WTB--Alternator for 1994 Nissan Altima!!!

[Jenni]

Geez, I never dreamed something as simple as an alternator could cost almost $200 new. Cheapest one I have found is $70 from a junk yard. Any of you car guys know of a good place to get one, or any of you have one for sale?

[audiyoda]

Ran into the same problem Jenni -- found out that many local codes do not allow re-builds on alternators. My local mechanic gave me a parts list so I could try and do it myself -- figured the hassle just wasn't worth it and paid the $250.00 for parts and labor.

-Craig

[Jenni]

I managed to find one this morning at another junkyard for $45. Having it rebuilt looked questionable, everyone kept saying "maybe we can, maybe we can't, have to take it apart to see". I did find out online that basically every 4 cylinder Nissan (except the smaller Sentra's), ie, 240SX's, Altima/Stanza's, and Hardbody trucks, from 1990 to now still use that same 2.4L engine/alternator. Seems like there should be a bunch of them around!

[bob]

If the berrings are good (it spins) then all you may need is brushes. All sizes can be found at an electrical store for about 1 dollar.

[Jenni]

The car has had an oil leak forever--no big deal, just keep adding oil. One guy told us that getting oil in the alternator is what killed it-I don't see why it would, maybe one of you can enlighten me, unless maybe stuff was building up in the oil inside of the alternator... Anyway, we got the oil leak fixed, now it's the alternator's turn. I hate cars.

[M. A. Dockter]

Oil in the alt. would do it for sure, especially if the oil has a bunch of dirt and grim in it. That'll get between the components inside the alternator that turn the rotation into electicity, and totally ruin it's ability to charge the battery. That also can't be too good for the bearings....

[Jenni]

Yeah Dok, I'm sure that it had a bunch of SAND in it, my husband is constantly driving along Hwy. 90, which is about 10 feet from the beach. Sand blows across the highway all the time. Everywhere you look under the hood there is a big oily, sandy mess. I guess there has do be some drawback to living on the beach, lol!

[bagglo]

Jennie,
that alternator is a Hitachi 80 amp internal regulated, it is a import alternator and internally regulated that what makes them so expensive, my husband and I have a small auto parts and repair shop in the desert of Arizona and my cost on that alternator is 147.00 and the core is 62.50, so finding a good used alternator might be a little difficult, the lester # is 13474, do you have a Checker or Auto Zone near by they usually sell their parts for less than we can buy from our warehouse, let me know if I can help in any way.I'd be glad to sell at cost if you want to go new.

[jessho]

I hate saying this, but the new alternator could die in a short period of time if if you don't fix the oil leak. I would go with the one from the wrecking yard. Bring it to an alternator shop and have it tested. Tell the wrecking yard you want your money back if it won't work.

When you get a good alternator, charge your battery before you start the car. A dead battery can destroy a good alternator.

Another thing, the belt could be slipping on the alternator because of the oil leak. If it is slipping, the alternator will not charge.

[LawyerRon]

Jenni,
In your area, Pep Boys or AutoZone will have the lowest price. Check with them first.

[Jenni]

Bagglo--thanks for the offer. We got the one from the junkyard, the guy is supposed to put it on when he gets home tonight.

jessho--we did get the oil leak fixed, sort of...it was leaking around the front seal, our brother-in-law recommended putting some "stuff" in the oil to condition the seals, and now the oil leak is pretty much gone. There is so much oil on everything under the car now it is hard to tell if it is leaking or not. The mechanic that has had the car in his garage said he doesn't think it is leaking at all anymore. Also, he is putting new belts on for us.

LawyerRon--Auto Zone was the cheapest new, $169.99, although Advance Auto Parts did offer to match any price lower than theirs. The closest PepBoys is about 50 miles away in Slidell, LA. I didn't call them.

The one from the junkyard has a 30 day warrantee, so that should be plenty long enough to tell if it is working right or not.

[glc]

Jenni - you might want to clean the engine to get all the old glop off it. This way you will be able to tell easier if the leak is still there. It also will help the engine run cooler. It's like blowing all the dust out of a computer in this respect. You can use spray engine degreaser and your garden hose to do this, or have it professionally steam cleaned. I do this once a year on every car I have ever owned.

