replacing alternator..

[Rogmok]

anyone have to replace their alternator?? how much did it cost you??

[ren28]

It depends on the make/model/alternator brand of your car for the parts. Labor should not be bad if you have a front engine car. It should not require more than one hour to install unless you have a really cramped engine bay like a late model 3000GT, late model 300ZX, etc. You can also buy rebuilds instead of factory stuff. I went with an upgraded 160A unit due to my upgraded stereo system and battery.

[Rogmok]

i have a 99 accord... i dont' its too cramped in there..

how much (ball park) would it be for parts and labor? i just want a baseline so i don't get ripped off

[ren28]

An hour of labor costs about 65-85 here. A new Toyota alternator is like $350 but people usually get a good rebuilt one for $150 or so. I don't know about your particular case though.

I looked on a site and found that the average cost for alt replacement is $460. They say that it varies by region though. I don't know if they take rebuilt alt's into consideration but I doubt it. My guess is that you should be able to go with a good rebuilt one for cheaper... say $300-350 or less, including labor.

http://auto.consumerguide.com/auto/used/re...cfm/id/2289.htm (http://auto.consumerguide.com/auto/used/reviews/full/index.cfm/id/2289.htm)

[mrazntre]

go to autozone or kragen and get a lifetime alternator. take that to a shop and have it installed. you should find one for about $160

[lethal]

I got my 96 Pontiac Sunfire a new alternator, AC Delco factory replacement, for about 250 including parts and labor. Not sure how much a Honda one would be.

[537]

Alternators sometimes come with a lifetime warranty, just like mrazntre mentioned. Note, these are typically rebuilt alternators. The relative simplicity of the alternator allows lifetime warranties to be handed out. After all, an alternator is, to put it in fundamental terms, merely a series of wires wound in a circle with a rotating shaft with magnets affixed to it. This rotating shaft is turned by a serpentine belt mechanically via a pulley system. For every revolution of the engine's crankshaft, the alternator revolves 3 or more times. Alternators usually die due to worn brushes (for circuit completion), a malfunctioning or blown internal regulator, or a diode (for all intents and purposes, a fuse) disintegrating. There is redundancy built into the alternator at differing levels, for instance, there are multiple brushes/diodes.

I recently had an alternator completely die. Typically you are able to tell if the charging system has an issue because of the battery light. However, there are times when the charging system does not represent a completely closed circuit and will therefore not trigger a battery light (usually this points to worn brushes). An easy way to tell if the alternator is on its way to the rebuild shop is to face your car towards a wall when it is dark, and turn on your headlights. At idle, notice how bright the lights are. Rev the engine and try to measure if the lights get brighter by a very noticeable amount. If it is, you may want to bust out the voltmeter and do some under-the-hood diagnostics. You're measuring between the two battery terminals (- and +), between the alternator chassis and the negative battery terminal, and finally between the alternator chassis and the engine itself. I'm too lazy to spell out the voltages you should see, but you can easily find them on the internet.

As I was saying about my dead alternator, I went to a auto shop and purchased a rebuilt alternator. On my mitsubishi, all the tools I needed was a 10mm wrench and a 12mm wrench. The operation took me a little over an hour. The rebuilt alternator cost me $170, and I later returned the dead alternator to them for a $75 core exchange refund. Anyhow, if you catch the dead alternator when it is too late (your car wont start, and will not respond to jumpstarts), you will need to replace not only the alternator, but the battery too, as it was most likely completely discharged multiple times and will not be able to hold a charge for any respectable amount of time.....


If you absolutely must take it somewhere to have the alternator replaced, you should be aware that the labor costs will most likely be more than the cost of the part itself....