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Are you sure that it is the right alt? I assume your truck is using a serptine belt, is it too small that the auto-tensioner wont pick up the slack? I took the pulley off my old alternator just by taking the retaining nut off holding the pulley on (I thought it was like a ps pump and you needed the old pulley), but that was for an '87. You may need to use a gear puller if the pulley is pressed on, that's what I used to get the pulley off a ps pump.
Its the right alt, I dont know if the auto tensioner will pick up the slack. It uses a 15/16 socket but when I try to loosen it, it just turns the whole pulley also. The pulley is about 1/3 smaller than the stock, do you think that would affect it?
If the belt still fits tightly I don't think it would be a problem. I had the same problem trying to get the nut off of my old pulley, I put a screwdriver through the fins to keep the whole thing from spinning but then you run the risk of bending something?!?
I took it to shop and they switched it for me. I just installed it but now the batt meter shows a low voltage at idle??? Do I need to replace the neg cable with a thicker gauge?
Get your voltmeter out and check to see how many volts the battery is holding, sometimes a bad alt takes the battery with it on the way out. The battery may have a dead cell which isn't allowing it to put out 12 volts.
If you just put a new alternator in I still think it is your battery that is making the low voltage show up. Take your battery down to AutoZone and have them check it for you, most autoparts places will check that for free if you haul it in there to them.
If the pulley you put on is bigger than the pulley you took off the alternator, you will be turning the alternator slower than if it was running with the smaller pulley, and would give a low reading at idle. I would check again to make sure you have the correct alternator (I know you said that you do, and you're probably right). I'm surprised that a vehicle specific replacement would have a different size than stock. Oh well, just another thing for you to consider; see what the parts store says when they test the alternator, you could have gotten a bad one.
Well i got the bat checked out. Witht the ac on high it read 12.47
So I guess it s the alt. I will take it out and put the smaller pulley back on and try that, if that doesnt work its going back.