My alternator stopped working last Sunday and on Monday I had it repaired at an electrical shop. At first I thought everything was ok but then later on it wasn't charging consistently. There were times when my HID's became very bright and people kept on flashing me (this never happened before my alternator broke down), and then sometimes when I honk my horn at idle ang hina ng tunog. The horn becomes loud if you rev the engine to around 3000 rpm but then hindi talaga consistent ang charging regardles of the rpm.

So my question is do I really have to bite the bullet and buy a brand new alternator? The repair came with a warranty naman but some friends with experience said that the whole electrical system might be affected so I'm wary of the "repair" option. If I opt naman for Surplus you'll never know how long it will last. A new alternator for my car costs around 50 thousand by the way. What's your advise?

it might be a slipping belt. they did not tighten it right when they reinstalled the alternator.

50 thousand sounds pretty high for an alternator. how about i ship you one for 25% off??....

If i were you id opt that you get a new one rather than a surplus sayang naman if youre paying that much edi kunin mo na yung tried and tested na at tatagal, and isn't 50K too much? as far as i can remember dati nagpalit din kme ng alternator for a galant around 25k lang ata.

56 thou is the price from the Nissan plant subject to 10% dealer discount. My car is rare in the Philippines eh that's why is so expensive.

@ASCALRacing, the belt is tight and I'm not sure the US will have an alternator for my car since my engine is an SR20DET which is not the engine used in the domestic 240SX in the States.

try to get the exact specs of your busted alternator, then look for surplus one. afaik, nissan alternators old and new look similar (though diff amp ratings). have it tested before installing. i remember my friend inquired about his vanette's alternator...a whopping 90k!

Quote from: jason/non-vtec on June 15, 2005, 10:58:41 AM
i remember my friend inquired about his vanette's alternator...a whopping 90k!

wow!  if that is the case then id rather buy a second hand Vannette which usually goes for as low as P125T...get the working alternator and then store the entire van for me to cannibalize it for spare parts  

Didn't alternators for certain cars, even those as common as the Vanette, would cost that much.

I heard that Wizard at Morato (or Timog, sorry not sure) sells brand new alts. Like jason said, try to get the exact specs then inquire elsewhere. A month ago the dealer was selling me a brand new a/c compressor for P35K! We inquired at the distributor and they sell them retail at 14K. You might have just as much luck with your alt.

gud pm conan,

had the same experience as yours before with my nissan eccs. i had my alternator repaired but after a few months, got busted. so i opted for a surplus but after a few months, got busted again. finally bought a brand new one at the car dealer and so far, so good for the past four years  

IMHO, since this involves the car's electrical system - very vital, guess you really have to bite the bullet and buy a brand new one it'll save you time but not really for the money   .

getting a 2nd hand/surplus unit is really "tsambahan". i also had a share of bad experiences with reconditioned alternators.

btw, sir conan, is your alternator near the exhaust manifold? sometimes, excessive heat can prematurely break down an alternator. that's what happened to our old rwd car.  

Quote from: jason/non-vtec on June 16, 2005, 10:56:55 AM
getting a 2nd hand/surplus unit is really "tsambahan". i also had a share of bad experiences with reconditioned alternators.

btw, sir conan, is your alternator near the exhaust manifold? sometimes, excessive heat can prematurely break down an alternator. that's what happened to our old rwd car.  

No it's nearer the intake so it's not subjected to that much heat.

Quote from: Conan on June 15, 2005, 10:55:49 AM
56 thou is the price from the Nissan plant subject to 10% dealer discount. My car is rare in the Philippines eh that's why is so expensive.

@ASCALRacing, the belt is tight and I'm not sure the US will have an alternator for my car since my engine is an SR20DET which is not the engine used in the domestic 240SX in the States.

If you want utmost reliability and no headaches, bite the bullet and replace the alternator.

Quote from: johnqpublic318 on June 16, 2005, 11:21:31 AM
If you want utmost reliability and no headaches, bite the bullet and replace the alternator.

yup purchasing a new one may be a bit pricey, but less risk din of damaging other electrical circuitry in the car...

i just hope you will be able to source or find a better priced one.

or, since there is a warranty on the work bring it back and have them look at it... if the charging doesn't improve baka kaya pa claim sa warranty

I was able to find a fresh looking surplus unit. In fact it looks newer than my current alternator. So far so good, let's see how long it'll last.