Alternator. How long will it last?

[Davescort97]

I am coming up on 130k on my alternator on a 97 SPI 2.0. Do you know how many miles an alternator is good for? I'd heard that if the brushes wear out it will trash the voltage regulator. Both are outside the case and easy to get to. I was going to replace the brushes that are 12 bucks so I won't have to replace the VR which is 38 bucks. Would it be better to just replace the whole unit with a rebuilt? I drive a lot at night and don't think I would make it home if my alternator went out. Is there anything else that should be replaced if I decide to rebuild it myself?

[dougand3]

93 LX 1.9L wagon...I've got 180k miles on my factory OEM.

[AzTumbleweed]

My alternator has 258,000 miles on it. Works fine.

[OverBoardProject]

Ford makes good alternators, but if you go through a self serve wrecker you'll find several VR's pulled and nothing else.

My ex girlfriends 1/2 ton, and my topaz have both fried their VR's and the brushes were still almost like new in both cars

You can tell when your alternator stops working easily enough. It's when the red light stops coming on when you turn the key on

[Arnoldtheskier]

If your battery is more than 3-4 years old..pop for the $50/60..go to Wally..get one of those Eveready's..then you're good for another 3-4 years.DON'T wait for the battery to go..or get weak.This is REALLY HARD!..on old alternators.Old cars..make sure all the connections are good and clean and greased.It is well tuned..starts easily.IF you have a sluggish wiper motor for example..or anything else that is weak..a big drain..get that fixed too.Forget about boosting too.
A new battery is cheap insurance and driving..at about $10/15 per year..

[OverBoardProject]

Your right Arnoldtheskier

The one thing that I differ on is that I personally like to replace my battery in the fall, before it starts getting cold.

Then you have the best chance of starting your car all winter long without any problems.

Of course if your battery is toast replace it, whatever time of year it is.

Most batteries only have a 3 year life span now. They only offer the 5 year waranty is because their pro rating system pretty much forces you to pay almost the same price as a new battery after 3 years

[AzTumbleweed]

I bought my Escort over 5 years ago. It had an '8 Year' battery from AutoZone. All I know is that it is at LEAST 5 years old. I have never had any problem with it. I'm impressed. Advise: "Maintenance Free" batteries are not always that. If the caps are removeable then you need to check the water. (Use distilled water). I read the small print on a 'Maintenace Free' battery and it said that it was maintenance free for the warranty period. So check that water!

[Davescort97]

Thanks for posting dougand3, AzTumbleweed, OverBoardProject and Arnoldtheskier. 180,000 and 258,000 miles on your alternator. That's impressive, yes indeed. I didn''t know that if the red light didn't come on with the key on the alternator was bad. I did know that if the red light comes on with the key off it is a bad diode. My battery is 2 years old and I plan on replacing it in 3 years. Compared to what they get for labor these days a good battery is pretty cheap insurance to not overdraw the amps on the voltage regulator. I think I'll just leave it alone. If it aint broke, don't fix it. Dave