High Amp Alternator Upgrade

[Bernie]

Thanks.

I WAS going big three and going with an Optima then I felt some minor noise under the hood was caused by the brushes of the alternator starting to go so I figured alt first and battery next.

I'm not sure you'd actually "feel" alternator brushes starting to wear out. How old is the alternator?

Generally alternator diode packs are what die, not the slip rings and contacts. Heck, the last one I saw literally wear out was on my FIL's pickup out in Idaho last week. The truck is a 92 Dakota, purchased new by my wife when she was in college. When her step dad's truck died, and her mom's car was giving them problems, she gave them her truck as a gift and bought her current truck, a '97 Dakota.

While we were out in Idaho this past week her step dad said he was having trouble keeping the battery charged in the truck. He'd put a new battery in, and new cables, but it still occasionally went dead on him. A quick check on the alternator showed it barely putting out 25 amps, so I pulled it and replaced it. Looking over the alternator after getting it out I saw that it had literally worn out, right through the slip rings. Damn cheap Chrysler parts! It was only 19 years old, with barely 400,000 miles on it!

 

[bubbatrucklover]

I'm not sure you'd actually "feel" alternator brushes starting to wear out. How old is the alternator?

Generally alternator diode packs are what die, not the slip rings and contacts. Heck, the last one I saw literally wear out was on my FIL's pickup out in Idaho last week. The truck is a 92 Dakota, purchased new by my wife when she was in college. When her step dad's truck died, and her mom's car was giving them problems, she gave them her truck as a gift and bought her current truck, a '97 Dakota.

While we were out in Idaho this past week her step dad said he was having trouble keeping the battery charged in the truck. He'd put a new battery in, and new cables, but it still occasionally went dead on him. A quick check on the alternator showed it barely putting out 25 amps, so I pulled it and replaced it. Looking over the alternator after getting it out I saw that it had literally worn out, right through the slip rings. Damn cheap Chrysler parts! It was only 19 years old, with barely 400,000 miles on it!

If all I got was 400,000 miles and 19 years out of something I think I would be shopping for a different brand.

I have no proof the alt is going. (it has to be 8 ish years old or newer) A while back a GM mechaninc who was doing some work on my truck at my home said the noise we were hearing when I started the truck up and it was running was one of several possibilities.(the best way to describe it is not a squeal like a belt but like bearings that need lubed) He was going to put his stethescope on the engine one of these weekends and never got around to it.

I have replaced the fan clutch,idler pulley,a.c. and main belt tensioner and both belts. The noise is still there.

The water pump(less then 3 years old) and alt are all that is/was left.(to my knowledge) So sense tip outs have been good at work and I (at some point) was going to upgrade my charging system anyway I figure I'd do it all at once.

Oh I guess power steering pump too. With the big tires and previous owner's off roading that could be a possibillity too. IDK

 

[Bernie]

Head over to Harbor Freight and buy a cheap mechanics stethoscope. They're about $5 and will help you isolate what's making the noise. Replacing the alternator won't help you much if 10 miles down the road the P/S pump seizes up.

 

[bubbatrucklover]

You most DEFINETLY have a good point on that Bernie. Seems everytime I go to HF I get side tracked and get everything BUT what was on my list for that trip.