so i have a 97 with the 3.8 and all of a sudden my alternator died while i was driving and all my warning lights came on.

and so i have this OTHER alternator that i got out of a 1994 Bonneville.
my question is, will it fit???

 

Nope they are not even the same generation of Alternator. The Alternator from the Bonneville is a "CS" type (great internals but they tend to blow the rear bearing). Used from 1985-1999. The Alternator that the Camaro uses is the "CS130-D/140" (the 130 or 140 is the case diameter in mm not the output). These are used from 1994-today. They are extremely reliable and usually only die from abuse such as unplugging the battery when the engine is running, jumping, charging dead batteries... etc. Hope this helps

Massey

PS NEVER TEST AN ALTERNATOR BY DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY WHILE THE ENGINE IS RUNNING.
If you do you might as well go to the part store and just buy a new alternator.

 

yeah now i know this i know that i need to get a new alternator at like advanced auto.
there goes $100 down the pooper. :P

 

The CS series generator in your car *is* a dependable, high-output piece. Like Massey says, though, it's important that you don't use it as a battery charger. It puts out a lot of juice but it was never intended to do so for extended periods.
I remember when GM introduced these and the guys at Oldsmobile told us (technician training program developers) to stress the "this is not a battery charger fact."
If your battery dies for whatever reason, do *NOT* simply jumpstart and drive away figuring that the generator will bring tha battery back up. Charging like crazy will cook the guts of that compact thing. Put the battery on a charger to restore it.