Bosch "New" alternator quality? Other "New" alternator recommendations?

[TazzySpazzy]

I have just about driven myself nuts going over all the various alternator options for a 3g upgrade in my truck. Basically any 3g alt that fits a Taurus, Sable, Windstar, or Lincoln Continental with the 3.8V6 will work for my application and there are quite a few options within those parameters. Local JY parts are unavailable, parts-store remans usually have the Lifetime warranty but seem to fail often, and most of the "new" options seem to be direct from China. So, Bosch does appear to make an appropriate, new 3g alternator, Al7508N and the pics of the case do show a "Made In USA" mark on it but the Bosch website does not indicate any country of origin. Anybody have experience with relatively recent new Bosch alternators? I can get it for $225 through AutoZone and their website indicates there would be a lifetime warranty, or I can save about $30 and order it through RockAuto or FleaBay with basically no warranty. I am waiting to hear back from Powermaster regarding a few questions about their warranty details but have heard so many conflicting opinions on their quality I am unsure about purchasing one, although their starters have held up fine for me.
FWIW I did the 3g upgrade on another truck about 8 years ago with a new alt that is undoubtedly a chinese product but it has worked flawlessly for about 75k miles, and I can buy another one of those alts for $100 shipped and I won't even have to swap the pulley or reclock it.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

The Bosch seems to be worth trying, and with the lifetime warranty from Autozone, you can go back to the store anytime. You don't even need the receipt, just your phone number.

Kind of silly that Bosch doesn't include a pulley when everyone else does.

Of course, $100 is a good price for an alternator, even if Chinese, but if it lasted 75k that's not bad at all.

 

[TazzySpazzy]

The Bosch seems to be worth trying, and with the lifetime warranty from Autozone, you can go back to the store anytime. You don't even need the receipt, just your phone number.

Kind of silly that Bosch doesn't include a pulley when everyone else does.

Of course, $100 is a good price for an alternator, even if Chinese, but if it lasted 75k that's not bad at all.

I need a pulley for double v-belt and the chinese one is the only one that includes the right pulley, go figure.

 

[nwjones18]

I have the cheapest new alternators I can find on Amazon/Ebay on a few cars and none have had any issues so far.. Some are several years old now.

Buy the $100 alternator and don't lose any sleep.

 

[zzyzzx]

How hard is it to replace the alternator in this vehicle?

 

[JHZR2]

I have run many Bosch reman alternators in my various older euro cars. No issues ever. Maybe Im wrong, but their QC/QA process seems decent, and their parts bin seems fine. Id suspect that a new alternator would use the same parts from the parts bin, just entirely new. Maybe thats wrong, TBD, but just my suspicion...

 

[Andyd95]

I’d give it a shot.

Just put a new Bosch starter in my wife’s car - made in China. Old one had a slow crank, new one working great so far.

 

[Snagglefoot]

I installed a Bosch in a 2005 Taurus with a 3.0 liter three years and 30,000 miles ago. It came with a pulley and runs fine.

 

[LowMilesLesabre]

When I went looking for a replacement for the alternator on my LeSabre’s 3800 V6, last year, I could no longer find new OEM alternators by Delco Remy. When I went searching for alternatives, I decided I did not want to roll the dice on new or remanufactured alternators from China because you might get lucky, or you might end up with a revolving door of replacing over and over again.

So I found Bosch and was quite hopeful that I could order a new Bosch alternator. This was until I discovered that there was no inventory, and I eventually learned that Bosch alternators were no longer made by Bosch in the United States, but the name was still being used on Chinese alternators. FYI, the same thing happened to Delco Remy which seems to be the way of the world these days where everything you thought you used to know and count on has flown the coop. I really REALLY hope that I can be proven wrong about this, but I ended up not trusting a Bosch made in China, and so I ended up finding several local alternator/generator rebuild shops in my area. One of the reasons we still have some of those shops here is because commercial/industrial generators and alternators still get rebuilt. I chose amongst the most reputable of the shops in my area and he was all too happy to rebuild my original GM alternator. He was not the fastest because he wanted to use the highest quality replacement parts that he could (took some time for the parts to get ordered in), and so I gave him the time and gladly paid for it when it was ready. We had a nice conversation afterward, and he explained to me that not even the OEM alternators that come on new cars today are built with the same robust, over engineered construction that they once were. He said, based on the fact that I had him do a full rebuild on mine, it should outlast the life of the car. and it came with a warranty. I know that nothing is guaranteed in life, and everything involves taking some chances, but the idea of having to replace a rebuilt or new Chinese alternator over and over again just really burns my tail too much and I love having the original OEM alternator still humming away on my LeSabre now that it has had it’s worn parts replaced. I did not have the tools or the skill set or brains to rebuild my own alternator and I also did not want to waste time “testing“ Chinese alternators. The fact is, every one of us has but 24 hours a day and our time is worth something. In this particular situation, I was willing to pay for his skills to save my own time which was put to better use. I hope you find a really good solution in your situation.

