Alternate Alternator Options/Sources

SirLapsalot · #1

Firstly - Hello, new member here. Thanks for putting this forum together. Looks like a good group of members and content so far.

On to the point -> Alternators…

I purchased the popular Nissan Quest alternator 1-2 years ago and just recently installed it maybe 6 months ago. I've got about 27 hours on it (most of which is dyno but maybe 3-5 on road, not that it should matter really) and it just died. I'm not surprised to be honest as it was an aftermarket piece from Ebay (first and last time I will ever buy a car part off of ebay), however it's still pretty frustrating.

Here's where I bought alternator from for reference:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/100-NEW-ALTERN ... ect=mobile

I'm wondering a couple things:

1. For anyone that has had success using the Nissan Quest alternator, where did you source it and was it genuine OEM, aftermarket, or remanufactured?

2. Is anybody familiar with an alternative solution? Ideally one that requires equal or less fabrication than the Nissan option but I'd love to hear/see what people have done. That being said I'm really only interested in solutions that do not require removal of the A/C compressor as my application is a street car.

3. One solution I have seen posted elsewhere is a Bosch alternator (0123320014) that supposedly fits and takes slightly less grinding/fab. Has anyone used that one with success and have details on the install?

Lastly, loosely related but I was conceitedly happy to see that my check engine light solution with my standalone ECU played a big part in me not being left stranded on the side of the freeway when my battery finally did die from lack of charging….

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My steering wheel/seating position blocks my view of the voltage meter on the dash, so I didn't see/wasn't paying attention to it while my battery was dying. While doing some road tuning I had decided to head towards the freeway for some higher speed and higher load driving. While on the freeway as my battery was dying, voltage was dropping so low that the fuel pump could not maintain adequate pressure under load. It dropped low enough that my injector duty cycle climbed through the roof, due to the way the injector pulse width calculation uses dead time (function of voltage), pressure, load, and VE. Once duty reached the threshold for max, triggering a fault code, my check engine light came on as designed. I immediately saw the light pop up and took the approaching exit to find a place to pull over and read the code/debug what was going on. As I was taking the exit the voltage dropped low enough for the ECU to go offline and kill the engine. So I coasted to a gas station right off of the exit. Luckily it was all down hill and I didn't hit the light at the exit ramp intersection…

Had I not had the check engine light, my idiot self would not have ever seen the idiot light on the voltage meter and would have continued driving. If I had, I would have missed that exit and my car would have died while on the freeway, which would have been way more dangerous, less convenient and in general a much larger pain in the a$$. So I was super happy that I had the check engine light wired up and configured!!

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Anyway, if anyone has insights on the alternator questions it would be much appreciated.

Tom · #2

Welcome to Carpokes! We're all about tech and camaraderie here, so epic first post!

Re the alternator, I like the eBay seller, super nice, but I had 3 of them fail (maybe 4) before I finally sourced one elsewhere. I used the pulley from the eBay unit and put it on a much higher quality rebuild. It's lasted for years (rather than weeks like the eBay units). If you check the cross-references, that alternator is used on a lot of cars, so there are super good and super cheap rebuilds out there. The insides of the eBay version looked pretty bad/old compared to the like-new parts inside the good rebuild.

I got pretty good at taking them apart, which is the way to go for modifying the case, but I agree with you that modifying the case is a pain, and much more work (at least on mine) than many suggest.... I've often wondered how many other alternators are a closer match. Whatever the number, I bet it's not zero. I do understand the pre-86 944 alternator is smaller and a direct fit, so that might be an option if you're just looking to buy a little space for a bigger turbo, etc. It has lower amps (90 IIRC), but still probably plenty unless you have a lot more draw than an early 944....

The check engine hack was genius! Nice work. Does your boost gauge work with your standalone? If not, check out my SpeedoBooster -- it will drive the boost gauge on the dash by itself....

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=68&p=377&hilit=speedobooster#p377

Darwin · #3

I run a single wire alternator that I bought from autozone. Not sure exactly what it is out of or compatible with, but it didn't require modifying the mount. All that I had to do was find a way to adapt it on one side. A friend of mine had a custom solution that worked for me. The alternator is also lower profile than the OE bosch unit. Also ignore the fact that it touched the coolant line. That issue was rectified.

