Alternator - OEM or Aftermarket?

[proslambanomenos]

I think my alternator is starting to go--the telltale high pitch whine, the radio unit kicking into "Low Voltage Mode." I'll go have it tested tonight to confirm, but assuming it'll need to be replaced here are a few questions for you knowledgeable folk:

1) OEM or aftermarket? I've noticed some aftermarket alternators are less than half the price but they have the same power ratings. Buying from the local O'Reilly--they have lifetime warranty, which means if it fails again I can just exchange, but I don't know that I want to be doing this job repeatedly if it's not a good alternator.

2) Since I'll be yanking the old alternator anyway, under what aftermarket conditions would you consider upgrading to a unit that provides more power? i run a 12v fridge sometimes. I am planning to add a lightbar, although it will probably be LED so lower power draw.

 

[obrienjas]

I just recently replaced my Alternator about a month ago with an after market brand from O'Reillys. I haven't had any issues to date. Took me about 1 1/2 hr to do it myself with another person. I would suggest taking the Left front wheel off; will make it a bit easier to work along with the one access port to get to everything underneath. Good Luck

 

[Codename Duchess]

I went aftermarket because I know I'm going to submerge it so many times there's no point spending the extra money.

That being said, the first aftermarket I put in failed within a few weeks.

 

[roverman]

My aftermarket has been ok, probably only about 10,000 on it though.
For the price, I'd only have to get more than 30,000 to be ahead of the game.

 

[tlt]

When ya'll buy, tell folks what you got, where and what it cost you.

 

[obrienjas]

I need a new and or used locking Diff for 2005 LR3 ?

 

[tlt]

Dropped you a PM

 

[bbyer]

About three years back, my factory alternator quit - well the solenoid quit I think, and I replaced the alternator with a Wilson / WAI aftermarket unit.

The first unit only lasted perhaps a week, (something to do with the internal regulator), and the free replacement second unit came with a wrong number of grooves pulley, (usually 6 grooves), that cost the installers a new belt. Since then, all has been good.

The Wilson unit, 11206N or Lester 11206 cost about 1/3 that of a Land Rover part number YLE500390, hence I think aftermarket rebuilt was the correct choice. Also Land Rover now only sells brand new as they were having too many returns with their "factory" rebuilt units.

Just a reminder, regardless of what you get, look at both the new and old pulley to make certain they are the same. Usually the pulley diameter is correct, but the number of grooves can be a variable.

 

[proslambanomenos]

To follow up a couple weeks later--I bought the O'Reilly Ultima reman with lifetime warranty. Core charge was $25. List price is $209. They matched a local Napa who had a similar alternator for $161 so that's what I ended up paying. As someone's writeup said, removing the fan, belts, and all that is just not required. You can do it all from the passenger side wheel well. (You do have to slide the belt off the alternator's pulley of course, but the tensioner is easily accessed with a breaker bar without removing anything.) The plastic clips holding the wheel liner on were by far the most annoying part of the job.

I just remembered one thing that I had to do. This is one of those things where a picture would make it very easy to explain, but alas, this forum is not picture-friendly so I'll give it my best try to explain: The positive lead on the vehicle has a connection plate that, when attached and secured, inserts into two slots in a black circular housing that sits around the positive terminal on the alternator. The remanufacturered alternator had a housing with only two slots and they were in the wrong place, so the positive lead wouldn't seat properly. This was easily fixed by swapping the housing from the factory alternator with the reman'd alternator. My suspicion is that this probably isn't an issue with most reman'd alternators, but you may want to watch out for that if you choose to go this route.

For reference, most photos that I've found online show a housing with four slots, making it fully compatible. If you imagine only two slots, and those at 12 oclock and 3 oclock, that's the slot configuration the reman alternator had, which is incompatible with the LR3. Again, easy to swap the housing, but just a head's up there.

 

[bbyer]

so potentially two problems then

We appreciate the warning re the B+ terminal and the method of attachment - that one may have to use bits from the removed alternator - an easy solution.

The other potential problem is the pulley having the wrong number of grooves. I gather the pulley you received with the reman was correct?