[Colonel Sanders]

Gee, your lucky. Only $250? I have replace starter for my truck, I figured it should be really cheap(motors normally are really cheap) but instead it's gonna cost $344. I might get lucky cause I can get $75 off if I bring the original starter back.

Logan

[bagglo]

nothing is cheap anymore,since about 1992, the alternators, starters and some water pump are "high" priced,anyone had to replace a water pump on a 1998, 1999,2000, Dodge Diesel PU, watch out the water pump is around 550.00 and available new only, tho the dealer had a rebuilt my cost of $380.00..the starter for that same vehicle is 450.00 also, a lot of alternators are 150-200, guess that is why we drive a late 80's Chevy with 350,000. miles,even at cost,still can't afford....rather spend $$ on computer parts...

[Jenni]

!#@$@#$@%#%$!#%!# I HATE CARS!!!!! We got the alternator from the junkyard, and the guy put it on for us. First thing, either he didn't have the belt tight enough, or else he didn't bother to read the routing diagram. We live about 2 miles from his house, and the car overheated on the way home because the belt wasn't turning the water pump fast enough. Took it back the next day, fixed that problem. All is well...or so I thought. Yesterday while hubby was driving around, AC cuts out. Bad sign, that's what it did last time. Sure enough, by last night, "battery" light (and for some strange reason, "brake" light, did the same thing before, put on other alternator, both lights went out) was on and car refused to start. I went outside a little while ago, and one of the wires that connects to the alternator (top one, ring connector type that goes on a nut and bolt, looks like the most important wire, has a red rubber boot over it) was black and crispy, and the rubber boot was fried too. I cut away the outer layers, and the wires themselves look nice and shiny. So now I got out my Dremel and cleaned everything up. Question is, was it like that when the "mechanic" put this one one, and he just didn't think it necessary to clean it up, or does the car have some sort of other electrical problem that is blowing up alternators, or is this alternator just bad too, or would all that buildup on the connector (if it was like that before) be enough to make the alternator not make good contact with the rest of the system?

AARRRGGGHHHH!!!! Now my car is leaking power steering fluid so fast you might as well pour half a quart into it every time you stop, and of course we have no money...I HATE CARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Colonel Sanders]

While now I'm quite impressed, a girl who not only works on cars but also own has her own dremel set!

Well, do you have an altrenator guage or just a light that comes on after something bad happens? The only thing I can think of might be too many amps going through that wire, which I dought is the problem. When you said all altrenators are the same, did that mean everything was the same? specifically the size of the pulley?

Other that that, I couldn't tell you what is going wrong.

Logan

BTW: I finally paid for my new starter, $438.73, but I plan to take the core ($75) back tomorrow and see if I'm lucky.

[bagglo]

Logan_85, you should see the trick computer case Jennie make with the Dremel!!

Jennie,had the ace mechanic here at work read this post,(my husband) the red wire is the main battery feed wire, yes crap was probably there before, make sure the battery cables are tight, and the alternator is probably fried,the alternator can sometime full field and become 110 volts, the alternator was most likely shot when you got it, most Chechers or PepBoys etc, will check your alternator and battery for free (of course they hope you are buying something) they should have a battery check that checks the starting system and the charging system at the same time. My offer still stands, email if I can help.. and the power steering leak could just be a return hose that got soft from the oil leak, if that car is front wheel drive and the rack is leaking its toast.
they usually cost more to fix than to get a rebuilt... and Jennie if it has tires or testicles (can I say that here) you'll always have problems with it!!!

Best of Luck!!!!

[Jenni]

I put the Nissan on a battey charger tonight, am hoping that the wire was just too fouled up to make good contact...what the heck, it can't be any more broke than it is now, lol...then again, maybe I shouldn't say things like that!

