98,alternator question =

1998 lumina with 70,000 miles.i bought it with 40,000 miles from original owner. noticed the alternator had been replaced at least once. my local friendly auto electric shop guy tells me he up the quality of the alternator by installing some heavier parts i believe. i live in hurricane katrinaland and need this car for evacuation purposes . stuck in stop and go in traffic 10 hours for a 90 mile trip last year. do you guys recommend servicing the alternator now or just keep my fingers crossed and buying a lifepreserver?

My '97 is still running the factory unit with 125,000 miles...the units they used after about '94 or so were generally pretty good. That is the ones with the more rounded case, the angular Delco units that they used before that had a lot of overheat failure and bearing issues.

Do you know what brand the replacement is? Was it new, reman, etc.

Personally, I'd be more concerned with cooling sytem efficiency in your situation, install a heavy duty thermostat, make sure the serpentine belt is good, the belt tensioner is good, the radiator is clear (externally and internally), the fans operate correctly, etc. You might even want to purchase a spare cooling fan relay and learn where it is so you can replace it if it fails. You'll be running a lot of A/C I suspect, and the fans and relays are going to get a workout.

Depending on the replacement unit, I'd consider a HD alternator unit or upgrade. The AC/Delco reman units have been flawless in my experience, I'd trust one of those. If AutoZone or something..well....

PS you are right around the mileage where factory water pumps usually start to go bad...it might be money well spent to just have it done now...I put a new pump and belt on mine at 75,000 just to spare myself the trouble of finding out on the road that it needed to be done, ya know?

I agree with Jeff on the waterpump issue. On the alternator, if the unit installed is an A-Z or Advance white box cheapo, who knows. If it's one of their premium units, or an AC-Delco, you're fine as you are.