = 18,133 RPM
10% OD balancer = 20,225 RPM
15% OD balancer = 20,923 RPM
18% OD balancer = 21,620 RPM

Lee's05GT said:

isn't there a fuse on that 4 gauge wire? If i remember correctly when i had one on my v6 there was a black box with a fuse in it, i wonder if it blew then the alt went out.

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LAK3RS said:

I forgot about the black box. I'll pull it out and see if there is a fuse in it.

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Even if the fuse is blown, the fuse blew for a reason - most likely a failed (shorted to ground) alternator

Didn't have a chance to check the fuse yet. I'll be calling PA in a few hours to see what's up. Regardless if it's covered or not, I would still like to send it to them for inspection on why it did what it did.

I spoke with PA earlier, and am sending in my alternator to be repaired or replaced. I purchased it in March of last year, so it's four months out of warranty. The person I spoke with was Kevin, and he was extremely helpful. I'll know how much the costs are soon. It's too bad this couldn't of been earlier this year though!

I also ordered a Quality Built 15453 refurbished alternator through Amazon for $125 shipped, and will have it tomorrow. I'm going to throw it on there with my new battery and make sure everything checks out. For the price, I figure it would be nice to have a back up as well.

any update on this?

You should seek out a local alternator repair shop. I found one here and they do a complete rebuild for $140. That includes damn near everything inside.

I go through a lot of alternators. I asked the guy why, in his opinion, I'm burning the internals up on these things. He asked if I had charged the battery with the alternator connected. Apparently the diode/regulator that keeps electricity from flowing back to the alternator is low quality in these units, and blows out easily. That allows the alternator circuitry to go to shit.

I have had the stock and a PA Performance alternator do the same exact thing, and have never had one last more than a year. I'm going to refuse to jump people and disconnect the alternator if I ever have to charge the battery, and see if I can get one to last longer.

YMMV.