Chippewa Valley Starter & Alternator Service

05/21/2026

We recently had the privilege of working on the generator from a 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio for an out of state customer.

This unit was in beautiful condition, but the armature was open-circuit and required a complete hand rewinding.

Hearing feedback like this from the customer makes it worthwhile: “The quality of work you and your team did matches a car of this caliber.”

04/22/2026

Dead on the water?

We rebuild marine starters & alternators—fast, reliable, and more affordable than new. 🚤⚡

We can get you back out there!

03/16/2026

What happened here?
These solenoid contacts were damaged by low voltage during cranking.

When voltage is low, the starter has to pull more current, which can cause arcing and burning on the solenoid contacts like you see here. Once arced, the solenoid will struggle to close the electrical circuit, resulting in intermittent or no-start conditions, even with full voltage.

What is full voltage? A healthy 12 volt battery should read about 12.6–12.7V at rest. At 12.3 volts, a battery is already around 30% discharged, and at 12.0 volts it’s over 50% discharged.

Low voltage at the starter can also be caused by corroded connections, bad grounds, or voltage drop in the cables.

We can rebuild your starter — but it’s always a good idea to check the battery and cables too so the whole starting system is working its best.

03/14/2026

We designed and build our Vortex Race Starters in-house. With over 40 years of rebuilding AND racing experience put into the development of these starters, you won’t find a better one.

Our powerful Vortex starter for Bert, Brinn, and Winters bell housings has a rotatable housing for optimal fitment on your race car.

03/13/2026

Our brand new line of powerful race car starters will be on display and for sale at Midwest Motorsports Expo tomorrow. Stop by or check them out at www.vortexspeedshop.com.

Come check out the Midwest Motorsports Expo with us tomorrow at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, MN

03/09/2026

More great Schaeffer's Oil products delivered fresh today. We stock many oil products as well as grease, transmission fluid, and specialty additives and treatments.

03/04/2026

You can catch us at the Eau Claire Farm Show put on by North Country Enterprises today until 3:30. The event is free to attend and features many amazing agricultural businesses.

12/19/2025

08/20/2025

Chippewa Valley Starter and Alternator is a family-owned local business with over 45 years of expertise. We’re dedicated to serving you with all of your starter and alternator needs.

07/14/2025

Looking cool in chrome 😎

07/04/2025

🇺🇸 Happy 4th of July! 🇺🇸

We’re closed today to celebrate Independence Day.

Wishing you a safe and fun holiday.