 

[f355spider]

I have run many Bosch reman alternators in my various older euro cars. No issues ever. Maybe Im wrong, but their QC/QA process seems decent, and their parts bin seems fine. Id suspect that a new alternator would use the same parts from the parts bin, just entirely new. Maybe thats wrong, TBD, but just my suspicion...

Same with me. Bosch reman alternator on my BMW and got about 160k miles before the voltage regulator went out. I have 90k miles on its warranted replacement, still going strong. BMW dealers sell them with a lifetime warranty...but it is identical to the one sold in import auto parts stores.

 

[f355spider]

When I went looking for a replacement for the alternator on my LeSabre’s 3800 V6, last year, I could no longer find new OEM alternators by Delco Remy. When I went searching for alternatives, I decided I did not want to roll the dice on new or remanufactured alternators from China because you might get lucky, or you might end up with a revolving door of replacing over and over again.

So I found Bosch and was quite hopeful that I could order a new Bosch alternator. This was until I discovered that there was no inventory, and I eventually learned that Bosch alternators were no longer made by Bosch in the United States, but the name was still being used on Chinese alternators. FYI, the same thing happened to Delco Remy which seems to be the way of the world these days where everything you thought you used to know and count on has flown the coop. I really REALLY hope that I can be proven wrong about this, but I ended up not trusting a Bosch made in China, and so I ended up finding several local alternator/generator rebuild shops in my area. One of the reasons we still have some of those shops here is because commercial/industrial generators and alternators still get rebuilt. I chose amongst the most reputable of the shops in my area and he was all too happy to rebuild my original GM alternator. He was not the fastest because he wanted to use the highest quality replacement parts that he could (took some time for the parts to get ordered in), and so I gave him the time and gladly paid for it when it was ready. We had a nice conversation afterward, and he explained to me that not even the OEM alternators that come on new cars today are built with the same robust, over engineered construction that they once were. He said, based on the fact that I had him do a full rebuild on mine, it should outlast the life of the car. and it came with a warranty. I know that nothing is guaranteed in life, and everything involves taking some chances, but the idea of having to replace a rebuilt or new Chinese alternator over and over again just really burns my tail too much and I love having the original OEM alternator still humming away on my LeSabre now that it has had it’s worn parts replaced. I did not have the tools or the skill set or brains to rebuild my own alternator and I also did not want to waste time “testing“ Chinese alternators. The fact is, every one of us has but 24 hours a day and our time is worth something. In this particular situation, I was willing to pay for his skills to save my own time which was put to better use. I hope you find a really good solution in your situation.

You have to ask...but most of the rebuilders are using the same chinese voltage regulators, rectifiers and bearings. The chain store rebuilds most definitely use the chinese parts...that is why they stink. In my area I did find one rebuilder who mostly uses only oem Bosch, Nippondensor, etc parts for their rebuilds.

Also, FCP Euro lists the country of origin on Bosch alternators. They are not from China. They are a multinational, I see South Africa, Hungary, USA, Germany, etc. They can't all be made in China....but I am looking at Euro applications...perhaps for American and Japanese cars they are sourcing from China?

 

[JHZR2]

Same with me. Bosch reman alternator on my BMW and got about 160k miles before the voltage regulator went out. I have 90k miles on its warranted replacement, still going strong. BMW dealers sell them with a lifetime warranty...but it is identical to the one sold in import auto parts stores.

It didnt have a replaceable regulator? Every Bosch alternator Ive had uses a replaceable one, and non-Chinese units can be had, some with 14V or some with 14.4V designs.

 

[Trav]

You have to ask...but most of the rebuilders are using the same chinese voltage regulators, rectifiers and bearings. The chain store rebuilds most definitely use the chinese parts...that is why they stink. In my area I did find one rebuilder who mostly uses only oem Bosch, Nippondensor, etc parts for their rebuilds.

Also, FCP Euro lists the country of origin on Bosch alternators. They are not from China. They are a multinational, I see South Africa, Hungary, USA, Germany, etc. They can't all be made in China....but I am looking at Euro applications...perhaps for American and Japanese cars they are sourcing from China?

Thee new Bosch starters and alternators I have bought for Euro cars are made in Hungary and excellent quality.

 

[f355spider]

It didnt have a replaceable regulator? Every Bosch alternator Ive had uses a replaceable one, and non-Chinese units can be had, some with 14V or some with 14.4V designs.

It a watercooled one...not easily done...and it's under a lifetime warranty so I'm not touching it The original one had the voltage regulator failure at around 140k miles. 160K on the rebuild...neither would I be comfortable just throwing a new voltage regulator in and keep going...

 

[Chris142]

I assume this is for a Ford truck with the externally regulated alternator? If so there is nothing wrong with the stock system.

I do not understand why people want to swap to the 3g alternator unless they just do not understand how the OE charging system works.

 

[TazzySpazzy]

I assume this is for a Ford truck with the externally regulated alternator? If so there is nothing wrong with the stock system.

