Alternator issue.

[Mike65]

I drive our spare vehicle our 99 Sport usually once a week to keep it running & the battery charged. I also like using it when I do the food shopping because it is easier to put groceries in the back better then in behind the rear seat of my 05 F150 regular cab. Last Thursday I go to take it to work with me & I get less then 1 mile from home & notice the wipers going slow & the headlights look dim so I look down at the gauges & the charging gauge is reading very low so I swing around & go back home to get my F150. After coming home from work & get out my multi meter & check the charging system & it is only putting out 11.1 volts, time to replace the alternator. I ordered a reman from Rockauto & it arrived yesterday. It took me less then 1/2 hr to install & get the serpentine belt back on. Start it up & the gauge now is at the 1/2 way point on the gauge. I tested the charging system with my multimeter & now it is charging at 14.4 volts, problem solved.

 

[Pete Deering]

I drive our spare vehicle our 99 Sport usually once a week to keep it running & the battery charged. I also like using it when I do the food shopping because it is easier to put groceries in the back better then in behind the rear seat of my 05 F150 regular cab. Last Thursday I go to take it to work with me & I get less then 1 mile from home & notice the wipers going slow & the headlights look dim so I look down at the gauges & the charging gauge is reading very low so I swing around & go back home to get my F150. After coming home from work & get out my multi meter & check the charging system & it is only putting out 11.1 volts, time to replace the alternator. I ordered a reman from Rockauto & it arrived yesterday. It took me less then 1/2 hr to install & get the serpentine belt back on. Start it up & the gauge now is at the 1/2 way point on the gauge. I tested the charging system with my multimeter & now it is charging at 14.4 volts, problem solved.

Just a note. I never buy any reman. product anymore. From my experience they work for a while then fail. some times, there is a big different in cost or some times you get a lifetime warranty. But your time and !abor, too do the same job 2 or 3 times.
The best of luck.

 

[BrooklynBay]

How many amps is the alternator?

 

[J_C]

I had the original fail on my '98 in '15. Started fine, drove to store fine, spent a minute inside, then it wouldn't start.

Got it jump started, had guessed it was the battery so drive straight home and dash lit up like a Christmas tree from all the faults triggered from low voltage. Luckily I was only a couple miles from home and made it back.

Got an Advance Auto lifetime reman alternator #7787A. It was only $107 after a coupon code and they are just up the road if it needs exchanged. If it had been a newer more valuable vehicle or something I take on longer trips, I would've rebuilt it or bought major brand new but in this case, figured a lifetime warranty reman was worth the gamble and so far it's paying off at a little over 7 years ago, but with low miles since then. Knock on wood. Seems to be charging well, current battery nearly 6 years old (with mostly short trips no less) but will probably have to replace that battery by next winter.

If I had to do it over today, the same alternator is $195, don't know if there's a coupon code that'd work, so would rebuild or get something off Rock Auto, probably the most expensive $189 Bosch new because it's one of few I see with a lifetime warranty. Almost everything else, 1-3 years which just isn't long enough IMO. Plus no core charge for the Bosch so no addt'l return shipping cost.

 

[C420sailor]

If your alternator was original, and you didn’t exchange it as a core, rebuild it as a spare.

 

[Pete Deering]

I had the original fail on my '98 in '15. Started fine, drove to store fine, spent a minute inside, then it wouldn't start.

Got it jump started, had guessed it was the battery so drive straight home and dash lit up like a Christmas tree from all the faults triggered from low voltage. Luckily I was only a couple miles from home and made it back.

Got an Advance Auto lifetime reman alternator #7787A. It was only $107 after a coupon code and they are just up the road if it needs exchanged. If it had been a newer more valuable vehicle or something I take on longer trips, I would've rebuilt it or bought major brand new but in this case, figured a lifetime warranty reman was worth the gamble and so far it's paying off. Knock on wood. Seems to be charging well, current battery nearly 6 years old (with mostly short trips no less) but will probably have to replace that battery by next winter.

If I had to do it over today, the same alternator is $195, don't know if there's a coupon code that'd work, so would rebuild or get something off Rock Auto, probably the most expensive $189 Bosch new because it's one of few I see with a lifetime warranty. Almost everything else, 1-3 years which just isn't long enough IMO. Plus no core charge for the Bosch so no addt'l return shipping cost.

With the lifetime warranty, if it fails, you have the option too upgrade too new, for the additional cost ( new minus reman.

 

[J_C]

^ Thanks for the info, I knew Autozone does that but didn't know Advance Auto does too.

 

[Mike65]

How many amps is the alternator?

It is 130 amps. I had a rebuilt alt on my 2000 Ranger that was on it for a few years without a problem. I was going to use on the Explorer But it has the 4.0 SOHC & the Ranger is the 4.0 OHV. The bolt for the wire & the spot where the wiring plugs in are in different spots on the SOHC engine & the OHV engine.