Does anyone recommend one alternator manufacturer over another. My 1998 4.6L F150 battery light is blinking at low RPM. I am going to check the voltage but wanted to have a plan if it is the alternator. Thanks!

 

I use ebay for that. Here's a good 130 amp. -

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/97-04...ht_2256wt_1081

Your 98 most likely came with a 90 amp. The best deals on ebay are the crate motor take offs, but I don't see any right now.

The 130's are nice , specially if you use the extra power port allot or run a big stereo system, e-fans or whatnot.

 

Just remember your truck alternator has a wide pulley. Either keep your original pulley before you trade the alt in or make sure your new alternator has the wide one. Car and later truck pulleys are narrow. Take care.

 

just dont get an autozone alternator. my roommates mustang is on its 6th one from them-they keep replacing them under warranty. nothing that he's doing wrong, just absolute pos rebuild.

 

Had the alternator on my 97 4.6 go out the other year and my mechanic put on a NAPA replacement. It's been working just fine so it's working for me.

Paul

 

It was the alternator as suspected. It was very simple to replace and is working!

Jason

 

I hate to bash Napa but there alternators suck. My friend, brother and myself have been through alot of them. They usually dont work at all and after the third one we usually get one that works, but when you get the one that daoes work your good to go.
So what alternator did you get?

 

i really havent had any bad luck at all with napas alternators- the new ones anyways, never really messed with there remans. actually i take that back my sisters 03 mazda tribute just recently fried its new 3 month old napa alternator.

 

I have 1998 5.4, I have tried the Autozone alternators and have had now luck put in a re-man the first time...truck rejected it. Put in a new Autozone alternator and the thing worked for a week then the truck rejected it. Put in a OEM from ford and it lasted 4years over 75,000 miles. I just recently went through the same thing with another local parts supply store. I should have known better they dont offer a brand new alt they are all re-mans. I dropped it off at the shop today so I should know if it was somthing else other than the alt. If anyone has any input please let me know. A mechanic checked all the fuses under the hood. Im stumped....

 

I would stick with OEM and follow what I posted above. The Alternator in my 98 is the original, has 270,000 plus miles on it. I see them on ebay every once in awhile.

Yea, those rebuilt ones are a crap shoot. You can check the brushes in your old one, maybe that's all it needs.

 

Napa or Carquest hasn't given too many problems, however a rebuild is just that, a rebuild not new.

 

i had the factory alternator crap out on me after some heavy off-roading got the alternator covered in mud/nasty water. if you're from nj/pa, you know the kind of mud. i put one in from advance auto, whatever brand they use. i made sure to get a new one though. i don't mess around with remanufactured parts. the small cost savings is not worth the aggravation of having to do the job 2-3 times within the first year.

 

Nah, mud won't kill em. When your whellin and the battery light comes on, -yep, your alternator took a hit. What you have to do is pull them, pull regulator, blow out the alternator and free up the brushes in the reg. Their stuck, little stone chips lock them up. Been there done that many times, - got pics of that fix as well. You'll fry the comp before you fry an OEM alternator totally.

 

Just a caution putting a new set of brushes (regulator) onto an older alternator. Since the new brushes are not broken-in to match the old slip rings, you will tear thru those slip rings and be replacing the alternator anyway unless you have means to just replace the slip rings.

 

too much work to be bothered with all that. i'd rather spend teh $150 or whatever it was and swap it out and be done.