• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

Alternator

lauraq

CEG'er
Joined
Jan 5, 2001
Messages
58
Location
Innisfil, Ontario, Canada
Who here has changed their alternator? Just curious to know how bad of a job it is. I am not doing it personally but just wondered what to expect.

For some time now the battery light has been coming on and off but now has decided to stay on. The battery is not even a year old so I know it shouldn't be the battery so figure it is the alternator. Considering it is original, I guess I cannot complain.
 
Who here has changed their alternator? Just curious to know how bad of a job it is. I am not doing it personally but just wondered what to expect.

For some time now the battery light has been coming on and off but now has decided to stay on. The battery is not even a year old so I know it shouldn't be the battery so figure it is the alternator. Considering it is original, I guess I cannot complain.

$462,000ish kms on an original alternator is a pretty good record.

I have heard that the Champion/bosch branded rebuilds from CT are pretty good. I know 96BlackSE (Nima) has done it, and he encouraged me to try it myself. I haven't done it yet-- haven't had a problem, just the light coming on over 5K rpm :D

The dealer will try to charge a big amount on labour, but most of their guys know about the four feet of extensions trick by now, and it doesn't take them long.

There is a procedure in the troubleshooting section, I think.
 
I have done one....out of the total 11 my car has seen (no probs in 3 years now though). Definate +1,000 on the long extensions.

EDIT: about 3 hours once you get the car in the air. depending on your breaks :)
 
My mechanic has quoted me a good price so it seems to fit within what you all mention here. FYI: The car now has about 495,000 K on it. Going to turn it over to 500,000 K at our on track event in July so I need to get it fixed soon so I can drive it a bit before the on track.
 
Sweet almost at the selling mileage :laugh:. That's awesome that you have gotten so much mileage out of the car.

Aaron
 
don't do it. lol

don't do it. lol

took me about 8 hrs... it's not worth it. even with the extensions it's not that fun. I was working on a car that sat for about a year and everything was pretty much seized up. maybe that's why.
take it in, bring some friends and have fun watching.
 
took me about 8 hrs... it's not worth it. even with the extensions it's not that fun. I was working on a car that sat for about a year and everything was pretty much seized up. maybe that's why.
take it in, bring some friends and have fun watching.

You take the y pipe off?

Under 2hrs my first time doing it, no more then an hour to do one now.... then again once you've had the car down to no subframe, an alt is a cake walk.
 
Back
Top