rx7_FREAKKK

iTrader: (1)

SO. Im starting to get a bit steamed at the Lifetime warrenty alternators from shucks. Now known as O'Reilly's.
Dont get me wrong. They treated me good. and just swap out my lifetime warrenty.

But this is my third time. This last one didnt last a month. The lady claimed my car was eating them up. Then said would you like me to check this one before you take it, So she did. And guess what? It didnt pass. and was not working.

So i drove to the highlands to the other store to pick one up. Im all set agian. Not sure for how long. I dont have the cash for a Brand new one that will last 20 years. But these at best last 3 years. WTF am i missing here? What kind of parts are they using?
Can anyone help me figure out what the hell parts they are using? I saw the sticker and it says it was remanufactured in Mylasia. or someshit. Are they using radio shack parts? Thanks for letting me steam. im tired if fixing **** over and over agian and getting stranded. because i get shitty parts. Makes everyone think my car is a POS Because i am always working on it. And i get parts and they go **** on me.. Anyone have a solution? because im not sure how long this one will last either. I dont trust these

satch

iTrader: (1)

Napa has the best rebuilt alternators.

rx7_FREAKKK

iTrader: (1)

They only have a 3 year warrenty at Napa. What if they have the same parts? Then i am in a worse spot.

FirstRotaryExp

iTrader: (3)

Instead of constantly relying on 'reman'd alternators from parts stores, have you ever considered taking an alternator (junkyard alt or a spare) to a shop thats dedicated to repairing/rebuilding/refurbishing/upgrading alternators/starters/generators?

Often time these shops are far and away cheaper than buying a 'lifetime' part that fails before it even leaves the store.

rx7_FREAKKK

iTrader: (1)

Yes i have thought about many other ways to get a good quality product. The question is Will it last longer? Why are they Failing? What parts are they using. Will a shop use Quality parts that last longer? Do they use better parts? And will it last years. If a shop can do that for me i might go in and have them do it the right way.,

I also Notice they dont have Cooling Fans Built into the alt to keep it cool.. is there a reason for that? i had cars that had build in fans on the pully that keeps it cool. These dont.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

the only alternators and starters that are worth a damn are the factory dealership rebuilt ones. the lifetime warranty stuff is just junk. even the name brand parts store stuff, like bosch is junk.

if you want something reliable buy a dealership, which is remaned by the original manufacturer, mistsubishi. or buy a used one, even a 20year old 200,000 mile used alternator is better than a lifetime warranty POS

rx7_FREAKKK

iTrader: (1)

few things that have been in the back of my mind is the cooling aspect of these things. They are mounted at the top of the Hottest spot near the water flow for the Thermostat. that area is Hot. The alt sucks that heat up into the metal. The spacer is metal and not plastic so the heat gets sucked right into it.

If i can get some plastic spacers i might beable to stop the heat from Being sucked into the alt from the engine itself

jerd_hambone

You could probably find a way to mount a GM alternator with a cooling fan.

FirstRotaryExp

iTrader: (3)

if you look closely at the stock alternators they have an INTERNAL fan within the backside of the housing, which conveniently enough is where openings are placed for hot air to escape.

I would sooner trust someone that 'builds' alternators for a living vs the 'reman' garbage you get from a parts store.

Also, pages 156-158 of the Mazda RX7 1986-1991 Haynes Repair manual shows a general disassembly of the stock alternator. It also points out the parts that are wear items within the alt itself.

If you take a bad alternator to a genuine alt/starter shop they will 99.9% of the time TELL you what was wrong and what they replaced inside the part they are working on. As opposed to joe blow behind a register that can barely operate a machine that gives a 'yea it works' or 'it needs put to pasture' and most of those tests can show good until you take it elsewhere and itll show bad on a different machine.

The problem with 'reman'd parts in general is they are cleaned (sometimes, more often just painted over the crud), torn down, parts that are 'good' get saved and a bad part is 'replaced', then its 'maybe' checked before it heads back out.

That all said, ive never had to replace a FC alternator for any reason other than to 'upgrade' to a modified FD alt (changing the pulley for a double V belt). Ive only ever had to have 1 starter rebuilt because the solenoid went bad, a 25 dollar fix at a starter/alternator shop and i had the starter back that afternoon and its still serving duty in a car i owned for 5 years and sold 2 years ago.

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

if you take apart most remans they reuse 90% of the parts and just bead blast everything. so if an old part passes a bench test they reuse it, how long it will last? who knows, usually the bead blasting makes the connections rust so they fail earlier rather than later.

what do you expect for $5 in labor into these remans?

BLUE TII

iTrader: (9)

I went through this BS of replacing Kragen rebuilt alternators.

Then I upgraded to a used S5 alt which has been trouble free for 11 more years of service and 40k more miles than it had when I put it on.

Also, I have experienced that the rebuilt hydraulic parts are junk and will fail very quickly.

dwb87

iTrader: (22)

I got sick of ******* with the S4 refurb-turds. I know you live in the Pacific Northwest, rx7_FREAKKK. If you live anywhere close to Bellevue, I can help you with a Taurus alternator upgrade. You won't regret it.

nycgps

iTrader: (4)

Bosch Reman alternators are junk these days cuz they outsource lots of their stuff.

oh yes most if not all of those auto-part chain store sells the same mexico crap. they all came from the same factory in Mexico so yea expect the same junk quality. lifetime warranty don't mean ****, they just hope the part will last long enough till u sell the car or till the day u're sick of swapping another junk.

Buy some better Reman like the ones from Beck and Arnley, which comes with a paper that tells you exactly what they replaced, which test they ran, Everything.

or like the others said, buy a known good used one might be a better option (often cheaper!)

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

i sold all my old good alternators, now i have a bunch of junk remans in their place on the shelf..