Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Alternator - how long will they last????

[hammersley]

Mine has 250,000 on it - how long can they last??????

 

[Nate]

That's like asking how long brakes will last, or a clutch, or tires, or U joints, the engine, etc. There's not a certain mileage and it will break

 

[JGrosso]

Alot longer than a FORD! Just replaced the Alternator on a 2003 FORD 7. 3L PS with only 40,000 miles on it. The parts store said they see alot of these fail.

Anyhow what really made me mad is i burn't my hand on the thing. It had a short in the windings and the case was too hot to touch. When I had it removed the normally brown winding insulation was all discolored into a nice white ash color!

 

[georgej]

From what I've read about 250k miles seeems to be average with the million miles guys. The starters on the other hand go about 100k!

 

[georgej]

From what I've read about 250k miles seeems to be average with the million miles guys. The starters on the other hand go about 100k!

 

[DNewell]

I'm not too sure if mine was original, it was a Denso model, but I recently swapped at 123500 miles. Just all the sudden wasn't putting a charge into the batteries... Easy swap, one of the easiest things I've done on the truck. I bought a new one from NAPA, has a lifetime warranty, so now if the sucker craps out, I get a new one free...

 

[Gordon Maney]

I have wondered about the starter. I have just crossed the 100k line. I have considered picking up an extra starter, and I have considered just rebuilding mine now as a PM measure.

Thoughts on that?

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Mine went at 190k. It was actually still working but was leaking AC current into the system and wreaking havoc with my powermax box. Still on the original starter at 195k.

 

[BILLVO]

Its not a ctd but we have a 95 dodge neon with 285k miles with original alt and starter yet.

 

[WadePatton]

I have wondered about the starter. I have just crossed the 100k line. I have considered picking up an extra starter, and I have considered just rebuilding mine now as a PM measure.

Thoughts on that?

It's "rotating electric" and will wear out eventually. Our truck with 170k on it has had the alternater replaced--around 150k -before we bought it.



On the starter--I'd get the upgraded contacts and such and rebuild it. Mucho cheaper and better than a parts house new one. I've had a couple redone by a local starter/alternator overhaulit place. One day I'll put the good stuff in there. Rebuild on starter is less than $50.

 

[hammersley]

Mine went at 190k. It was actually still working but was leaking AC current into the system and wreaking havoc with my powermax box. Still on the original starter at 195k.

Ok Steve - how did you discover the "leak"?

 

[JGrosso]

Probbably a bad diode

 

[WestTN]

Probbably a bad diode

Not probably. The alternator is the only source of AC in a motor vehicle.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I pulled my hair out for about 6 months and drove around with my box turned off because it would stumble really bad. Wouldn't work most of the time and then occasionaly I'd get a burst of fuel. Tried everything else to fix the problem - resoldered all the connections, replaced the TST harness, tried a different powermax box, replaced the crank sensor, replaced the map sensor. Was talking to TST regularly as I tried all those things. Then one day Mark said that they just had a truck doing the same thing and they replaced the alternator and it fixed it. Thinking he was nuts but willing to try anything I unhooked the alternator and drove on just the battery and the box worked great. Replaced the alternator and all was good.

 

[JGrosso]

What I was saying is the diode in the alternator probbably failed. The Diodes convert the AC into DC. If a diode goes out you get more voltage variation out of the alternator.

 

[Gordon Maney]

If a diode fails, the battery will discharge through the alternator, as well as the alternator having a lower effective DC charging capacity.

 

[hammersley]

OK - who makes the best replacement

alternator when you need one - AND BTW the big Rigs are now using BRUSHLESS Starters and Alternators - are those available for us??????



such as. .



http://www.americanarmature.com/military brushless.htm



Denso for Large Trucks



http://www.globaldensoproducts.com/em/a/brushless_alternator.html



http://www.electrodyne.com/

 

[JGrosso]

If a diode shorts out it will discharge the battery, but if only one or two diode pairs fail "Open" of the three pairs, the alternator output is reduced, and unsted of getting three equal pulses of rectified current, the output could be missing one or two rectified pulses, so the output from the alternator may act like it is surging. Normally the alternators internal capacitor will smooth out the pulses (ripples) to provide cleaner DC output, but it is not sized to make up for an open diode condition.

 

[WTBurke]

www.mean-green.com/products/alternator.html



This company produces a healthy device.



William

 

[CumminsPower98]

My starter/alternator experience.



I replaced the alternator brushes at 242k, not dead yet but getting pretty low. So you would be well off to at least do that. I just recently replaced the alternator at 312k miles because it would not start charging at a cold idle. It was fine throughout the day when the RPMs were up though. I probably had a bad diode. I may have taken some life out of it once when I ran the batteries down sitting at a truck stop over the weekend and had to jump start it and then let the alternator take the full load as I drove because I was not able to charge the batteries first.



Now starters are much more dependent on how you use the rig rather then mileage. I used to do a lot of town start/stop driving before going OTR as I am now. I replaced the contacts long ago and then did them again when I found out about the larger contacts, all in preventive as I never had a problem. I finally replaced the starter at 300k while doing a clutch. I installed one of SBC's NEW aftermarket flywheels and found the starter drive was making slight contact with the ring gear. I found the ring on the new flywheel to be . 040 wider then the OE one, just enough to make my worn starter show up. I pulled the starter apart and found the drive had worn quite a bit into the housing causing the drive to hang out farther then normal so this is why I replaced it. The starter was still working just fine.