Does NAPA sell anything to work on your truck? I've had one of their reman's with a lifetime warranty for 3 years now and it's done great. I had an issue with my connector that caused my voltage gauge to read low but that was just a bad connection that needed cleaned (about a year after replace the alternator)
Reman alternators are JUNK!
- Thread starter scottydl
- Start date
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i don't think the powermasters do. I've installed one on each of my 95's and haven't had any issues. The only issue I have is with my 95 with the 6.5 is the pulley is smaller then stock and throws the tach reading off by a couple hundred rpm. At some point I will get the pulley swapped.
454cid
Sooper Pooper
I have never heard that being a problem unless swapping between automakers, like Chevy alternator to Dodge/Cummins (which I believe is 8-rib instead of 6).
Folks have been complaining about "rebuilt" starters, alternators, water pumps, etc. for as long as I can remember. This ain't new. Folks were bitching in the 1970s when the parts were rebuilt in the USA.
If you think "rebuilt" parts are bad news, wait til you try "brand new" (Made in Communist China) junk. At least the rebuilt stuff starts with quality castings and "used to work" acceptably; the "new" crap has zero service history and you're lucky if the Chinese drilled all the holes in the proper places, then threaded all the holes they were supposed to.
Half the problem with "faulty" rebuilts is the vehicle they were installed on; or the guy doing the work. Either the guy missed that the vehicle wire harness was cooked, or the real problem with the alternator was a failed battery or parasitic drain from the clock; or he installs the wrong part, or he installs the proper part incorrectly, or he decides to "test" the new alternator by disconnecting the battery with the engine running so he can see if there's a "proper spark" and pops one or more diodes in the "new" alternator, making it defective. I've known guys who replace an alternator with failed bearings, then stretch the belt so tight you could play it like an instrument. Then they wonder why the "damned rebuilt" locks up on it's bearings.
HINT: If you're not testing the battery for Open Circuit Voltage (OCV) and cold-cranking amps, If you're not testing the starter for current (amperage) draw, and if you're not testing the old--and the new--alternator for regulated voltage at fast idle, regulated max current at fast idle, full-field voltage, and full-field current, and if you're not testing alternator voltage drop from output at the alternator to + battery post, and the ground stud on the alternator (or alternator case) to - battery post...and then checking for parasitic draw, and proper belt tension, you haven't properly diagnosed and installed the alternator. In other words, the alternator, starter, battery, regulator (if external) and the wire harness that connects all these parts is a system that has to work together. If any one part fails, other parts may fail in a chain-reaction. So just because the alternator is dead, doesn't mean replacing it fixes the root cause of the failure--which might be a failed wire harness or a failed battery.
[Edit]Forgot to mention testing for AC voltage "Ripple" from the alternator, too.[/Edit]
If you think "rebuilt" parts are bad news, wait til you try "brand new" (Made in Communist China) junk. At least the rebuilt stuff starts with quality castings and "used to work" acceptably; the "new" crap has zero service history and you're lucky if the Chinese drilled all the holes in the proper places, then threaded all the holes they were supposed to.
Half the problem with "faulty" rebuilts is the vehicle they were installed on; or the guy doing the work. Either the guy missed that the vehicle wire harness was cooked, or the real problem with the alternator was a failed battery or parasitic drain from the clock; or he installs the wrong part, or he installs the proper part incorrectly, or he decides to "test" the new alternator by disconnecting the battery with the engine running so he can see if there's a "proper spark" and pops one or more diodes in the "new" alternator, making it defective. I've known guys who replace an alternator with failed bearings, then stretch the belt so tight you could play it like an instrument. Then they wonder why the "damned rebuilt" locks up on it's bearings.
HINT: If you're not testing the battery for Open Circuit Voltage (OCV) and cold-cranking amps, If you're not testing the starter for current (amperage) draw, and if you're not testing the old--and the new--alternator for regulated voltage at fast idle, regulated max current at fast idle, full-field voltage, and full-field current, and if you're not testing alternator voltage drop from output at the alternator to + battery post, and the ground stud on the alternator (or alternator case) to - battery post...and then checking for parasitic draw, and proper belt tension, you haven't properly diagnosed and installed the alternator. In other words, the alternator, starter, battery, regulator (if external) and the wire harness that connects all these parts is a system that has to work together. If any one part fails, other parts may fail in a chain-reaction. So just because the alternator is dead, doesn't mean replacing it fixes the root cause of the failure--which might be a failed wire harness or a failed battery.
[Edit]Forgot to mention testing for AC voltage "Ripple" from the alternator, too.[/Edit]
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...and then there's the new NEW stuff. I've put several alternators on my '06 Mustang. Some "engineer" decided he could get a .01% increase in fuel economy if he put a one-way clutch on the alternator pulley. Want to guess what the leading point of failure on Ford alternators is now? I've bought Motorcraft and brand X chinesium, and none has lasted more than four years. Now there's a kit to replace the pulley with a standard pressed-on pulley. I have my last alternator sitting in my shop, and I'm thinking seriously about just replacing the pulley and putting it back in service when the current alternator fails again.
stutaeng
I'm Awesome
Dang, I replaced the alternator on 4.3 with same Carquest as OP. It will be 1 year in February and truck had around 240k on original alternator. I was hoping it would last a while, as I have had good luck with AAP...
Does anyone know if jump starting a car messes with alternators? I had never jumped a car with my truck, and thought maybe that's why it lasted a long time...
Does anyone know if jump starting a car messes with alternators? I had never jumped a car with my truck, and thought maybe that's why it lasted a long time...
CarQuest alternator on my '88 went about fifteen years, and then was replaced under the lifetime warranty. If the rest of the electrical system is OK, you'll probably be fine.
I jump-started all sorts of vehicles with my '88. Done properly, it wouldn't make any difference in the service life of the alternator other than "normal" wear from the temporary higher amperage load. In other words, a few jump starts are going to not be noticeably affecting service life. Three or five every day on a tow-truck/recovery vehicle probably would.
Connect the jump-start cables backwards, and all bets are off.
Your battery is a pretty good buffer to any voltage spikes. If you hook the cables up backwards it can dork some stuff up, but otherwise it's fairly safe. That said, I always make the last connection to a ground instead of the battery post. If the battery is heavily discharged and hydrogen is built up, you can arc and get a battery explosion.
cngodfather
I'm Awesome
I have found in my experience that every alternator , starter, solenoid, sensor from Autozone is trash. I just wanted to share that. I believe that you can buy kits to rebuild it yourself so that you know it is done right. I did one once with a ford ranger. It was a pain in the ass, but it worked.
Cokeman95
I'm Awesome
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