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  #1  
Old 07-28-2004, 07:40 PM
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Myetball Myetball is offline
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Location: San Antonio, TX
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Question Wrong Alternator???

I did a search and didn't find the answer. Anyway, I've got a '92 with a fried alternator. The previous owner was kind enough to give my all his info so I could get it exchanged under warranty from Autozone. Took two days to come in and when I went to mount it up it was obvious there was no way it was gonna fit.

Looks close to the one I pulled off, the front looks different and the mounting tabs are slightly off. Could it be I ended up with an alternator for a later year? Is there a year range that the alternators match up/don't match up?

Wanting to know before I head back to Autozone to get another one.....and wait another two or three days.
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  #2  
Old 07-28-2004, 09:04 PM
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Did some more searching and did find out that some reman alternators require a "hacksaw" remedy to make them fit. Screw dat, I'll make Autozone keep ordering new ones until I get one that fits right.
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  #3  
Old 07-30-2004, 09:11 PM
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Well, Autozone ordered another alternator and it was the same as the first....no worky-worky. So the guys at the counter decided to give me back my original fried alternator and refund me (they still think I'm the previous owner )for the one I got as a replacement. Sooooo, car is still not running, I don't have a working alternator yet, but I do have $205 to get a new one. Gotta love it
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  #4  
Old 08-01-2004, 06:54 PM
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I have a few "spares" from salvage yards. There nice to have around......
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  #5  
Old 08-02-2004, 11:36 AM
Bizarre Bizarre is offline
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Check out www.boschusa.com. But be warned. The first one I installed went was bad out of box. The second went bad in 6 months. (given I am no master mechanic, but I have done 6 alt jobs).
Third one going strong. They have a 12 month warranty and cost about $195.00

Some people say Bosch sucks and they may be right. I was just too cheap to buy a SUB original and too impatient to have it rebuilt at a local ALT shop.

Clean the negative ground connection too. Where it bolts to the frame.

There are also 2 types of SVX alt.: 95 amp for those with ABS & AWD and I think 80 amp for the FWD/no ABS SVX models.
But I would think the mounts and therefore ALT casing should be the same size for redundancy's sake. Autozone probably gave you a Legacy or Justy Alt.

I have read of some guys here putting in 110 amp + after market alternators as the 95 AMP is barely enuff to keep the SVX afloat; considering they also installed whomping stereo systems.
I have never seen the part number or manufacturer listed of the 110+, however.

If you are willing to gamble here is the Bosch part #:

Part Number Description
AL4328X Reman Alternator MITSUBISHI; Amps: 95; Internal Regulator; 12V; Clock-Wise Rotation

Good luck,
Biz

p. some dude in my ALT post recommended this store:
www.discountautoparts.com
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'95 SVX LSI Black, just wire mod.
New speakers + homemade front mounts.

"In times of peace, a gentleman keeps his sword at his side." Sun Tzu c 300 b.c.
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  #6  
Old 08-02-2004, 10:50 PM
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Well, I've got an alternator scheduled to arrive in a couple days. We'll see how it goes. I'm also going to check pricing on a rebuilt high amp alternator (110 to 120 amp) with RPC . I'll post up their pricing after I call tomorrow. If you wanna check yourself, give them a call at 1-800-421-4345 and ask for Randy.
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  #7  
Old 08-03-2004, 12:14 AM
Green1995SVX
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I had the dealership put a Genuine Subaru alternator in mine 5 years ago. No problems since. Perhaps it's worth the extra cash.
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  #8  
Old 08-05-2004, 02:02 PM
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I just got off the phone with RPC. While they don't stock or rebuild SVX alternators I did get an earfull of alternator/battery maintenance advice.

I'll try to summarize: The number one enemy of alternators is heat...obviously. The worst time for an alternator is during extended idle or low speed driving when only the alt. fans are cooling the alt. The best way to avoid alternator overheating is to reduce the load at idle/low speed by shutting down as many accessories as possible.

The number two enemy is a low battery. If your battery is low your alternator will work overtime to recharge. Most batteries can only absorb 7-10 amps per hour. When the alternator is trying to charge the battery it's throwing 60amps at it and getting real hot in the process. This excess amperage can actually overload and damage your battery. This probably explains why so many of us have to buy a new battery when we replace the alternator. It may also explain what was really going bad first.....the alternator or the battery????

Now, our little 90amp units are more than likely designed to put out about 60amps at idle and don't reach peak capacity until we're really cranking the engine. So, under normal driving we're probably only putting out between 60-75 amps. These amps are intended to run the electrical system, not necessarily charge the battery. If your battery is low, amps are sent to the battery and the rest of your electrical systems suffer.

Randy recommended installing a battery maintainer, available at JC Whitney for $39.99. The idea here is to plug in your car every night so you start each day with a fully charged battery. A fully charged battery draws zero amps from the alternator. Therefore, your alternator is free to send all it's power to your accessories and it's workload and it's generated heat are reduced. This significantly reduces, if not eliminates, damage to the battery from receiving an over charge from the alternator. It also extends the life of your alternator.

Quick note on batteries: Reserve capacity is more important than cranking amps. The higher the reserve the better.

If you start adding things like high amp fog lights, high amp amplifiers you'll need alot more out of the alternator. Heavy gauge wire can give you as much as 10 extra amps. Also, Randy suggests running accessories, through a relay, directly off the alternator. A few extra amps to be gained there. Also, ground the accessories to the battery instead of a body ground, some amp savings there too.

BTW, got my new alternator and my yellow monster is back on the road.
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  #9  
Old 01-27-2005, 10:51 PM
Bizarre Bizarre is offline
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alt.

(my 2 cents from a few months ago)

Check out www.boschusa.com. But be warned. The first one I installed went was bad out of box. The second went bad in 6 months. (given I am no master mechanic, but I have done 6 alt jobs).
Third one going strong. They have a 12 month warranty and cost about $195.00

Some people say Bosch sucks and they may be right. I was just too cheap to buy a SUB original and too impatient to have it rebuilt at a local ALT shop.

Clean the negative ground connection too. Where it bolts to the frame.

There are also 2 types of SVX alt.: 95 amp for those with ABS & AWD and I think 80 amp for the FWD/no ABS SVX models.
But I would think the mounts and therefore ALT casing should be the same size for redundancy's sake. Autozone probably gave you a Legacy or Justy Alt.

I have read of some guys here putting in 110 amp + after market alternators as the 95 AMP is barely enuff to keep the SVX afloat; considering they also installed whomping stereo systems.
I have never seen the part number or manufacturer listed of the 110+, however.

If you are willing to gamble here is the Bosch part #:

Part Number Description
AL4328X Reman Alternator MITSUBISHI; Amps: 95; Internal Regulator; 12V; Clock-Wise Rotation

Good luck,
Biz

p. some dude in my ALT post recommended this store:
www.discountautoparts.com
__________________
'95 SVX LSI Black, just wire mod.
New speakers + homemade front mounts.

"In times of peace, a gentleman keeps his sword at his side." Sun Tzu c 300 b.c.
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