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Durango Alternator Swap with pictures!

146K views 151 replies 75 participants last post by  Knuckelhead 
#1 ·
So I finally got round to swapping out my boring old stock alternator (LJ 2005) for a sexy new(used) 160Amp Alternator from a 2002 Durango.


The stock alternator is on the left and the durangolt's is on the left, despite the size difference it is a direct bolt in replacement.


Safety 1st, safety 2nd, I disconnected the +ve lead from the battery and secured it out the way with the battery tie down, now my only danger was the scorching sun.
I had replaced the stock battery 2 days ago for a Bond platinum 34/78 (1090 CCA! for under $100), which is why it is the only clean thing under the hood.


With the power disconnected I removed the alternators 2 wire plug and the power cable that leads from the alternator to the +ve battery terminal


Time to take the fan belt off, I'm glad I put a flexilite fan in, now I have room to work!


The tensioner has a 1/2" socket so it is a peice of cake to release the tension with a socket wrench and slip the belt off the idler.

Undoing the two bolts (15mm) that held the stock alternator was the hardest part of the job (they were on good), it took 20 minutes of cursing and soaking in PB blaster be they relented.

A further 10 minutes of cursing ensued as I tried to get the new alternator to fit on to the mounting bracket, it would almost go but I could not get the bolt through....


Then I noticed this, the bottom mount has a sort of nut-sert thing on it that held the bolts thread and it was stick out on the inside too far!, 30 seconds later I had tapped it out all of 1/16" and bingo! everything lined up!

I tightened everything down good an solid reattached the cables to the new alternator and the battery, re-fed the fan belt, then with crossed fingers jumped into the cab and started her up.
It's always a good feeling when not only does the engine start but it runs and there are no loud bangs or screeches. :)

I've done a couple of tests with the 1500W inverter running an 800W drill and I can run it alot longer and harder before the voltage drop alarm goes off!

Comming soon(ish) Dual battery install write up and a winch install!
 
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#44 ·
I got mine installed tonight with no problems. I was going to cut the extra arm off, but I'm running double platinum plugs (Champion 7034) so I shouldn't need to change my plugs for a longtime (it fits fine and has about 1/4 inch clearance) and if I have to warranty the 160AMP alternator I won't have any problems since I didn't modify the casing. I haven't upgraded the wiring yet, but I will be upgrading it soon. The promo code (LC123) for Advanced Auto saved me $40.00. They wanted my core but like mentioned above I think it was better to just keep the OEM 117AMP alternator as a spare.
 
#45 ·
I'm going to do this when mine goes or I get a winch. I thought I'd share my research I've done on this.

The 01-06 Dodge Durango 4.7L V8 and 2004 Dodge Durango 3.7L have the 160A alternator option that will work. It's OEM P/N is 56029914AA and is superseded by P/N 56029914AC.

If your buying used on eBay, watch the P/N as I found one listed as 160A but is the 136A alternator (P/N
56029700AA).
 
#46 ·
I may be showing my ignorance here gentlemen but will that advance auto alternator work on a 2.5L?
 
#51 ·
I've read just about all of the Durango upgrade threads, and have found some 160 amp alternators out of the 02 5.9L Durango as everyone has suggested. Only problem is, most of you guys posting here are running 2002-2006 TJs, and not many pre-2k. I want to make sure that this will fit a 99. I know there's that extra arm that some have had to cut off, but will it still work okay? And will an auto parts store have the correct wiring harness to upgrade?

I'm going from a 117 amp to the 160, as my aux lighting (40-60 amps) and winch are overpowering the stocker. Any info would be great guys, and I assure you I've searched and done my reading! Just can't find a concrete answer.
 
#53 ·
Did the swap to my 98 and only took about half and hour...Picked up a used one from the local junk yard for $35 including the core charge...Only the way home I stopped at the Autozone so they could test it...Heck I did'nt even swap over the pully..Runs awesome with no issues...:cheers2:
 
#57 ·
There may be a couple of reasons. It's got an internal regulator so you'd have to change the wiring to use the internal regulator (not plug & play) and the mounting brackets are different and the extra arm would have to be cut off. Both are doable but the extra work is probably something not many would want to tackle when there are plug and play options. You can also get 200+ Amp versions of the 136A though they're anywhere from $100-$300+ more than a stock one. If you have a local alternator shop, you could even bring in a 136A and have it rewired for higher amperage.
 
#61 ·
Hi all

I got a rewound 136A on ebay and it fit my TJ 2.5 fine. Thing is I cant find oe part number on it the seller says it will both 4.0 and 2.5? it fit mine fine and is running good........................................:)

PS it looks just like one i took off, no arm to cut off, my lights are brighter....:) it came with paper showing graph of amp test
 
#62 ·
PS it looks just like one i took off, no arm to cut off, my lights are brighter....:) it came with paper showing graph of amp test
Not all of them will have an arm to cut off. There are I think four different variations of mount locations, 97-99, 2000, 01-03, 04-06.
 
#63 ·
I did the 2002 Durango Duralast (160A) alternator swap. Direct bolt-in. I did have to change the seven grove pulley back to the stock six grove. The channels in the seven grove were too deep and they wore through a brand new belt in about an hour of running.

And yes, I did upgrade the wires.
 
#64 ·
Just dropped a 04 durango 160amp alternator into 04 TJ and replaced the belt while I was at it. No issues, didn't have to cut off arm with 1/8 inch clearance around sparky cover. Finally blew the stock alternator after successfully winching a f350 diesel on 37's outta a nasty whole (superwinch still pulling strong).

WIRING QUESTION: So the consensus for the beefed up wiring is taking 2-4 gauge wire and running a parallel circuit to the battery??? Confused on where to run the parallel wire.
 
#65 ·
I completely removed the stock wire.

- 2 AWG wire to the starter
- 4 AWG wire to the alternator with an in-line Mega Fuse (175A)
- used marine type terminals at the battery
- I crimped the 2 and 4 wires together into one eyelet at the battery end
- You have to leave the positive wire to the under hood fuse box intact

Any battery shop can crimp the wires.

I also upgraded all my winch wires with 1 AWG

Mine is a 1999 TJ with a 2002 Durango 160A altanator so yours may be different.
 
#66 ·
Thanks for the info, but I'm fairly sure (not looking at it now) that the 04TJ only has 1 wire going into the fuse box. Will confirm tonight.

Didn't even think about upgrading winch wiring. Is something that's needed, I have a superwinch epi9000 with beefy wiring already, dint know what gauge.
 
#67 ·
Mine only has one wire to the box also...

The wire coming out of the box should be the one to the alternator. This is the wire I replaced.

The one wire from the battery to the box is the power for the box.

Instead of running from the box to the alternator I ran mine from the battery to the alt with a 175A in-line fuse.

I may have confused things by bringing up the starter wire upgrage also.
 
#68 ·
Okay, thank u for the follow up. Can I just leave the stock wiring alone and run a single 4g wire with 175amp fuse from the alternator to the battery?

Electrical isn't my strong suit.... My next task is a hand throttle because Stu's write up on the cool throttle winch control via your cruise control was WAY to much wiring. I'll stick with some bike parts and call her good :)).
 
#69 ·
Okay, thank u for the follow up. Can I just leave the stock wiring alone and run a single 4g wire with 175amp fuse from the alternator to the battery?

Electrical isn't my strong suit.... My next task is a hand throttle because Stu's write up on the cool throttle winch control via your cruise control was WAY to much wiring. I'll stick with some bike parts and call her good :)).
 
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