After having these installed (by a shop), the belt (brand new Gates) shredded. Then the pulley tensioner went out. After I replaced that, I have another issue. Sometimes when at idle, my interioir lights go dim and my voltage gauge reads low. When I take my foot off the brake, the guages light back up, and also does this when I give it some gas. I used Steeda UD pulleys b/c everyone I talked too (including on this forum) said they used them and had no issues. Could all these be related? Or do I just need to replace my altanator? The battery is an Optima and less than 2 years old.
I was never a fan of underdrive pulleys. If your alternator is already a little weak then the underdrive pulley will only exacerbate the problem which might explain the lights dimming. U.M.
Yep, underdrive pulleys only slow down the accessories, so that explains why hitting the gas brings the lights back up. The rpms raise up, and the accessories are also sped up. Also, the brakes are probably draining the power enough to dim the lights, so when you let up, the lights are brought back up. You can either take the underdrive pulley back off, or maybe a bigger alternator will solve the problem.
i thought about some of the after market alternators like Tuff Stuff and PA but $200-$300 is alot just for an altanator... are they THAT much better than a stock replacement?
