Experience with aftermarket alternators

[peter51]

Has anyone had any experience with any of the cheaper aftermarket TD5 alternators on ebay? It would only be a backup for remote area travel where it would be at least 5 hours to get back to a place where I could get the original alternator repaired(possibly) - or order and wait for a denso replacement.
Alternatively I good buy a second hand unit and overhaul it as a backup - Has anyone had their alternator overhauled - as I see on this forum that it is mostly toyota parts. What was the cost?
Thanks.

[Tombie]

Just service your alternator.

All these heavy spares are responsible for more failures than the prevention of failure.

[Homestar]

Alternators are very reliable - if you have doubts about yours, have your local Auto Elect stick new bearings and brushes in it and throw a new reg on it and maybe keep the old regulator as a spare. Parts wouldn't be expensive for this and it only takes 1/2 hour to rebuild an alternator - easy DIY job as well if you're handy with the tools and nothing really to be scared of.

Remember as well that if you're out bush you'll likely have a solar panel with you - that would keep your battery topped up enough to keep driving should your alternator fail if you strapped it to the roof and didn't run anything but the engine.

[shack]

I have not had good luck with aftermarket td5 alternators.

[peter51]

Thanks for info. Sounds like I should just take it out and refurbish it with high quality parts.

Does the vacuum pump ever fail?

[shack]

Thanks for info. Sounds like I should just take it out and refurbish it with high quality parts.

Does the vacuum pump ever fail?It seems rare, but the oil seal can let go, but again, rare-ish.

[350RRC]

Alternators are very reliable - if you have doubts about yours, have your local Auto Elect stick new bearings and brushes in it and throw a new reg on it and maybe keep the old regulator as a spare. Parts wouldn't be expensive for this and it only takes 1/2 hour to rebuild an alternator - easy DIY job as well if you're handy with the tools and nothing really to be scared of.

Remember as well that if you're out bush you'll likely have a solar panel with you - that would keep your battery topped up enough to keep driving should your alternator fail if you strapped it to the roof and didn't run anything but the engine.

Years ago the alt light came on in my POS at Horsham en route to Adelaide for a meeting.

No biggy.......... battery just running the ignition, kept going.

Couple of nights in the hotel, valet fired it up and off I went to get new brushes soldered in at an auto elec place. $10.

Try doing that in a D4 [bigwhistle][bigwhistle][biggrin][biggrin] or a 322 [bigrolf][bigrolf][biggrin][biggrin].

These days I carry a spare brush cage (screw in) around with me in the tool box with a spare new regulator (another story, non RRC).



DL

[Slunnie]

They're a massive pain to change on the side of the road. If you're changing it, I would put in something reliable like a new factory or OEM one.

[BradC]

They're a massive pain to change on the side of the road. If you're changing it, I would put in something reliable like a new factory or OEM one.

"Is this a job you want to do twice?". If it's no real hassle, then yeah perhaps a "30% of the price, unknown quality" might be worth a go, but if it's a job you *really* only want to do once....

[AK83]

They're a massive pain to change on the side of the road. If you're changing it, I would put in something reliable like a new factory or OEM one.

Only difficult part I found with it was the removal of the vacc pump/vac line. Obviously needs to be taken off the pump to get it out to get the new one in.
On mine, the hard part is taking the line off the outlet .. just won't budge!
So, only way to get alternator out for me is to remove pump or slice line to get it off and purchase a new line too.

In terms of "hard to remove alternators", I found it's one of the easier ones.
Try a v6 Rodeo/Frontera! ... haha ... on the side of the road.

[stevo]

Mine lasted 18 years many river crossings and dusty roads it did not fail but when I had engine out thought I would send it to auto sparkie, phone call next day basically not worth fixing full of green death, replaced with same make and model, if it lasted that long why risk a cheaper brand. I have been all over the place and do not carry a heap of spares but do carry tools, glue wire plasti steel cable ties all of which has gotten me and others out of trouble.

Fan belts I will carry and fluids.

[mrs]

I had an aftermarket one not last that long (bearing collapsed) so I got my brother to rebuild the original (he checked the bearings they were fine) and I had got a kit from the UK to repair the electrical side of it and it's been fine ever since