wondering whether I should replace alternator

[derolph]

My 88 Accord now has 179K miles on it and, as far as I know, still has the original alternator on it. I'm wondering whether I should replace it as a proactive measure.

[carotman]

I would just get new brushes and install then on your actual alternator. Some rebuilt alternators are complete garbage and still contain used parts. It will be cheaper this way. A rebuilt alternator can fail after a year or two anyway.

Get the brushes from Honda. Part number is 31144-P01-003 and you need tow of them.

You can always get a new unit from Honda (or aftermarket) but it would cost a lot more for nothing.

[derolph]

Frankly, I am more inclined to buy a reman'd one than to delve into replacing parts in my existing alternator. I just suspect more parts than brushes may need replacing if I were to delve into it and that's something I've ever done with an alternator and I am hesitant to try it.

I see that I could get a reman'd Duralast alternator from AutoZone for about $83 plus tax, and with a limited lifetime warranty. NAPA also has some Remfd alternators with a 3 year warranty.

I read HowStuffWorks "Top 5 Signs of Alternator Problems" (http://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the-hood/diagnosing-car-problems/mechanical/5-signs-alternator-problems.htm) and haven't noticed any signs of my alternator's demise. However, my experience with various cars has been that alternator failure often occurs with little or no warning. Thus, my comment about replacing it as a proactive measure.

[carotman]

What do you theink they do when a shop rebuilds an alternator? They check for worn parts and replace them. The only parts that wears in an alternator are:
1- Bearings
2- Brushes/rotor contactor

The regulator, diodes and coils will usually fail without warning or signs of wear. They won't be replaced in a reman alternator unless they were bad to begin with.
Replacing your brushes in your working alternator basically gives you the same thing you would get from a reman one: extended life.

The 3 year warranty is crap. The diodes could fail within a week on the reman unit. That's why they give you a 3 year warranty. They know the thing has new brushes and should last way more than 3 years usually. If it fails, it will leave you stranded just like your current one would do. Since your alternator is in good working condition, replace the brushes and call it a day.

IF you want peace of mind, go to RockAuto Parts Catalog (http://www.rockauto.com). Order a new AC/Delco Unit for like $140. This onw should last a long time.

[g.frost]

I'm still running the original alternator in my 88, 164K miles. I have no plans to replace it as a PM measure.
So many parts of a 26 year old car could fail at any time. No signs of stress or bad behavior with the alternator though, ...next potential part failure on the list? ....I have no idea; so little has failed on this car, I just keep driving it.
(Knocks on wood)

[gp02a0083]

carotman drives the point home very well. really there is no reason to replace the whole unit unless its not generating proper voltage or a bearing goes. the brushes carotman mentions is a very cheap way to keep it going. Just check the commutator ( the part where the brushes ride on the armature or spinning center part) if that looks ok then your good. Also gather up parts when you find them , these cars are getting old and parts will eventually fail here and there. For instance I picked up a brand new in box die hard alternator from an inactive older member for only $20. good luck!

[lostforawhile]

if you decide to get a new one, don't turn in your good one for the ridiculous price they give you for the core, keep it, learn to take it apart and rebuild it, then you not only learn something, you now have a spare

[Hauntd ca3]

[QUOTE=gp02a0083;1156221]. Just check the commutator ( the part where the brushes ride on the armature or spinning center part)

altenators have a rotor with slip rings, generators and motors have commutator.
its easy to change brush boxes in denso altenators.take off the insulator round the battery stud, remove 3 8mm nuts and in some cases a small bolt.
2 screws hold the brush box in, remove those and take the box out and slide new one on. reverse above directions and refit

[lostforawhile]

I converted mine from an LXI alternator to a DX in about ten minutes, take off the back cover,nut off the insulator for the battery lead post, slide it off, a few screws and you can have the regulator and brush assembly out

[derolph]

Before starting this discussion, I was really not aware that parts such as brushes and bearings could be purchased separately. So, this is good to know. I've now seen brushes on two websites. Are they generally universal? In other words, they work with any alternator? I get the impression that is true.


if you decide to get a new one, don't turn in your good one for the ridiculous price they give you for the core, keep it, learn to take it apart and rebuild it, then you not only learn something, you now have a spareI like this idea. The core charge varies but I've seen as low as $10.

My alternator belt has been squealing when I do a cold start. It tends to squeal for some seconds and then stop. This usually does not happen with warm/hot starts. I'll be replacing the belt when I do my timing belt. Perhaps the alternator belt is just a bit loose. If this behavior continues after I install the new belt and presumably get it as tight as it should be, then I guess that might indicate some issue with the bearings in the alternator.

[Hauntd ca3]

that squeal is most likely just a loose belt.
as for brushes, you should be able to buy a brush holder assembly ready to go for 5 or 10 dollars.
bearings are a bit harder to do, especially slip ring end ones, need a small 3 leg puller to take them off and have to be careful putting te new one on as its easy to mark the slip ring.

