finally got around to throwing plates back on this car thats been sitting for 5 years.. was driving fine last week, then took it for a quick ride last nite and the car had a "weak" spot in the early rpm range, and actually stalled on me at light despite having a brand new battery. radio keeps shutting on and off now (wasnt doing that before) and amps have not turned on since i installed the new battery and got the car running. ( all service has already been done btw ) tested alternator - not looking to good. under load with heat or a/c on high and all the lights and buttons pressed, lowest voltage i saw was down to 12.15 - so tomorrow ill be buying one at one of the dozen auto part stores here and just wanted to ask if there was any known brand to steer away from.. i have every chain store nearby, so there are options.. car is gonna be sold when i get everything up to par. suggestions ?

 

I bought a TYC when mine went out, seeing they were fairly reputable. It whines like crazy. It kind of sounds like a supercharger whine, which sounds cool, but knowing it isn't one, it's just annoying. So I wouldn't get a TYC.


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I've had great results with brand new alternators from aftermarket stores (like napa, advance, etc).

I've had very bad results with rebuilt alternators, tried different suppliers and it is still a hit or miss. I've had 50% of them fail on me within 4 weeks and needed to be exchanged. Granted that the parts store offer good warranties and usually exchange them without a problem but considering the difficulty of replacing the alternators on the maximas, I prefer to do this job once.

You can always pick up a used one, just make sure to get it bench tested before you put it into the car.

 

just looking around online, pepboys is having a Father's Day sale and giving 20% off with online purchase and can still do in-store pick up.. they have a rebuilt 125 amp that comes out to be about $90 after taxes and core return.. (with discount)middle priced belt is about $15-$17.. so far im leaning towards this unless someone says something otherwise..

on another note - i think my passanger side cv boot ripped, so i was looking at prices just for the boot kit vs entire axle.. boot is $25 vs entire axle $50 after core return.. im almost in shock they are so cheap. i remeber paying like $120 for them.. i changed my enitre front end about 2-3 years before i took this car off the road - so really everything should be in decent shape. kinda pissed about the boot but its been sitting for years so i guess i cant complain.

im a horrible salesman cause i keep throwing more and more money into this thing just to sell it. i wish i didnt care, but i wanna find a kid that will take care of this car instead of just some idiot thats gonna drive it until it dies without ever fixing things..

 

I changed my alternator last weekend. What a pita....
I was able to do it without removing the radiator fans fwiw...

Just set the AC compressor on a jack stand and brought the alternator straight out over top of the lower hose.

Take care,
Dave

PS... I used a new unit from the local auto parts store.

 

I got a new Bosch 125a from Amazon for about $120 a while ago.