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SirLapsalot · #4

Tom wrote: Fri Sep 17, 2021 7:10 pm Welcome to Carpokes! We're all about tech and camaraderie here, so epic first post!

Re the alternator, I like the eBay seller, super nice, but I had 3 of them fail (maybe 4) before I finally sourced one elsewhere. I used the pulley from the eBay unit and put it on a much higher quality rebuild. It's lasted for years (rather than weeks like the eBay units). If you check the cross-references, that alternator is used on a lot of cars, so there are super good and super cheap rebuilds out there. The insides of the eBay version looked pretty bad/old compared to the like-new parts inside the good rebuild.

I got pretty good at taking them apart, which is the way to go for modifying the case, but I agree with you that modifying the case is a pain, and much more work (at least on mine) than many suggest.... I've often wondered how many other alternators are a closer match. Whatever the number, I bet it's not zero. I do understand the pre-86 944 alternator is smaller and a direct fit, so that might be an option if you're just looking to buy a little space for a bigger turbo, etc. It has lower amps (90 IIRC), but still probably plenty unless you have a lot more draw than an early 944....

The check engine hack was genius! Nice work. Does your boost gauge work with your standalone? If not, check out my SpeedoBooster -- it will drive the boost gauge on the dash by itself....

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=68&p=377&hilit=speedobooster#p377

Hey Tom. Yeah my initial plan was to try to find a quality reman unit and just swap the pulley from my current pos, however I was hopeful I could find someone selling those alternators new. Wasn’t having much luck though. Nissan doesn’t take them anymore and my local dealer couldn’t even get me a reman unit.

More than likely I’ll do what you’ve done and cross reference the part until I find someone that can source a quality reman unit. I hadn’t heard about the early 944 unit though, so I’ll also give that a look. Thanks

Regarding the boost gage - Nope it is not working currently. At first it really bothered me and was something I wanted to address. However I’m kind of already over it. That being said I really like your solution for it and the speedo! Thank you for the link to that thread.

Cyberpunky · #5

I purchased a rewired 200 amp factory alt from ebay. Had it for at least 5 years and it has enough extra grunt to cope with my stereo and using demister, wipers and AC at same time.

Tom · #6

Cyberpunky wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 3:13 am I purchased a rewired 200 amp factory alt from ebay. Had it for at least 5 years and it has enough extra grunt to cope with my stereo and using demister, wipers and AC at same time.

?? Rewired?? Sorry, which alternator is this? If it is smaller with than a 951 alternator and a direct bolt-in with 200 amps, the world needs to hear more.

Cyberpunky · #7

rewound is probably more accurate. I think they were in Cali if memory serves me right. It is factory housing so saves zero space. I think I found it when I used to type 944 into Ebay and wade through thousands of listings. MY factory 125 amp was fine even with stereo until I drove over to other side of town(over an hour away) and it was raining and had stereo on, AC wipers and rear window demister. The car started breaking up and at first I thought I had copped some bad fuel but when I turned off a few accessories and turned stereo down car picked up and was back to normal so I realised it was Alt not keeping up. Since fitting 200amp unit have never had an issue no matter what I have running.

Cyberpunky · #8

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/35281000377 ... ceupt=true

SirLapsalot · #9

Finally had time to order a better quality remanufactured unit and install.

However, of course....the replacement alternator didn't fit my previously modified alternator/AC bracket so I had to pull the bracket back out and take more material off. The new one which was an OEM remanufactured part had slightly larger bosses around the alternator case as well as a beefier and slightly larger case casting in general. What a pain in the a$$ this "mod" is.

Regardless, finally I'm up and running again and I can get back to road tuning before that stupid white stuff starts falling from the sky again here in a couple months.

cda951 · #10

It seems like most of you guys have AC and are using the stock alternator location. Because track car I ditched the AC years ago to make room for the Tarett front sway bar and an extra oil cooler . . . I would imagine that the AC delete location opens up a lot more options for smaller/more modern alternators, but I have not yet had to investigate this . . . .