As for my car, it is an '87 Mercury Sable station wagon. The hole is in the rubber part of the power steering hose. Judging by the looks of it, you have to buy the whole tubing/rubber assembly, I doubt that radiator hose clamps would keep a new hose in place if I just took out the rubber part. Right now, the power steering leaks, it has a small crack in the top of the radiator (whoever invented the PLASTIC radiator should be shot!), and it does weird transmission things, like turning 1000-1500 RPM's sitting in the yard at idle. Best thing I can say about it is that it was FREE!

[bagglo]

Ok I see you have two cars you are dealing with, how long is that extension cord on that battery charger or can you add another battery and just recharge at night..LOL

The Sable power steering hose is a high pressure hose with pressed fittings, don't think you could clamp enough to stop the leak, don't think you can patch that, but you never know.. and the RPM change at idle may not be the transmission, could be a Throttle Position Sensor or a throttle body leak at the intake or a vacuum leak somewhere..

Can you borrow a bike from the kids?? you know how to party!!

[Jenni]

My fat butt on a bicycle seat is NOT a pretty picture, lol!

Nissan started right up this morning, and the battery and brake lights went off, so I am hoping that is a good sign. I would have driven it somewhere, but my hubby forgot to take the kids car seats out of my car, so now I am stuck here all day, which I have gotten used to lately. He teaches school, then tutors after school. Most of the time he doesn't get home until 8:30-9:00 at night. Everyone at church (he's a pastor too) thinks I am a horrible mother because I let my kids stay up until midnight or later, but if they went to bed at 8 or 9, they would never see their dad. To me, spending time with their dad is more important that being in bed at a "normal" hour. So they sleep till noon, so what? Joshua still has a couple of years before he has to go to school.

How did I get off on that? O well---Nissan is running at the moment, Sable is too (provided you carry around a case of PS fluid and a couple of gallons of water...lol, it's a good thing PS fluid isn't very flammable, everything below that line is SOAKED with it!) We are supposed to get a new radiator and PS hose tomorrow and get mine fixed, but I guess that depends on whether or not the Nissan is fixed.

[bagglo]

Jennie, glad to hear the Nissan started, but remember you charged the battery so you would expect it to start, the alternators job is to replace the charge in the battery and if the alternator is not charging the battery will be dead again, lets keep our fingers crossed that it is fixed, and hope you get your car fixed..Best of Luck!!

[jessho]

The fittings for your transmission cooler lines connecting to the radiator are duck bill fittings. There is a tool that fits over the tubing and presses into the fitting. When you press the tool down into the fitting and push the tubing towards the fitting, it releases the the spring and allows the tubing to pull out of the fitting. After the tubing is removed, you can remove the radiator and place the fittings on your new radiator. When you are ready to install the tubing in the new radiator, just push it into the fitting and it will latch back in place. A word of caution...if the fitting leaks, you will have to go to a dealer to get a replacement. They will cost about $4 each and the parts department might not be open on Saturday. Changing the fitting with the radiator installed is a pain. Also, check your transmission fluid level after you are through.

[Jenni]

Well, I'm not sure how long it takes to run a charged battery down, but tonight I ran over to my moms to take her battery charger back. That is about 5 miles one way. So I gave the battery a workout, radio, AC, high-beams, power windows up and down several times, and anything else I could think of. None of the light came back on yet, and the headlights are nice and bright. The other night when I drove it and it wouldn't start, the headlights were so dim they were useless. I drove all the way home with the high beams on and not once did anyone else flash their lights at me. Also, I noticed before we replaced the alternator that when stopped at a stoplight the lights would dim noticeably, and get brighter if you revved the engine, or when you started driving again. I really hope it is fixed now...

Mine is still on hold until we figure out if his is fixed.

[bagglo]

Jennie, depending on the condition of the battery, and the CCA's (cold cranking amps) you could drive to and from work 2 days, continous driving 1 1/2 to 3 hours, depends on what you have on Re: A/C, radio,headlamps,etc..we still need to cross our fingers..you need to take and have the charging system check,(Free at local Parts Store) you need to have a fully charged battery, and they can check to see the output of the alternator....maybe you could just replace the Power Steering hose on your car, and then you'd just have to carry around water, in our neck of the woods the local radiator shop can sometimes re-crimp those plastic tanks if that is where it is leaking..best of luck !!