PH98I30

I have a 98 i30. At 128K, I put on a NEW, not rebuilt alternator from NAPA. I am now at 136K and its starting to make a grinding noise. Its only been in about 9 months. Since I should get a free replacement, is there a certain brand you guys recommend? I can't believe this is screwed up already. I thought NAPA made quality parts.

max-nutcase

ive had friends that had good luck wit bosch reman.....and i think napa has them....all remans are hit or miss but ive seen bosch work fine..matter of fact, still are and its been a few yrs now!

CMax03

iTrader: (3)

You sure you didn't overtighten the drive belt too much and cause premaure bearing failure?

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

Before you posted here, you should have called Napa and found out its warranty coverage.

PH98I30

More Info.... There is a Honda mechanic, Robert, that lives a few doors down the street from me. He was over when the pulley bearings on the original alternator failed. He picked a new alternator up for me at the parts house he uses and said it was a Napa part & it was marked that way. I installed it. I tend to under tighten belts because I don't want to ruin the bearings. The belt did squeal when I started the car and I slowly tightened it until it quit squealing. When I was done, Robert took a look at it and said it was good to go. I checked out the noise with a stethoscope, it is from inside the alternator. It is louder at start up but quiets down when the engine warms up. It has a year warranty on it, so I should be able to switch it out. I am just disappointed because the car ran so quietly before that you couldn't tell that the engine was on. It's a great car.

PH98I30

I just was curious brand of alternator I should have gotten that you guys would recommend. I value your guys opinions.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

Fixed that for ya???

Otherwise, very good point

PH98I30

Update..... the alternator started making a loud noise Saturday morning. On Tuesday as quickly as the noise started it has stopped. I am stumped. It is as quiet now as a ***** on Sunday. I don't know what the cause was. The neighbor mechanic brought a belt tension gauge from work and checked the belt last night. It was a little high (24 lbs), 22 lbs is the spec, so we loosened the belt a tad. But the car is back to its old quiet. I am happy. Maybe some crud got into the cooling vents and made noise, I don't know. Anyway, should I need another alt in another 100K, I will see what's on the market then.

CMax03

iTrader: (3)

Maybe a dry bearing until it warmed up like a ***** at a Politician/lawyer Convention! Funny thing I just replaced a 99 Altima's altenator with a really nice junkyard unit for $30 and that altenator was laying down 14.1 Volts with all the accessories on and the brakes applied! That Kid was happy as hell! He didn't have to cough up $100-$200 for an Altenator rebuilt or New!