Alternator swap? Need some advice!

Hello guys, hope this thread is in the right place. I've been having some electrical issues with my 89 4.0, and after buying a new battery have pinned it on the alternator. I currently have a parts xj with one in it, but it is a 99 and I'm worried about possible issues created by the age gap between the two, and wanting your advice on wether or not to just bite the bullet and buy a new alternator or try making the spare work. Thanks as always!

Buy a junk yard alternator from a Dodge Durango with the V8. It requires slight grinding of the Cherokee bracket, but you get more amps out of it. Mine is 136 amps.

Your 89 uses a GM alternator, your 99 uses a Nippon-Denso alternator, they are fundamentally different and not at all compatible.

There are loads of GM alternators out there, probably get one from a junkyard for $30ish if you look around, worth buying a decent quality from a parts shop though

ps--Durango alternator is the ND style, wont work for RENIX jeeps

I think I paid 60$ish for a new 100amp autolite or something from oreallys about 6 years ago.

I had a local alternator shop rebuild my CS130 in my 1989 Cherokee without issue for a bit less than the price of a new unit. The bonuses were that I have a local source for warranty repairs instead of paying to ship, and they were also able to hop-up the output by stuffing the back half of a cs144 into my case, giving me a max output of somewhere over 140 and under 150 amps. It pays to shop around, as a few shops acted as though I was Looney Toons when I mentioned this, but it is definitely do-able. If you do go for a higher output unit, consider upgrading your charging wires to match, or you could wind up with some potentially serious issues. If you don't need the extra juice, the 90 amp? delco-remy that are in the Renix era XJs are a dime a dozen at the wreckers here, but that might not be the case in your region.

ehall said:

Your 89 uses a GM alternator, your 99 uses a Nippon-Denso alternator, they are fundamentally different and not at all compatible.

There are loads of GM alternators out there, probably get one from a junkyard for $30ish if you look around, worth buying a decent quality from a parts shop though

ps--Durango alternator is the ND style, wont work for RENIX jeeps

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Didn't know there was a difference. Thanks for the info.