95 anternator replacement

[harrup]

I just replaced my alternator for the 4th time in 4 years. Could there be something going on in the engine causing them to fail?

[projectSHO89]

No.

Steve

[RawBurt]

I've replaced more then that in two years.

[harrup]

Does that mean that there is a defect in the design?

[Tony2005]

If it is a rebuilt alternator, sometimes, the QA/QC is not good enough. If it is a new alternator, check if you are missing the additional splash shield. There is a TSB for that.

TSB link.
http://www.contour.org/FAQ/tsb/content/97-11-2.html

[Pugulis]

There is a defect in design! Not with the alternator, but with the placement of the alt. Ford happend to put the Alt in the worst possible position. Bottom of engine and behind the the tire! What the hell were they thinking? If your splash gaurd is missing or broken the Alt will get wet. And god forbid you go through big puddles! I had an old Celica that had the same problem. You just need to watch the puddles and make sure your splash gaurd is in good shape.

[Tony2005]

Quite a few car manufacturers (including Toyota as you pointed out) have V6 designs with the alternator at the bottom and next to the firewall. Ford "forgot" to test if the fender shield's coverage was good enough.

[harrup]

It's been over a year & my replacement alternator is OK still.

I've had so many problems-4 alternators in 4 years. The splash shield you have recommended does it have to be purchased from Ford?

Also, never had this problem with my 2000 Contour. Was the design changed?

[BrApple]

It's been over a year & my replacement alternator is OK still.

I've had so many problems-4 alternators in 4 years. The splash shield you have recommended does it have to be purchased from Ford?

Also, never had this problem with my 2000 Contour. Was the design changed?

95 never came with the splash guard, a 2k would have. the splash shield was purchasable from ford, not sure if it is anymore. I would just go to a junk yard and grab one, going to be much cheaper, or check out the classifieds

[Big Jim]

I still have the original alternator. Now that I have posted that, mine will probably fail just to remind me that Murphy is alive and well. I'm approaching 235,000 miles.