way2old - Thanks. I was kinda thinking the same thing (get what you pay for).
bumpinkicker04 - rockauto is a great website - thanks for the link! Is the water pump a difficult part to replace myself?
Seems to me that buying a new Alternator, or even a $200 Alternator for a vehicle that already has 120,000 miles on it, might be a waste...? I wouldn't mind buying one for about $100 or so, but much more that I don't think would suit my needs.
Also... in my mind, this makes sense, but please correct me if I'm wrong.....
Can my fuel economy be affected by the Alternator going bad? And by affected, I mean I am getting +/-
100 miles LESS PER TANK!! It's totaly ludicrous!
My non-mechanical-background theory:
Since the Alternator is run by the serpentine belt, and the bearings are going bad (or whatever), it seems to me that the my poor little 5.0 is working overtime to push the failing Alternator...
Is this a decent theory? I just need to know if my gas mileage will go from $hit to ok once I replace the Alternator.
Please help!
