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What brand of Alternator do you like?

jhc7399

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Cincinnati, OH
Trying to figure out which alternator to put on the rebuild of my 99 sport xj 4.0? There are so many different brands, have no idea if one is better than the other. Also it seems cheaper to go new over rebuilt...

What do you think?
 
I have an Auto Zone alternator. I needed it and they were open and had one in stock. It's been fine for over a year. And if I'm ever out of town and need it warrantied, any Auto Zone will know I'm covered because all the stories are linked to HQ.
 
I wouldn't normally look to VatoZone for parts like that but there is something to said for immediate warranty replacement no matter where you are

Also something to be said for buying parts that wont grenade in the first place

Looking at rockauto for my 91 they have Denso which is the OEM manufacturer. AC Delco invented the alternator and is GM but they are iffy quality these days, lots of outsourcing to China and some of it is really bad (my Cadillac water pump is proof). Remy is a good name according to my electrical mechanic buddy but I have never actually used them.

Really you just need to look at fit and finish. Things like, I have bought alternators where the insulator around the positive terminal shattered after a few months of heat and weathering, causing it to short out over bumps in the road.
 
Local rebuild, or a new Denso. Cheap "Lifetime Warranty" parts are cheap for a reason.
 
Autozone and advance auto are sort of crap, but for lifetime warranty, they are definitely worth, if you don't mind going under the jeep to take it out for replacement every so often. I ended up getting a mean green (only for the winch), first one broke in few months, the warranty replacement is still working 2 years after, but this is not something to buy unless you really need a lot of amps. I hear that the bosh alternator is a pretty good unit and also puts out about 120-ish amps? Way better than the 70 or 90 from the stock one. On another note, the one that I had on the jeep (denso?) is a decent unit afaik.
 
About 6 years ago when I bought my heep, alt went out and I had bought the NEW Autolite withlifetime warranty from Oreallys for about 60$ at the time. It is 100a.

Carquest (and now also AAP) alternators and starters are built by either BBB or MPA, all are triple tested before leaving the factory, and carry a lifetime warranty.
So, I recommend this or denso for your replacement.
 
Good idea on the local seller. I don't know why I didn't think of that, I bought one for my 99 Cavalier I use to have around 8 years ago from a local seller/re builder and never had a problem with it. So I checked with them and they want $124 bring core. He said it is a 136 amp? I know that the stock was like 70-90 amp and the ones in the stores now are 117 amp?
 
Good idea on the local seller. I don't know why I didn't think of that, I bought one for my 99 Cavalier I use to have around 8 years ago from a local seller/re builder and never had a problem with it. So I checked with them and they want $124 bring core. He said it is a 136 amp? I know that the stock was like 70-90 amp and the ones in the stores now are 117 amp?


Could be the wire he put in the coil/rotor, also I think the Bosch one is somewhere close in amps, but I'm not sure. If you search napa online, I believe you'll see the Bosch one to get the amps. 136 amps is not bad considering the price.
 
Good idea on the local seller. I don't know why I didn't think of that, I bought one for my 99 Cavalier I use to have around 8 years ago from a local seller/re builder and never had a problem with it. So I checked with them and they want $124 bring core. He said it is a 136 amp? I know that the stock was like 70-90 amp and the ones in the stores now are 117 amp?

I paid $125 for a 125 amp rebuild, about $1 per amp, so your guy is in line.
 
Great, thanks for all of the input!

Just curious, if you up the amps from stock do you need to change any wiring or connections to handle more amps?
 
It's this reason exactly why I purchase all of my OE replacement parts from RockAuto. They're about the only place I can find the best options. I just put a TYC Electronics on mine here recently.

It's brands like TYC, Denso, Calsonic, Sumitomo, Nissin that are the massive OEM suppliers for these parts in the first place. Buying those brands is just like buying the OE part.
 
Avoid Autozone. Lifetime warranty parts are cheap for a reason. I had to get an Autozone alt in a pinch when the bearing seized on my original alt. The new alternator puts out less power than the old stock one. If my electric fan comes on while sitting at a light all of my headlights will dim and the battery gauge will drop. My battery isn't that old. I had the alt tested and they said since it still puts out power they wouldn't warranty it, but wouldn't give me the specs from the test. It might just be my local Autozone though, yours may be better.

I currently have a 160 amp Powermaster waiting to go in along with heavy duty cables.
 
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