[88Sleeper]

Her derolph, did you change water pump by now, or still original ?

Mr alternator went out 8 years ago, we replaced with reman unit & holding up still.

But it wasn't duralast... don't by duralast electrical stuff.

I'm guaranteed to be unable to start 1 day it off the year (all mechanical failures aside), and the first thing I do is check the ignition coil, & so far 3/3 Times it's dead before the year is out.

It's a known defective item from duralast, but i keep both of mine due to lifetime warranty =]

[derolph]

Her derolph, did you change water pump by now, or still original ?
It was changed about 55K miles ago.


... don't by duralast electrical stuff.
Hmm ... well, I just replaced my starter on 7/17/14 and I got a Duralast. So, I'll have to wait and see how it lasts. It has a lifetime warranty, so that aspect of it is good.

[lostforawhile]

It was changed about 55K miles ago.

Hmm ... well, I just replaced my starter on 7/17/14 and I got a Duralast. So, I'll have to wait and see how it lasts. It has a lifetime warranty, so that aspect of it is good.as long as you don't mind pushing starting your car from time to time, and always replacing it

[derolph]

as long as you don't mind pushing starting your car from time to time, and always replacing itI just put a note in my Outlook calendar to update you on a quarterly basis about my starter. The first update will be in October.

[lostforawhile]

I just put a note in my Outlook calendar to update you on a quarterly basis about my starter. The first update will be in October.I went through eight of them on the lincoln, eight, and they are a son of a bitch to replace, at the time they were the only place to have one in stock, I finally raised enough hell with corporate for them to refund my money, contacts in the solonoid contacter would fail in a short time, I got one from the local auto electrical place, havent had an issue since, it's not the first time I had bad luck with their crap

[derolph]

UPDATE: I have not experienced any issues with the Duralast starter I installed on 7/17/14.

[carotman]

It's barely 6 months old. Give it some time before you judge the quality.

Would you be happy if a brand new car had no issues for 6 months? That's just how things should be :D

[derolph]

It's barely 6 months old. Give it some time before you judge the quality.

Would you be happy if a brand new car had no issues for 6 months? That's just how things should be :DI agree. But, lostforawhile's comments imply I would have had have to replace the starter already by now. This post is mainly a response to the extremely negative comments about Duralast.

[carotman]

Hahaha I see your point! If it has a lifetime warranty, I wouldn't worry about it too much. They're easy to replace on our cars.

[Dr_Snooz]

There may be more to it than you're thinking. Most lifetime warranties are specific to the part. That is, they will replace the part, but won't pay for the labor to replace the bad part. Nor will they pay for tow bills should the part fail and leave you stranded. If you have had to pay for a big tow bill, the lifetime warranty is meaningless. If you have also had to buy emergency parts and tools, spend an evening spent rolling around on a blacktop parking lot, swapping out a bad part, in the dark, muttering curses around the flashlight clenched in your teeth, as I have, "lifetime warranty" is a cruel mockery. If you have had to walk home through the rain (as I believe Lost has), arrange with friends to come help you tow the car home, take time off from work, etc. You'll have very strong feelings about the subject.

As you can see, I share Lost's concern over potentially faulty electric parts. If we were talking about windshield washer fluid, then who cares? But we're talking about parts that can leave you stranded, damage the car or otherwise cause serious problems. It's not the kind of thing you want to be blase about. By ignoring warnings, you're just asking for a lot of heartache and you shouldn't disregard warnings from people who have felt that hurt firsthand.

Having said that, about ten years ago, the electric parts in all the corporate chain stores were a guaranteed failure item. They were complete trash. If you didn't want to buy online, then Napa was the only place with reliable electrics. Since then, it seems that the corporate chains are selling better parts, while Napa has gone decidedly downhill. My last starter from Napa took four tries before I got a good one. One was even damaged in the box, like it had been dropped in the warehouse. I finally made them bench test each box they brought out until we got a good one.

Good luck with your alternator. Keep us posted on how it works out.

[lostforawhile]

I've just started buying whatever the automotive electrical place installs under their warranty, a few replacements at their cost, and they won't carry a brand anymore, buy whatever they install and you can't go wrong, if you have a box store alternator that has survived six months, you lucked out, having had to buy duracrap myself when nothing else was available, and then replace it multiple times,been stranded, etc, I have a pretty strong opinion of cheap parts, lifetime warranty is great, just make sure you carry tools and stay within walking distance of where you bought it, I most recently went through this with the Lincoln starter, and that was Oreilies, after laying on the ground beating on the solenoid, on more then one occasion, and multiple starters, I got one, like I mentioned from the local electrical place, it's been fine since, those places LOVE box store parts, it creates business for them,replacing them with real parts