Alternator problems

[soul rebel]

My alternator kicked the bucket, it was the valeo 90 amp. I went down to napa, tried to get a new one. They said they could get a 140 amp alternator that would fit my car, so I had them order it in. It came in and the mounting holes were over an inch closer together than the one off my car. I was thinking this must have been from a newer 3 series, but am not sure.

What alternator can I get that will be a direct drop in replacement? I am looking for something with higher output than the stock 90 amp.

I have heard of people using alternators from the big 6 5 series, would this fit the same mounting bracket, or could I get a mounting bracket that would work?

[txleadfoot]

certainly someone on this list has a spare?

[soul rebel]

No one has any clue? No one has put in a larger alternator?

[DaveSmed]

I looked into it (I get around to actually doing things at a glacial rate) and measured it up.... The Delco 12SI alternator looks like it might work. You will need some washers for the lower bolt, and to loosen and reposition the top bracket IIRC. I think the pulley spacing worked out.

[soul rebel]

What type of 12si? It comes in a boatload of configurations.

[DaveSmed]

True, but most of those have to do with clock position which is easily changed and the output.

I would poke around and see what the aftermarket has to offer in that case. For the common OEM high wattage applications you need to go to the CS series alternators and I haven't tested how they fit. They might work well though, who knows.

That and if you go aftermarket, you can get a polished one. ;)

[soul rebel]

Thanks for the info dave, ran into some time issues and had to get a rebuilt stock alternator asap, but I might still see If I can fit a higher output one in there later.