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117A alternator going in. Straight swap??????

solomon7

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Portland OR
I may already have a 117A alternator in the XJ but can't recall.
If I have a 90A alternator and I put in a 117A alternator, is there anything I need to do besides remove and install?
 
Housing the same size? Tried putting a bigger one on mine, wouldn't fit

It was a 135 IIRC

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
If it's a Denso alternator then it should be a straight swap. The build sheet for my 1998
XJ said that it came with an (optional) 117A alternator from the factory. The previous
owner (or his mechanic) replaced it with a 90A alternator, and I had unknowingly
replaced that alternator with another 90A alternator when it went bad (bearings).

After I read my build sheet, I made sure that the next replacement would be a 117A
alternator. When this happened, I set the two alternators side-by-side and I could not
tell any difference between them. Same length and diameter. Same wire connections.
Same case vents and ribs. It went straight in. No fuss.

One day, for laughs, I got a 135A Denso alternator from a WJ V8. There is a very noticeable size difference here. The mount bracket needs to be filed a bit, and the
plastic connector insulator needs to be swapped with the one from a 90A or 117A unit.
Also, the belt pulley needs to be swapped with the one from your car as it has an extra
groove. I have not installed it yet, but I have everything ready to bolt in when the
current 117A alternator eventually goes south. Some folks upgrade the cables
when doing this, but I don't have any power-hungry light bars, or winches, or big
stereo amp, and so I'm thinking of staying with the OEM wires and see how it goes
from there.
 
Get a 136a from a Dodge Ram or Durango from the same year and its a straight swap. 25.00 bucks at pull a part. Mine even took the same plug, or remove the plug from the donor and splice it to yours.
 
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