[sundarpn]

My alternator is makinga whining sound :angry: . which increases with rpm.

What are my options. Can the alternator be service internally (most probably its a bad bearing)?

If I have to replace, what do you guy recommend will be a good replacements?
brand & where to buy.?

also is this a 110 amp or 130 amp? (its a 3.0 vulcan on a 96 GL). Also can I put a 130 amp alternator. I saw many reman units in autozone but they were rated at 130 amps.

 

[shoz123]

AutoZone has a good guarantee. The alternator is a 130A one.

 

[sundarpn]

hmm, a 110 amp is also available for my 1996 GL.

How do i know what is currently there in mine.?? will it say on the the alternator?

 

[HighTecRedneck]

I believe the difference is that the vulcan's have the 110A alternator. I know for a fact that the duratec gen3 have a 130A alternator. You can bring the part number from the one in your car into autozone or pepboys and they should be able to tell you which one you have in there. I know pepboys has lifetime guaranteed alternators and AZ has a good warranty for their alternators also. I'd take a look at the 110A and the 130A side by side, if they look the same (bolt locations match up, electrical connectors the same...) then you should be able to use the 130A in yours.

 

[sundarpn]

Oh ok, So having a higher amperage alternator won't cause any issues. ??

Hmm, how abt the junk yard for an alternator...?
Also, will all gen3 vulcans have the same alternator. So if I pull from say a 99 gen 3, then the alternator should be fairly new

How abt gen 4 vulcan alternators? are they same as gen 3 vulcan's

 

[HighTecRedneck]

Unless there is something i'm unaware of in newer cars, no, replacing it with a higher amp alternator won't cause any problems. Competition stereo guys do it all the time to increase power. I've done it on all my vehicles so far except this one since 130A isn't bad at all and i don't have a need to upgrade the alternator yet. As far as them being the same as a gen4 that i don't know.

You should be able to use one from a junkyard and all gen3's some fit each other. It just might not be as reliable as a newer one. Besides the year of the car you are getting it from try to see how many miles it has on it if you go with a used one. An older car whose alternator has less miles might be better then an alternator from a newer car with a lot of miles on it. Just a thought.

 

[shoz123]

I don't think the Duratec and Vulcan alternators are interchangeable.

 

[sundarpn]

:withstupid: true

but what about the alternator on the vulcan, are they same for gen3 & gen 4??

 

[HighTecRedneck]

Originally posted by SHOZ123@Aug 9 2004, 12:30 PM
I don't think the Duratec and Vulcan alternators are interchangeable.

That i don't know, that was why i suggested looking at the 110A and the 130A model side by side. Same would go for a gen3 and a gen4 side by side comparison. Paul would probably know more about the alternators then I since he makes the VAKs for the different engines.

 

[shoz123]

The generator (as Ford calls it) is listed as the same base part number for the '97 and the '02 Taurus. That doesn't mean the mounting points are the same but they probably are. I would take my old one the the J/Y to compare.

Actually I would not get one from the J/Y but go to an alternator rebuilder and have the original rebuilt. At least you get a guarantee.

 

[HighTecRedneck]

:withstupid:

 

[sundarpn]

Yea, thats what I was thinking. of getting the alternator rebuitl if that is cheaper. the noise I bet is from one of the bearings??
But I'll go with rebuilding only if its less that 90 bucks. Cause I can get a new one installed for 160 or so

 

[henrysel]

I would just go ahead and get the new alternator. If you get one from a junkyard, you never know when the bearing is going to go bad again. Guess that doesn't really matter if you don't intend to keep it for long. I had the same problem on a Contour and got my alternator from this place:

http://verizonsupersite.com/4alterstartcom...-1&catuid=10155

The part numbers between Duratec and Vulcan are different even though they're both 130A alternators, maybe the mounting is different. According to Rock Auto, it seems the difference between the 110 and the 130 is due to optional electrical equipment like power windows, locks, seats, trailer wiring etc. so the 130 should just fit.

 

[sundarpn]

Henrysel,

How much was shipping from that web site.?? How soon did you get it?

and the link you have given me, is the alternator for a Gen 3 vulcan right?

 

[henrysel]

Originally posted by sundarpn@Aug 10 2004, 01:19 PM
Henrysel,

How much was shipping from that web site.?? How soon did you get it?

and the link you have given me, is the alternator for a Gen 3 vulcan right?

It was about $20. Might be easier to get it from Autozone if the price is close. It worked fine for a few months, then I ended up getting rid of the car for other reasons so couldn't tell you how really great it was. Reason I went that route was because mine was a lot more at Autozone plus I had heard stories of people getting bad alternators from them and having to replace it a couple of times. The Contour was really difficult to do (had to take the fender cover off, drop the CV joint) and didn't want to have to do it again. Don't know how bad/easy it is on a Taurus.

I'm on the east coast and from Texas, it only took about 3-4 days. And yes that is the one for the Gen 3 Vulcan. There's also a search feature there to look up other ones.

 

[shoz123]

Actually rebuilding alternators is pretty easy to do. Providing you can get the case apart.

Total cost for parts would be around $50.00