I`m sure it can be fixed for less money than a new one costs. My alt is fine but im looking at a 2000+ miles trip and have to know if theres a repair kit i can put together and take with me before i hit the road, because if alt would fail in the middle of effin nowhere, thats it, if i cant fix it on the spot, ill just abandon the car right there and never come back for it. Sorry if this has been asked before but search came up with nothing specific.
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Post: What exactly goes wrong with duratecs alternators?
- Thread starter peke350
- Start date
todras
Pretty fly for a white guy *cowbell*
Umm 2000 mile trip is all? :help: If you're worried about it then put a new one in. Ppl here have had original alts last 200000 miles. I've got 150000 on my original alt. I doubt you'll have the tool to swap it out on the road. You need some long extentions to go from the driver side all the way to the lower bolt. I helped someone do it at a gas station so it's doable. I don't drive around with tools in my trunk weighing my car down and getting worse gas mileage.
hetfield
or hetfeild
Most of the time the thing just wears out. The brushes wear down from friction over the years. That's not something you can just repair out on the road. If you're going to carry the tools, carry the spare alt.
I havent got a second alt. But will be carrying my tools with 2 jacks, the standrad one and a hydraulic one and have the know-how to remove and service my alt (it was removed once to replace rear exhaust manifold gasket), but have to know what to replace, what can go wrong inside it, is it just the brushes?
over_30k
CEG'er
The only thing you can replace whilst that thing is on the car is regulator and brushes since they come out with regulator. Did mine last week, cheep repair, cost me 25 for regulator with brushes. Very tricky to get that think out with the alternator on the car, you'll need a small torx driver (I think t-10). Go to rebuilder's and see if they'll sell you one. This will only work if the rest is fine (Stator, Slipping, Rectifier bearings etc…). Diagnostics are very limited on the car and the dash light alone will not give you the full picture. You can have a faulty alternator and the light won't come on. Good luck.
RRT_SVT
CEG'er
mine original last only 100 000 milles i send to reconstruct here in mexico and was 100 dlls to install and reconstruc or repair, and i preffer a oem or and autozone replacement they gave me 3 months warranty, in the 3 months replaced all, brushes, regulator, they replace 3times now is chargin only to 11 in night and 12 in day. and no warranty so im thinking in buy an autozone replacement
B3NN3TT
Hard-core CEG'er
... im thinking in buy an autozone replacement
I've replaced my alternator 3 times in 6 years, and I've only had to pay for one. God bless the lifetime warranty!
And actually, those 3 replacements all took place within one year's time. I've now been driving around with the same alt for 4 years or more. I think the quality control is just spotty; you just have to burn a few to find a good one.
Silver Bullet
CEG'er
The only thing you can replace whilst that thing is on the car is regulator and brushes since they come out with regulator. Did mine last week, cheep repair, cost me 25 for regulator with brushes. Very tricky to get that think out with the alternator on the car, you'll need a small torx driver (I think t-10). Go to rebuilder's and see if they'll sell you one. This will only work if the rest is fine (Stator, Slipping, Rectifier bearings etc…). Diagnostics are very limited on the car and the dash light alone will not give you the full picture. You can have a faulty alternator and the light won't come on. Good luck.
over 30K,
Would love to see a how-to write up for this. I always thought that brushes could only be replaced when the alternator was off the car. At that point figured might as well put a entire new unit on to not take a chance. But if easy enough to do still with alternator still on the car it is worth the $25 gamble to try.
Big Jim
Hard-core CEG'er
If there is access, limited as it may be, I would do this as preventive maintenance. With 245,000 miles on my original alternator, the brushes are going to wear out sometime. It would be nice to catch it before it does.
The only thing you can replace whilst that thing is on the car is regulator and brushes since they come out with regulator. Did mine last week, cheep repair, cost me 25 for regulator with brushes. Very tricky to get that think out with the alternator on the car, you'll need a small torx driver (I think t-10). Go to rebuilder's and see if they'll sell you one. This will only work if the rest is fine (Stator, Slipping, Rectifier bearings etc…). Diagnostics are very limited on the car and the dash light alone will not give you the full picture. You can have a faulty alternator and the light won't come on. Good luck.
over 30K,
Would love to see a how-to write up for this. I always thought that brushes could only be replaced when the alternator was off the car. At that point figured might as well put a entire new unit on to not take a chance. But if easy enough to do still with alternator still on the car it is worth the $25 gamble to try.
+1 on the how to + with pics if possible. If there would be a cheap repair on the alt, wouldnt mind anymore even if it breaks down twice a year.
stevethewheel
Be Gentle I'm New Here
I have the same problem and it goes along with lights dimming, almost like they are flashing. Exterior and dash lights both. The problem is intermittent but annoying. Eventually the alternator seems to get beaten to death - sometimes as little as 6 months.
While searching the web I came across a TSB for Cougars and I know we share some design with them so....
1999-2000 Cougar TSB 00-25-6
It involves replacing a wire that is basically too small. I have the TSB printed and will get my mechanic to do it if I can't without putting the car up.
lol. It's been posted here before.
http://www.contour.org/ceg-vb/showthread.php?t=4000
While searching the web I came across a TSB for Cougars and I know we share some design with them so....
1999-2000 Cougar TSB 00-25-6
It involves replacing a wire that is basically too small. I have the TSB printed and will get my mechanic to do it if I can't without putting the car up.
lol. It's been posted here before.
http://www.contour.org/ceg-vb/showthread.php?t=4000