You need one specifically made for your vehicle, but you can shop around on different sites, for different brands to find one that meets your budget. I prefer ones from the OEM (ie Honda), Bosch, or Denso.
The tech who replaced my alternator (@10K mi) left his permanent fingerprints on my hood...have to try to buff it out. Apart from the bad alternator documented in another thread (hopefully a one-off), the car has been great (especially in winter) - no leaks, no sunroof issues, buzzing, rattling, vibrations, etc.
First, if your alternator is putting out 13.8V while the car is running, your alternator is fine. Period. If your battery passes a load test after being fully charged, it is fine.
Between the two that I've owned, I have way over 250k miles in 'em and they are awesome vehicles. Maintenance has been very reasonable although we just had to put a new alternator in the one we have now.
The MK2 alternator setup has a fatter bolt than the Mk1 alternator uses. I've seen how the thinner bolt eventually wears into the alternator and it doesn't sit straight. The MK2 alternator setup also scoots the alternator closer to the timing belt end of the engine, giving a little more room by the radiator and a shorter shaft means less torque on the bearings. You'll need the MK2 alternator wiring,.. I just bolt it to the starter.
My 93 vw cabriolet is running an oem alternator from the factory.
okay so i installed an alternator in my car yesterday, boosted it, let the battery charge a bit, removed jumpers...car stalled.
Alternators don't make good battery chargers and if your alternator is on its way out then it may not be able to charge the battery. A fully charged battery measures 12.6V when the car is not started. When it's discharged by 75% then it measures 12.4V. if it's like 12V then it's totally dead. When you start the engine and the alternator turns, at idle you should have at least 13.4 Volts. If it's less than this then try reving the RPM's to like 2000rpm. You now should have at least 13.4V. If you don't then you have a problem either with the regulator or you have a bad diode.
My Rabbit's alternator lasted a solid 40,000 miles!
alright guys...i charged the battery and it started right up...put my meter on the batter with it running and it just kept going down in voltage over a 10 min span...so i would say the alt is bad...
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