Autozone alternator

[daved]

Anyone have any experience using a Autozone alternator on a Fiat? Was surprised to see that they do have a listing for my 1969 Fiat Spider. Their website lists a Durolast 13075 rebuilt alt. as being for 1968-1976 Fiat 124 Spiders & 1968- 1975 sedans which sounds about right. Did seem to be a significant savings over other places but I'm really more concerned with getting something that is an exact fit.

[So Cal Mark]

besides being an exact fit, be concerned about how well it works. Typically production rebuilders only fix the immediate problem and ship these units. The general opinion with Autozone is that it takes 3 before you get a good one

[DieselSpider]

Oreilly or Advance Auto parts have been better at hitting a home run at the first swing for me. Best has been a local re-builder who for the past 30 years has always gotten it right before a unit leaves his shop.

[daved]

Thanks Thinking I need to look further, will probably go with one of the Fiat vendors. Advance seems to be selling universal alternators only for my car. O'Reilly has a couple on their website but they don't seem to have any actually in stock.

[DieselSpider]

Thanks Thinking I need to look further, will probably go with one of the Fiat vendors. Advance seems to be selling universal alternators only for my car. O'Reilly has a couple on their website but they don't seem to have any actually in stock.

You have to call the store as on-line appearances can be deceiving. Most times if they do not have the part in the local store they have the parts at the local warehouse and get them in about 2 to 24 hours while sometimes it takes 48 hours. They have usually had the parts in the store by mid afternoon when you call or stop by in the morning however occasionally they surprise me and tell me one or two days. With O'Reilly and Advance you have the added perk of an over the counter transaction and exchange along with no shipping fees for any cores. O'Reilly if its in a local warehouse does not require a deposit and you can change your mind and not accept it when it comes in with no harm/no foul/no charge. Another perk is free starter and alternator testing at the store. The store I frequent will test your old starter or alternator right in front of you to verify that you actually need one and potentially save you the cost of needlessly replacing the wrong part.

When they tested my starter initially it looked good however when they did a retest to play it safe it turned up such a bad intermittent short in it that it blacked out the entire store.

To be fair I should mention that I live in an area where there are plenty of 124, 850 and X-19 Spiders on the road and its not unusual to see a number of them for sale on CraigsList just about any given day of the year so the call for Spider parts is probably a bit higher here in the Tampa Bay Florida area than some other parts of the country.

[ga.spyder]

I have been running a Autozone alternator on my car for the past 6 years with no issue at all.Lifetime warranty too.

[daved]

I have been running a Autozone alternator on my car for the past 6 years with no issue at all.Lifetime warranty too.

Thanks! Good to know. Right now the problem is I'm really not 100 percent sure the alternator is the problem. Took the alternator to both AutoZone & Advance as they test alternators. Both stores said they didn't have the correct electrical connector to test mine. Did try a new voltage regulator which didn't help.

[baltobernie]

"Diagnosis by replacement" can be expensive and frustrating. Look for a local business with knowledgeable people and the ability to rebuild on-site. Maybe somebody like this: http://eriebataltstrtr.com/

[Exit98]

+1 on Bernie's comment.

Have you checked these folks out? http://eriebataltstrtr.com/

I found a guy in my neighborhood that's been rebuilding alternaters and starters for years. Not sure how much longer he'll be around. In the old days there was one in every town.

Oops sorry Bernie I didn't see your link. Great minds and all that.....

[baltobernie]

[seabeelt]

Not to hijack the thread or undercut our trusted vendors, but I did see this recently while trying to help someone else.

From Amazon:
Premier Gear PG-7760 Professional Grade New Alternator
Was: $105.61
Price: $92.75 FREE Shipping for Prime members once available
You Save: $12.86 (12%)
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
• Provides protection from excessive charging or failure due to shorts in your car's wiring that can cause spikes or open circuits
• Consistent performance from manufacturing processes that exceed your vehicle's original specifications for wiring, bearings and components helping to resist heat and moisture
• Longer life of the alternator through the use of premium brushes and other critical components that resist failure or poor performance
• Ford, 3G Series, Internally Regulated/Internal Fan
• 95 Amp/12 Volt, Clockwise Rotation, 5-Groove Pulley, 11:00 Plug Clock
All new components, not rebuilt
2 year Warranty

My thought is you would need the plug and directions to make a conversion


I have Mark's version btw - He gives you both, plus great customer service ( shipped me a new shell when I over torqued the bottom mount)

[TimpanogosSlim]

Not to hijack the thread or undercut our trusted vendors, but I did see this recently while trying to help someone else.

From Amazon:
Premier Gear PG-7760 Professional Grade New Alternator

Oh hey, thanks. I should have thought to ask earlier where these were coming from. I thought i'd seen somewhere that the upgrade alternators were densos out of subarus - but the suby guys have weak alternators and complain about it a lot.

Most people will have to figure out how to get a V-belt onto it. I am performing a serpentine conversion for my supercharged build so i may have to fabricate my own mounts. I have custom machined 6-rib pulleys for crank and water pump on the way already.

For people who are cheap bastards like me, I did some digging. These are very common in 93-03 fords in junk yards. Some info here:

http://fullsizebronco.com/forum/7-1980- ... -here.html

[spider2081]

These are very common in 93-03 fords in junk yards. Some info here:

This link raises some interesting points about alternators.
1. The alternator is designed to operate within the alternators RPM specs not he engines RPM. This brings pulley diameter into the picture. One might assume the alternator designed to operate in a car where the engines cruise RPM is 2000RPM would be rotating too fast on a car that cruises at 3700 RPM, unless the alternators pulley size is adjusted to compensate. The chart does not show the alternators designed recommended operating RPM but there is one. The chart might be showing different alternators for the same basic engine.

2. Replacing a stock alternator with one that can produce a higher output current might over stress existing wiring in the cars charging system. Note the reference to upgrading the alternators output wire size. This becomes more likely if the cars battery requires a jump to start the car.

3. The alternator begins to operate between 900-1500 alternator RPM.

4. the alternators RPM is faster than the engine RPM.

5. The need to install a higher output alternator becomes an issue when high current draw equipment is added to the vehicle.

[So Cal Mark]

in regards to #2, an alternator doesn't force current through a wire. The amperage is determined by the draw of each individual item in a circuit so the myth that existing wiring can't handle the load is just that, a myth mostly promoted by vendors that only offer stock replacements

[spider2081]

in regards to #2, an alternator doesn't force current through a wire. The amperage is determined by the draw of each individual item in a circuit so the myth that existing wiring can't handle the load is just that, a myth mostly promoted by vendors that only offer stock replacements

The alternator is going to try and put out what ever current it is being asked of. All of that request passes through the alternators output wire and what ever other wires are in the path of the load.