Gear Reduction Starter vs. 95 amp Alternator

[Zoofly]

Hi,
I'm looking for some advise. I have a limited budget to work with on my Spider and I'm upgrading things slowly but steadily. I want to know what would be a bigger bang for my buck between the gear reduction starter vs. the 95 amp alternator. Which one should I get first? Could be another year before I get the second one.

Thanks!

[dinghyguy]

i have neither.....so consider my opinion accordingly.

If you have lots of load on your electrics due to extra lights, a fancy sound system or ??? then the alt would be useful. If not and if you have relays for the wipers (not really needed much in your town perhaps) and the lights and the starter then i would first get the starter.
The starter should make the car start easier and thus improve your reliability somewhat and even more importantly your enjoyment. I do assume the current draw for the new starter is less than or equal to the existing starter. If it is higher, all the more reason to make sure you have a relay system for the starter.
my 0.02$ worth.
dinghyguy

[JohnMc]

Personally I would get the gear reduction starter. I love mine. Much lighter, faster turning and they say takes less juice to run.
I also installed a relay to the starter so that the current does not go through the ignition switch.
but if money pretty tight I would just put in the relay to the existing starter.
The top bolt that holds the starter in place can be a bugger - I got out by having probably over 2 feet of extension on swivel. Some other people have recently put down what lengths of extension they used.

[JohnMc]

In the Electrical Issues section there is a discussion on removing the starter - right now 5th one down.
I cannot remember and may have had to remove the center steering section to get it out the bottom.

[joelittel]

I have done both.

If you go with the amp I’d put relays in at the same time. I can’t say that I noticed a difference when I put my amp upgrade I n but it was intended as preparation for better lights, stereo, device charging docks and accessory ports. (However these days better lighting usually involves LEDs which probably require less juice than the stock bulbs do.) The amp will not make your wipers work better unless you refurbish your wiper linkage and/or motor first.

The gear reduction starter was intended for increased reliability and spousal trust. If my car were to ever leave my wife stranded rebuilding her trust in the car could prove to be very difficult.

I have no complaints with either and do not recall which one I choose to upgrade first.

[DieselSpider]

Before adding more amperage or spending money on other new components take all the direct loads off the ignition switch by putting in relays for the Starter, Lights, Wipers, etc and clean up all the ground pods under the hood and dash. The relays will likely save you the grief or having to replace the ignition switch or potentially that new expensive starter in a few months which puts up to a additional 10 amp load on when you power the starters solenoid. The gear reduction reduces load on the starters main lug which is directly powered from the battery cable while the solenoid will pull more current through the ignition switch in order to be able to hold the starter drive gear engaged with the flywheel against the extra torque from the gear reduction.

[aj81spider]

If your car is working and both are functional, why replace either - spend the money somewhere else.

I violated that rule and replaced both. However my engine was out and I was rebuilding the whole car. I replaced the starter because I wanted a new one that would outlast me, and I never wanted to have to change it with the engine in the car. I replaced the alternator in case I increased the loads on the electrical system (I never really did and the alternator has had to be replaced once since I put the 95 amp in, so perhaps I should have kept the original).

If your heart is set on doing one of those and both are currently working fine I would do the starter first. It's the harder job, but it makes future maintenance easier and starting the car more reliable. Replacing the alternator is easy, so if it ever breaks getting your car back on the road is a much simpler affair.

[scrapironchef]

If your heart is set on doing one of those and both are currently working fine I would do the starter first. It's the harder job, but it makes future maintenance easier and starting the car more reliable. Replacing the alternator is easy, so if it ever breaks getting your car back on the road is a much simpler affair.

I have to agree with this reasoning, I've done both also, the alternator is a half hour job from the top of the engine, the starter requires getting underneath and a lot more work.

[RRoller123]

+1 agreed.

[Zoofly]

I like the sound of making the car more reliable. The reduction starter wins out over the 95 amp alternator in that respect. I really appreciate the feedback. Thanks to all who replied!

[chrisg]

can't state too emphatically that whichever you do, make sure that you've addressed grounds, connections, and any other glitchy electrical issues in the car. Both are nice upgrades if they suit a purpose (more amperage needed, weight reduction, less draw on starts, whatever), but they should be upgrades done once the systems are ensured to be sound.

[FLGordie]

I did both. Do the starter. Hands down it has been the most pleasing repair to the car. The sound, the quick start, the reliability.... it is mint. While my car does not accelerate, shift, brake, or steer straight, man, the starter is a Rock Star.

[FLGordie]

I did both. Do the starter. Hands down it has been the most pleasing repair to the car. The sound, the quick start, the reliability.... it is mint. While my car does not accelerate, shift, brake, or steer straight, man, the starter is a Rock Star.

[MIGHTY 8]

I did both. Do the starter. Hands down it has been the most pleasing repair to the car. The sound, the quick start, the reliability.... it is mint. While my car does not accelerate, shift, brake, or steer straight, man, the starter is a Rock Star.