Replace alternator - As preventative maintenance?

[AJB0009]

My 2012 Ford Fusion, 2.5L, has about 135k miles. I definitely lean towards being a strong believer in preventative maintenance. I am not fond of unexpected break-downs.
I don't drive the car much, my wife usually does. I changed the oil last Friday and there seemed to be a bit of a growling noise that I didn't remember. I pulled out my stethoscope and one of the serpentine idlers seemed a bit loud. After a little research, it sounds like the tensioner will wear over time too and actually throw the belt off because it gets crocked as it wears.
Anyhow, I plan to replace the belt, tensioner, and both idlers.
So, it is much easier to change those items with the front jacked up, right front wheel removed, and splash shields taken out. As long as I was doing all of that, I was thinking about changing the alternator. It is on the back of the motor, right by the tensioner.
Is that completely crazy? I was trying to think what mileage vehicles have had that I've replaced alternators on before. I think my Explorer was about 120k. My daughter's Corolla was around 190k though.
My wife and some of my kids take the Fusion from NC to WI and back at least once a year. I would hate for them to be in the middle of Indiana and have it stop charging with no warning.
I guess like many other things, there is a piece of mind factor.
Thoughts??

 

[Leo99]

How much is a new alternator?

 

[Jetronic]

I'd replace the brushes but that's it if the alternator output tests fine

 

[AJB0009]

How much is a new alternator?

About $200 it looks like.

 

[AJB0009]

I'd replace the brushes but that's it if the alternator output tests fine

I was going to mention that, but forgot. Thanks for the reminder.
I bought a kit for my daughter's Corolla and replaced the brushers, cleaned up the comm, and replaced the voltage regulator. It made it about a week and quit charging. That kind of soured me to going that route.

 

[dishdude]

If it ain't broke don't fix it. What about the fuel pump? Ignition coils? Crank sensor? They all have 135k on them too and can leave you stranded.

 

[Donald]

One thought is to bring the alternator to a rebuild shop and ask them to replace why parts showing wear.

Many of the alternators from the local parts stores are probably junk compared to the OEM you have in there now.

 

[Jetronic]

haha, what failed? Just do the brushes, old ou, new in. The commutator shouldn't need cleaning on a working alternator and the voltage regulator is solid state. The only wear items are the bearings and the brushes. If you go bearings, might aswell put a new alternator in

 

[Leo99]

About $200 it looks like.

That's too much for me to replace proactively. I've never had an alternator go bad on me and unless the Fusion is noted to have alternator issues, I'd let it go. 2012 isn't that old of a vehicle. You head down that rabbit hole and you'll be replacing fuel pumps and starters, too.

 

[SatinSilver]

Maybe send a pm to bdcardinal and ask if sees a lot of those being replaced. He works for a Ford dealer in the parts dept. and knows Fords quite well.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Alternators aren't usually wear items to be replaced at regular intervals

 

[2010Civic]

$200 is for an OEM alternator? No way would I take out a working OEM part and put in an aftermarket one.

Also there is always a chance the new alternator could fail before the original one would of.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

Alternators aren't usually wear items to be replaced at regular intervals

Correct. My CR-V had 284k on it on the original.

 

[FordMan59]

If I were going to do anything with the alternator it wouldn't be more than brushes and slip rings. I drove an '88 Ford 518K miles and the only thing I ever did to the alternator was replace the brushes one time. I changed the alternator on my '02 Escort last summer after a failure at around 200K miles. I've been driving about 45 years and in that time have probably driven around 1-1.25 million miles. In all that time and miles I think I've replaced 2 alternators and 2 starters.

 

[JC1]

$200 is for an OEM alternator? No way would I take out a working OEM part and put in an aftermarket one.

Also there is always a chance the new alternator could fail before the original one would of.

I was thinking the exact same thing. I've only had to replace an alternator once and that was back in the early 90s.

 

[ecotourist]

I think you can get carried away with preventive maintenance. Ultimately you can't anticipate every potential problem. If it's working don't fix it.

 

[Kestas]

I went ahead and rebuilt the alternator proactively on my 2001 Sable. It had 110K miles and stories on the internet showed the slip rings wear out by then. When I took mine apart, the slip rings were about half worn. I wanted peace of mine for long trips, having been stranded once with a bad alternator on a car that had 120K. It cost me $65 in parts to rebuilt the unit myself.

 

[Hal-9000]

Replacing it as PM is prudent, especially if your usual driving distance wouldn’t get you home on the battery alone. Keep the used one + belt in the vehicle as a spare for road repairs.

 

[Kira]

40 years ago my pal who went to auto school said, "the bearings are what goes most".
Asking a pro, as mentioned above, is the smartest thing to do in my opinion. You said yourself it's at 135K.
You also said you're doing other "bearing related" stuff which requires disassembly.
See if you can find out about bearing longevity.
The kicker on my end is that I have a nearby alternator/starter rebuild shop where the people know me so I'd probably have it rebuilt if I had any doubt.
Is there a "feel for wear" test like for a water pump?

 

[Hal-9000]

Replacing it as PM is prudent, especially if your usual driving distance wouldn’t get you home on the battery alone. Keep the used one + belt in the vehicle as a spare for road repairs.

Btw, I just re-read your post and saw where you mentioned the long drive your wife and kids make each year. If it were me, I’d also replace the fuel pump with a new OEM unit, and water pump as part of normal preventive maintenance.