More alternator problems...please help

[ridered81]

Well, just like clockwork my alternator has gone again. It has been happening once a year pretty much right on time during august or september. I dont know what to do to stop this from happening. I have already upgraded from the 105 amp to the 130 a few alternators back and continue to have problems. My battery has not been upgraded, however, this should not cause my alternator to go bad every single year. I was wondering if there is any place on the internet that I can buy a larger alternator that will fit. Price is not an issue however the cheaper the better obviously. Also, if there is anything else that could be of help to me to prevent this from happening in the future that would be great.

I have been told the following possibilities...

1. My upgraded stereo is causing the problem. While I do have a fairly large system, I have installed a capacitor from the begininning and after testing the batter voltage while the stereo is on full blast I have seen no fluctuation in the voltage so I feel that this is not the problem.

2. Taking my engine to redline can cause the alternator to work harder because it is controlled based on the rpms. While I do occasionally take my engine to redline during driving, the average shift point for me is between 4 and 5 thousand

3. My battery is too small and is causing my alternator to overwork and therefore fail.

If there is anything else that I can do to fix the problem PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know, I am so sick of this happening every single year. Thank you in advance.

-Wes

[Pale Horse]

I have a feeling that you are using replacements from places other than Ford. Am I correct. The replacements from Autozone/O'really's/NAPA are re-manufactured by a company called Ultima. Or at least they have been for quite a while. These replacements use a very cheap brush system and are very prone to breaking off the brushes. If this is what you are using, then stop. Pay the extra to get the genuine Ford product as there is not an issue with these. This information comes from a great deal of experience in replacing alternators on Contour/Mystiques with the cheap-o replacements

[BrApple]

I have a feeling that you are using replacements from places other than Ford. Am I correct. The replacements from Autozone/O'really's/NAPA are re-manufactured by a company called Ultima. Or at least they have been for quite a while. These replacements use a very cheap brush system and are very prone to breaking off the brushes. If this is what you are using, then stop. Pay the extra to get the genuine Ford product as there is not an issue with these. This information comes from a great deal of experience in replacing alternators on Contour/Mystiques with the cheap-o replacements

I will agree with going OEM ... even the new units might give you trouble. I put a new Autolite alternator in and it charged fine but made my lights flicker above 3k rpm, when I really do need a new alternator I will go OEM

[ridered81]

Thank you for that information, the reason I have been using a local shop instead of ford was becasue when the problem first occured I had to have my car towed so that is where I decided to get it fixed. There was a 1 year warranty on the alternator and because it kept happening within a year I decided to return to the shop to save money. I wasn't aware that they use refurbished products, and I was never told this by the shop. I would think they would tell me if this is the case, which it probably is, but I guess they like taking my money. I will look into the ford OEM alternator. Is there anywhere else that I could get a better alternator just for comparison issues?

[Pale Horse]

You can buy the OEM from NAPA or O'really's last I checked, but I was never very trusting in their products. I don't know if they were refurbished OEM units or not. That being said, I do currently have an OEM Alternator from O'really's that has lasted me two and a half years so far without any problems. I would just recommend buying the OEM straight from Ford to avoid any problems. I went through 5 alternators from O'really's in a 3 week period. I finally got pissed (shouldv'e been pissed long before that...LOL...) and made them give me the OEM alternator. I have had no problems since then. We'll just have to wait and see what the outcome is. Hope this helps

[ridered81]

Thank you, as ****ty as it is, it makes me feel a little better knowing that I'm not the only one on here going through alternators as often as I fill up my gas tank

[wcollegenj]

Believe it or not, I used to have the same issues with the alternator going once a year and using alternators from Ford and installed at the dealer didn't help either. I have an 00 Mystique with 145k miles and the car had gone through 2 before the warranty was up. Altogether, I must have gone though about 5 or 6. Ironically, the problem went away after I picked up a used Ford alternator from the junkyard and got that installed. It's been in there almost 2 years now with no problem.