Alternator rebuild source?

[bobstad]

I was looking at the yellow pages for a local place which could rebuild my alternator; and these people said that the one they'd sell me off the shelf for about $150 plus my old one, is as good as if they were to rebuild the one I have.[http://www.whatcomelectric.com/

From the look of things I'd be buying from a company which sells direct their own rebuilds to many other outlets; so I wonder what I'd buy from them would be? Their price is certainly reasonable compared to say NAPA; though I'm wondering if perhaps too reasonable, while also thinking feasible dealing with a primary source could really be advantageous.

I've begun to explore alternatives to doing my own work, given the cramped conditions I'd have to work from; while also considering doing what I can myself to save money, and perhaps control the quality of the various things the Festiva needs.

I seem all too capable of accumulating half-finished projects of all sorts; where making the car one of those, is asking for too much trouble.

[DriverOne]

Check my Alternator repair thread.

[bobstad]

Links are more than sausages, no?

Check my Alternator repair thread.

Ah, okay; I'll bite. On nearly anything.

[rbrown]

Links are more than sausages, no? Ah, okay; I'll bite. On nearly anything.

lolololol

[Spike]

Ah, okay; I'll bite. On nearly anything.

LOL X2.

~Spike

[georgeb]

Get one from a junkyard or sitemember. Then you have your old one to disassemble and learn on.

[bobstad]

Great exercise!

LOL X2.

~Spike

Whipping dead horses; should be made into an Olympics sport, no?

[bobstad]

Thought about that before, etc.

Get one from a junkyard or sitemember. Then you have your old one to disassemble and learn on.

I started another thread, also about my alternator several weeks ago; wherein Movin' and others contributed a veritable treatise on dealing with the alternator from the point of view of having the best possible one, by overhauling that myself.

What I'm concerned about here, is taking a different route. Things seem just too confused on my end, to have me taking apart the alternator, then dealing with all the variables of overhauling that by myself. Technically I'd probably be competent; though that method of thought has me well above my waist, literally, in accumulated never completed projects.

I'm asking here for an opinion about the company in my first post of this thread, the link is to.

Their price for an overhauled alternator, is about the same as what the cheapest one of those NAPA sells. Though judging by their website the link here is to, not to mention their place is just around the corner from where I live; they seem to be a primary source, doing their rebuilds right here in town.

Thus, seemingly at least; I could be able to get a very good deal from them. I just wondered if anyone else might think so too. And, if so; perhaps a good resource for others, besides myself?

Phew! And now that I'm thinking; I wonder how much money I'd save overhauling the alternator myself? I'm still thinking I could be tempted, if I'd really save plenty; and/or if the end result would last considerably longer than what they'd sell me at this place in town?

I'm just sick and tired of my own ability to procrastinate; which is something hard to convey an image of, associated with modest physical disability...as is my prolific enough writing habit, too.

[Movin]

Brushes and bearings are easier than removing the alternator.
There is this thing..most common failures, that this addresses.
What that means is 90 percent of the time you will fix the problem
with the above parts. The other 10 percent you are way better
off just getting a rebuild and using your old one for a core if you
choose reman over new, anther subject easily debatable
from many points of view.

I could not find the thread about alternators rebuilt other than a
lot of threads like this one.

If you have time and few dollars rebuilding your own should be fun
and no special tools involved.

If you have the money and need the car, quit screwing around and bolt
that thing in there, complete with warranty!

[bobstad]

So much of the time stallin' no wonder a potential Soviet!

If you have the money and need the car, quit screwing around and bolt
that thing in there, complete with warranty!

The kicker is that in addition to the alternator; I also need to replace the water pump, which chanced to go out at the same time. While since doing that, a no-brainer is to also replace leaking oil seals on the end of the cam and crank shafts behind the timing belt.

Thus, while waiting to save enough to feasibly pay someone else to change the water pump, oil seals and timing belt; I've been worrying over the alternator problem. I'm technically capable enough to do everything myself; though in a bad situation, without any place comfortable to do the work. I think I've found a shop, that if willing to work on the Festiva; may be who I'll have change the water pump, oil seals and timing belt. I've done the timing belt myself once already; though under better circumstances.

If I find a shop I trust, that's half the battle. I do have pride in doing things myself; though there sure has been a great amount of wasted motor oil, for all the leakage due to my less than perfect mechanical skills working on other vehicles when forced to. I may find that doing the alternator myself or certainly replacing that myself with a rebuild; will be my contribution, to the current major minor maintenance I've anticipated nearly since buying the Festiva with 85,000 miles June of '99, now with close to 185,000 miles.

The only other scenarios making me nervous similarly are the oil pump and the clutch. I've adjusted the clutch twice already, which now feels like needing another adjustment. I'm a feather foot; though nothing lasts forever. With low enough oil levels I can hear the tappets clattering; I've read someone suggest may mean a worn oil pump. Well, if the shop doing the water pump and the oil seals turns out to be a good place; they should also be reliable for anything else I can throw at them. You'd not believe some of the ways I've been burnt over the years.

