Just curious why does the lsj alt have a clutched pulley on it? All the other ecotec alternators dont but for some reason the lsj's is..

Is there any adverse effect of changing to a billet pulley and get rid of that clutch mess?

 

ottp sells a billet pulley for it. I think its clutched so you cant spin it backwards, but it still works if you spin it backwards

 

its clutched so its more efficient and so there is less whipping on the belt, if you rev up the motor the alternator will keep spinning even if the motor slows down, think of it like your bike, you can stop pedaling but the wheels will keep turning, it would be a lot more work to keep pedaling all the time

 

Best example I can show you. Really is a great video showing the effects.

EDIT: If you can imagine with the LSJ having the blower being run by the belt, all that flutter would cause belt slippage on the blower itself and reduction in boost pressure.

 

Yeah it's to prevent the alternator from applying too much torque on rapid engine deceleration causing belt noise and wear. Must have been some sort of issue they found on the LSJ's that made it necessary during testing.

 

Thanks guys!

I was going to take my pulley off and send it to Nate and help him get a pulley but after reading this im just going to keep it stock. Like you all have said, GM must have put it there for a reason because it would have been cheaper to not have it.