Thread: Alternators and MAFs

Last week needed to make a quick trip to Sydney and Canberra. 4 adults on board and due to need for a vehicle etc was easier to drive than fly...

MAF: took advantage of the excellent GBP/AUD exchange and got some bits in from the UK .Had a sneaky feeling that the MAF was below par due to some useful observations from others in this forum
So, replaced the MAF and reset the adaptive values with the BBS Faultmate (10 min job all up) and we set of with a tank full of 95 octane down the Pacific Hwy. stopped at Taree for the night. Bowser fill/GPS distance: 11.7L/100km
What's more, rarely did the vehicle drop back a cog on long inclines...didn't accelerate much either, but held its momentum whereas before it would drop back even to 2nd at 95km/hr
So far so good

Return journey last weekend got a few km from Karuah and tacho/speedo behaving erratically .. strange words on message centre: alternator problems. NRMA bloke was a graduate of the Neil Armstrong school of field repair and tapped it with a hammer Bingo, charging again. Limped into Tea Gardens and cooled heels for next 48 hrs waiting for "Rod" to open his wondrous shed @ Tea Gardens auto-electrical ...he's a Bosch service agent . He was able to re-solder the brushes and regulator and get us on the road (thanks Mate!!.)..NO regulators for that alternator available in Australia according to Bosch... other comments on the Net indicate it's supposedly non-repairable...but have found aftermarket source.

Moral of storey: add alternator to trailer load of spares to carry when going to the shops... probably cheaper than several nights extra unplanned accommodation and meals...

Hi guys new to the forum. My 2000 Disco II alternator just puked on me as well last week. The guys over here in the US forum are advising us not to purchase reman alternators from the local auto parts stores because the voltage regulators aren't original equipment and are not reliable.

Hoges is right the OE part # is 1197311549 however the part on eBay is not OE equipment and I would hate to see any of you spend $20 on a questionable part. However I was able to find it at RockAuto for $51 and Summit for $58. Only thing I don'g understand is my alternator say's its a 130 amps not 150? In the short run I did decide to be the lab rat and found what was listed as a "new 150A" alt from a manufacturer in CA. I will rebuild my failed one and keep it for a spare and will let you know if the "new 150A" survives a year without failing.

My personal experience with MAF is to do as the other member suggested I clean it with MAF cleaner once a year and stay away far away from K&N filers. K&N filters are fine in carbonation vehicles but I personally would never use them in a vehicle with a MAF because the filter's oil blows onto the sensor and causes the poor starts, jerky acceleration like you have a dirty fuel filter, poor performance, and gas mileage. Years ago before I learned of the MAF cleaner I decided to be cheap and buy a after market MAF on eBay for my 1995 BMW 540 and the car never ran the same and couldn't return it. Then I had to shell out the $350-400 to buy a new one. Looking back if I were in the position again I would have picked another one up in a salvage yard and saved the money and the hassle.