Ironically enough, as a fifteen year-old, I worked part of the summer of 1967 for one of the most unusual, amazing persons I've ever met or known of, world famous hobo journalist, printer, publisher and author John Patric. Besides having four long articles with his own numerous photographs published during the 1930s in National Geographic, and his most popular 1946 book Yankee Hobo In The Orient, a Book Of The Month Club alternate also serialized in Readers Digest; Patric along with two others his team members, wrote a book The Repairman My Gyp You, published during 1939 also serialized in Readers Digest. They found that over sixty percent of the time repair shops they took things to apparently malfunctioning, they'd doctor to that effect; would take advantage of them and overcharge for things which weren't necessary, etc.

My experiences make me most alarmed at the amazing rationalizations people have, in taking advantage of a person. That is so stylized in many instances, that the phenomena deserves considerable study and analysis. One problem I have from being on assistance, is there is a philosophy which seems to demand I do all my own automotive and bicycle work; since one of the few ways I can be made to do any work at all.* The seventeen years I did work, for over forty different employers; leaves a record of satisfaction with any work I was paid to do, while also a diminishing capacity to fulfill the physical demands of the sort of work I did. People, I think, would be surprised at what a person can get into; given a reliable monthly income no matter how seemingly marginal. While all the work I was paid to do were menial jobs; I also trained significantly in realms associated with those of an artist, particularly in music.

Thus, I've good imagination, when it comes to having plenty of reasons to not seek out employment within my means, if merely to take the place of what has amounted to a regular stipend. I've seen many a person gifted early enough in life with adequate resources; end up with means of a livelihood I'll never catch up to, if perhaps stressful and demanding, also rewarding significantly beyond simple dignity though some of that too. Probably not as many of those, in my experiences; as others going down the tubes!

*One of my bottom line criticisms of capitalism; is the near impossibility of finding very many people who enjoy working. The more advantage a person can take of the system; seems to be the criteria which drives everything, even amongst those who work very hard at what they do. Leading to the rise of those most questionable, many times; versus the simpler quotient of that classic book The Peter Principle, where generally the least competent rise-though seemingly not particularly malignant.

Lately, with discovery during 1998 I'm Romani, so-called "Gypsy" I've found an amazingly diverse culture and society of people all given to living as far outside "the system" as possible, and then some. I'm having to work at learning the reality; though there is discernible, a distinct well structured and considerably evolved, inner logic and system involved. Leading to the acknowledged role of the Romani, as a driving force from within western civilization which helps bring to the west the much needed and often fundamentally lost values, still relatively well preserved in the east.[http://www.voiceofroma.com

[Festiva Time]

In Arizona, Gen-star (Glendale, Az) does nothing but rebuild customer's Starters & Alternators (all makes & models). One of a few businesses I trust completely. Closed on weekend. Takes 2 days at most to rebuild.

[stonemaster]

there's a million of em, there's a guy down the street from me will do it, let me know, he's a good guy and would appreciate the business, checked out a Harley Generator for me, for free

[bobstad]

Got the job done; used an alternator rebuilt locally, etc.

Well, I paid my way out of my problems; cost around $750.

New alternator, water pump, front oil seals on the cam and crank shafts, valve cover gasket, alternator belt, timing belt and idler pulley; plus labor installing same.

I returned the old alternator for the core fee, after thinking of overhauling the old one to have a spare. The old alternator was heavily oil soaked, the reason I decided against keeping that.

I think with my luck, wisdom as well as disability decided having someone experienced and professional do the water pump, and valve cover gasket, plus the oil seals; all things typically, I'd not be too good at. In the past such jobs have left me with frequent oil leaks, as the downside of otherwise pretty good do-it-yourself work.

I feel I made out like a bandit; in finding people trustworthy, willing to do the work for me at a reasonable rate. Plus their shop is within walking distance, and does all types of automotive work; so a good place to have established myself with, here.

Wow; a nightmare to have behind me. Breaking down in March, I'd been worried about since November or even earlier, as awareness of symptoms began to grow; in essence on my mind since buying the car over 90,000 miles ago June of '99, as things I knew eventually would wear out and be major, minor maintenance.

I was lucky I broke down six miles from home rather than south of Salem, OR as could've easily happened over four hundred miles or more from here.

The alternator belt which was fairly new, was almost chewed to pieces and heat damaged; suggesting a heavy drag from either the water pump and/or alternator having deteriorated, while still functioning to some degree. So, several things which all were pending a long time, considering the symptoms noted in hindsight; which could've been crippling, though weren't.

So coming up now, getting a thermostatically controlled cooling fan, and sometime perhaps in the distant future the clutch, throw-out bearing & pressure plate; plus the cam and crank oil seals on that end of the motor, and maybe the oil pump likely still a long ways away.

And in addition soon as possible; finishing the Aspire brake up-grade I still need to do the front half of.

Those things all accomplished; and the car has another 200,000 miles of reasonable service without worry. So, a goal of 400,000 miles and likely then some; presuming reasonable care and the return of reliability from that.