I do not understand why people want to swap to the 3g alternator unless they just do not understand how the OE charging system works.

With all due respect I would argue that if you think the 3g is unnecessary then perhaps you don't understand the limitations of the stock 1g alternator on a 1990 F350 diesel. In a sense you are correct that there is nothing wrong with the stock system in that it is performing as intended, but that intended performance is pathetic, especially at 650rpm. The output on a brand new 1g, which was installed by PO about 10k miles before I bought it, is, again, absolutely pathetic. I have some extra lights I want to run, upgrade to electric fuel pump, the vehicle has factory installed spotlights from Unity, the external voltage regulator is a bunch of unneeded clutter, and again, the output at idle is really pathetic. With defrost on, stereo, headlights, and the minimal draw from electronics related to the E4OD battery voltage quickly dropped to nearly 12volts and this is with 18 month old Motorcraft batteries. I prefer a simpler setup and that is exactly what a 3g alternator provides along with greater output at idle and a higher charge voltage at idle. My 7-8 year old chinese 3g still charges at 14.2-14.4 at idle while the relatively new 1g struggles to hit 13.2-13.5. Why would I go out of my way to use inferior equipment when there are readily available upgrades that are cost effective and perform well? If you like the 1g alternators I will gladly send you mine minus the double v-belt pulley I need, but of course you'll have to pay shipping. Simply because something technically does the job doesn't mean a person should stop seeking improvement. To paraphrase Buckminster Fuller, A shipwreck survivor who is able to cling to a floating piano top until rescue arrives is surely grateful for the floating piano top, but does that mean we should stock ships with floating piano tops?

 

[4329]

Bosh alternators are generally very good with spare parts easy to obtain. The only issue with older Bosch alternators was the rotor to slip ring connections breaking.

 

[Chris142]

With all due respect I would argue that if you think the 3g is unnecessary then perhaps you don't understand the limitations of the stock 1g alternator on a 1990 F350 diesel. In a sense you are correct that there is nothing wrong with the stock system in that it is performing as intended, but that intended performance is pathetic, especially at 650rpm. The output on a brand new 1g, which was installed by PO about 10k miles before I bought it, is, again, absolutely pathetic. I have some extra lights I want to run, upgrade to electric fuel pump, the vehicle has factory installed spotlights from Unity, the external voltage regulator is a bunch of unneeded clutter, and again, the output at idle is really pathetic. With defrost on, stereo, headlights, and the minimal draw from electronics related to the E4OD battery voltage quickly dropped to nearly 12volts and this is with 18 month old Motorcraft batteries. I prefer a simpler setup and that is exactly what a 3g alternator provides along with greater output at idle and a higher charge voltage at idle. My 7-8 year old chinese 3g still charges at 14.2-14.4 at idle while the relatively new 1g struggles to hit 13.2-13.5. Why would I go out of my way to use inferior equipment when there are readily available upgrades that are cost effective and perform well? If you like the 1g alternators I will gladly send you mine minus the double v-belt pulley I need, but of course you'll have to pay shipping. Simply because something technically does the job doesn't mean a person should stop seeking improvement. To paraphrase Buckminster Fuller, A shipwreck survivor who is able to cling to a floating piano top until rescue arrives is surely grateful for the floating piano top, but does that mean we should stock ships with floating piano tops?

Well if you put it that way. Ya running lots of extra electronics will pull more load. I would swap the spot light bulbs to LED and put a mechanical fuel pump back on. Seems most that go electric pump go back to mechanical.

My 87 is still running the oe fuel pump!

Maybe you will want to dispose of your old parts my way?

 

[TazzySpazzy]

Well if you put it that way. Ya running lots of extra electronics will pull more load. I would swap the spot light bulbs to LED and put a mechanical fuel pump back on. Seems most that go electric pump go back to mechanical.

My 87 is still running the oe fuel pump!

Maybe you will want to dispose of your old parts my way?

I've been running an electric pump for quite a few years now with no problems other than a failed relay that was fixed roadside in 10 minutes, Facet Dura-Lift mounted in the engine bay. And I am the kind of guy who actually carries a spare fuel pump, set of v-belts, starter solenoid, bits of wiring, and if I'm on a long trip in a remote area I bring a spare starter--yes it's a bit overkill but I can't stand being stranded on the roadside. I know it's a very slim chance but some people have had the OE style lift pump diaphragm rupture and pump diesel into the crankcase. An electric pump will help with starting if your fuel system develops a problem--not a fix but it helps mask the problem for a while. And in the event of a pump failure it is far easier to swap out an electric than the OE lift pump, especially if you have intercooler piping in the way.

And I looked into swapping the OE halogen bulbs for LEDs and boy is that an expensive upgrade--lots of lumens though. The alternator swap is cheap by comparison..

That's cool you have an '87, arguably the best year for the 6.9 IDI

 

[Chris142]

That's cool you have an '87, arguably the best year for the 6.9 IDI

Too bad it does not have enough power to pull a needle out of a bowl of spaghetti.