notenuftime
Full Access Member
Going to pick up a new alternator for the truck soon figured I would ask if there is a specific brand that has been more reliable than others? Was just going to go to oreillys and pick one up.
Rebuilt Napa alt and new Motorcraft regulator have held up for a couple of years now.Going to pick up a new alternator for the truck soon figured I would ask if there is a specific brand that has been more reliable than others? Was just going to go to oreillys and pick one up.
I have the best rebuilder in town, we are on a first name basis he has done so much work for me.Getting harder to find.. but you maybe able to find an alternator and starter rebuild shop (usually some ol guy working in a small grungy shop). I've had better luck with old school rebuild shops than buying "rebuilds" at the big box stores.
I have not had issues with a squealing belt on my alternator. It is a 130 amp 3g with a single driven v-belt and a second belt that drives the vacuum pump. I've got some high amp draw accessories on the truck, a winch and a 2000 watt inverter. If you put a 1500 watt 120VAC load on the inverter the inverter will pull around 150 amps from the batteries and the 3g will put out around 65 amps at idle and around 135 amps at 1400 rpm while that's happening (all verified with a current clamp).It's easy to suggest a 3G upgrade, but it has a few issues that need to be resolved or lived with if you swap. Namely a single v-belt will not support the full output of the 130 amp unit, so the belt tends to squeal after start-up.