my alternator has died, is the replacement work on the alt difficult? should I replace it with a factory alternator, or...aftermarket? or will a stock alt + a good battery work out nicely? i'm running some high draw applications out ofmy trunk.

thanks

 

I was running a 1100w RMS system with no problems off my stock-output alternator...
had to replace it just after buying the car, but that was before I ever put the system in..

the one I bought was an $89 O'reilly's special.. 95A output, lifetime warranty so if it ever did blow up on me, just take it back and trade it out again.

replacement for the first time will take about an hour.. I can do one in about 15 minutes, since I know what tools I need and how to get to everything.

 

what'sa good price to pay for an alt? i see them for 200-250 at places. isthere a write-up with tools list i could check out? also, would a good battery in replacemnet for my new "les schwab" battery help reduce load on the alt?

and...how do alts die? so i dont make the same mistake twice

 

you should be able to find one for under $125. autozone, pep boys, oreilly's are the local parts chains, and they all have them for $90-120.


as for WHY they go out, it's partly to do with age, and mostly to do with a weak system down the line. you need a good battery, with good power and ground connections.. both to the alternator and audio system. (the engine-->frame ground is only a 4 or 6 awg wire.. and since the engine is isolated by the rubber mounts, you should upgrade the engine/frame ground strap as well as your battery/ground strap.


Then just make sure you've got a good, LARGE battery that can put out the extra power when you crank up the system and the alternator can't keep up. Also be sure to install a capacitor or two (or three)..

FYI, dimming lights are fine on a high powered system, provided that the battery has enough reserver power to keep the alternator from going into self-destruct mode.

 

before my head lights didnt dim on me, but now they do i have about a 500 rms watt system, and i never seen my head lamps do this to me

i wonder if my alt is going bad or is it just my battery not charging well enough,

just out of curiousity is driving in deep water well not too deep hurt the alt, since its at the very bottom of the car?

 

there should be a splash shield around the alt...if you just drive through you should* be ok. if u sit in a flood...it's done.

 

is it fairly easy to have a battery that puts out enough power that the alternator cannot keep up? I have another little vw that I bought to play around and fix up and the alternator would not keep the battery charged. I had to switch batteries with my 66 mustang conv and the battery in the vw was a smaller battery in power(cca, etc.) and now the alternator keeps the battery charged.

Scott


]Originally posted by Matt93SE
you should be able to find one for under $125. autozone, pep boys, oreilly's are the local parts chains, and they all have them for $90-120.


as for WHY they go out, it's partly to do with age, and mostly to do with a weak system down the line. you need a good battery, with good power and ground connections.. both to the alternator and audio system. (the engine-->frame ground is only a 4 or 6 awg wire.. and since the engine is isolated by the rubber mounts, you should upgrade the engine/frame ground strap as well as your battery/ground strap.


Then just make sure you've got a good, LARGE battery that can put out the extra power when you crank up the system and the alternator can't keep up. Also be sure to install a capacitor or two (or three)..

FYI, dimming lights are fine on a high powered system, provided that the battery has enough reserver power to keep the alternator from going into self-destruct mode. [/QUOTE]

 

please see my site for my instructions and replacement procedure I did.

 

yep got mine for like 89 at autozone..lifetime warrenty. and i used bryans site, very useful! It hasnt died in like the 6-7 months its been in my car.. and im running my system too

 

Hmm, I really can't say much without working on it myself, but I would say the battery itself may have jsut been bad.. if they get a bad cell in them, they'll still keep correct voltage, but won't hold a charge for very long.. (i.e. it'll start in the morning just fine, but if you leave it for a few days or weeks, it won't start)..

could have been the problem.