Below are labeled photos which should help for anybody changing out a 4.7 alternator or completing the upgrade.

 

Last photo with voltage at 14V.

 

Excellent Write up/Illustration.

 

This is what makes the WJ section the best there is on JF.com.
Nice work.

 

nice write up! thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

Thanks guys, appreciate it!

I meant to mention there's a plastic AC line brace on the stud above the water pump and below the alternator. You can see it in the photos and you just snap it off of the AC line then pull it off the front of the stud to get it out of the way.

For only $10 core charge I may just keep my old OE alternator and since I have a new rebuild kit rebuild it on some rainy day.

 

I'm wondering why there even is a core charge. I've only ever seen core charges when buying a rebuilt part. If the alternator is brand new, then why do they need core? Perhaps it keeps them stocked with more stuff to sell as rebuilt? Odd.

 

Dunno, maybe they do need cores to rebuild. But wouldn't stop me from doing the upgrade to pay a $10 core charge you can get back anyway when returning the old alternator.

 

The core is so they can do a rebuild.

 

Yes, but have you ever bought any other BRAND NEW part that had a core charge? I've only seen core charges when buying a rebuilt part. 1-out, 1-in kind of deal. Now they're selling you a new part and then also making money again after they rebuild your old part. Pretty sweet deal, for them.

 

Yeah i have bought new batteries, new alternators, new starters all had a core. I don't like buying rebuilt unless that's the only option

 

Thanks for the shoutout! Still running strong

 

You're welcome, thanks for the write-up/photo, and glad it's still running strong!

 

It's been almost a year since I installed the Duralast Gold 160amp alternator (new not rebuilt) from Autozone so thought I'd give an update.

I'm pretty disappointed every time I first start my 04 4.7 this Duralast alternator makes a loud whining sound. And that's the reason I replaced my OE/Denso alternator since it was whining loudly with the front bearing going out. My belt is good and everything else is in align with no wobble so it has to be in the alternator itself.

If it is the front bearing I'm not quite sure why the whining noise is mainly during the warm-up first start of the day and not always during other starts?

Regardless, I'm going to return this alternator for another of the same. Hopefully they won't give me any hassle since this higher amp alternator is not listed as fitting my 04 4.7 WJ. We'll see.....

 

It's been almost a year since I installed the Duralast Gold 160amp alternator (new not rebuilt) from Autozone so thought I'd give an update.

I'm pretty disappointed every time I first start my 04 4.7 this Duralast alternator makes a loud whining sound. And that's the reason I replaced my OE/Denso alternator since it was whining loudly with the front bearing going out. My belt is good and everything else is in align with no wobble so it has to be in the alternator itself.

If it is the front bearing I'm not quite sure why the whining noise is mainly during the warm-up first start of the day and not always during other starts?

Regardless, I'm going to return this alternator for another of the same. Hopefully they won't give me any hassle since this higher amp alternator is not listed as fitting my 04 4.7 WJ. We'll see.....

I've had bad luck with alternators recently as well (not on my WJ though). One was Carquest from Advance and the other Duralast from Autozone. Both lasted one year before the bearings starting making noise. Sad that they don't last. At least it seems that they just start making noise and doesn't leave the vehicle stranded.

 

most people would never notice the difference in 136/160. never use 136 amps, its a feel good thing. waste of time and money, imho.

 

Did you even read any of this write-up or look at the alternator prices at the beginning including links?? I paid considerably less for the new Duralast 160 amp alternator compared to the new Duralast 136a alternator. And today the 160amp is still a little less expensive than the 136a one. Why would you buy the more expensive lower amp alternator?

Plus I needed to replace my OE failing alternator so sure don't think of this as a "waste of time or money". Granted I may never use the extra amps, unless when camping or upgrading a sound system, but it did make me feel good to pay a lower price for a higher amp alternator.

 

My original factory alternator failed over Christmas, on a Sunday night, in the middle of a 500 mile trip. That wasn't fun. Fortunately I had relatives in the area where my Jeep eventually died or it would have been a much crappier experience.

It's a pretty straight forward install, but I had to file down one of the mounts so the new alternator would slide into place. I bought a rebuilt unit from NAPA. I buy most of my stuff from Autozone, but they don't seem to stock these alternators, or at least they didn't at any of the locations I checked.

 

oops,back again. sorry,i didnt read the long post.m the price makes sense obviously. when i see 'upgrade ' here and else where it usually means what i said. unnecessary stuff to feel good,like drilled and slotted rotors that race cars need,super shocks...i know anybody can rationalize them but i find my jeeps running super good, at higher mileage than i ever saw on other cars.
ex,i havnt seen a spark plug in years! i "waste" my money on lubes earlier than "needed" btw i have so far excellent results with auto parts store parts,sensors,new starters... im done

 

Uniblurb's write-ups are always top-notch and thorough. Most alternators do come from Asia - even those with western-sounding brand names. I used a Remy remanufactured alternator recently and I believe it was remanufactured in Asia. It really just comes down to the individual company or even individual facility and how well they adhere to international manufacturing and quality standards. Asian manufacturing is capable of top quality production if the customer is willing to pay for it. These days, it is often more accurate to blame the American-sounding name brand (the customer) for any quality problems you encounter than to blame the actual manufacturer.

That said, apparently the auto parts industry (aftermarket and OE) has become brutally competitive and cost-cutting whenever and wherever possible is pretty much the norm. Of course when that happens, quality can suffer. Lifetime warranties always sound good to the customer but from a seller or manufacturer perspective, it's more of a financial numbers game than it is a barometer of quality. You'd think the manufacturer says to himself "Oh, since we're offering a lifetime warranty on this part we'd better build it better so we don't go bankrupt replacing broken ones" but that's really not how it works.

 

Thanks for the support Mule, Scott, Motown and 99wjtx, appreciate it!

Believe you hit it on the head 99wjtx the way the warranties work along with part quality. I remember walking out the door of Autozone with that new 160amp alternator and one of the managers said, "It isn't a limited lifetime warranty, it's a lifetime warranty", and hopefully they're playing the same tune when I exchange the one I bought for another.

 

Yesterday, I installed 160amp unit. I
The right lower bracket gap turned out to be about 0.060” wider than the mate mount.

If the lower bolt was tightened, the rear and front castings were flexed enough to cause the rotor to bind.

My simple solution is to use the two left bolts be the positioners, and add a lock washer to the right bolt, but not torque it down.

A better solution is to make a proper brass shim stock filler washer.

K

 

I put a Denso O'Riley rebuilt alternator on my 88 K1500 10 years ago and its still working fine. I replaced the battery at the same time and I'm on my second battery. With regards to where an auto part is built. I have always believed that brand named parts like Delco or MOPAR outsource the manufacturing to other companies because labor is lower than here in the states. But they are manufactured to the same standard and QC'd at the same level as if they were made here. My suspicion about the quality of foreign-made parts centers around "off brand" or unrecognized brands made in China, Malaysia or other countries. If a part is considerably lower in cost and I dont recognize the manufacturer then I avoid it. For example, I have seen some pretty cheap Rezeppa drive shafts for sale on various sites without a manufacturers name on them and even after I have inquired about who made it the seller can't tell me. Thats when a whole shaft costs slightly more than a rear rebuild kit.. I recently shopped a new water pump for my 4.7. Lots of very cheap water pumps available. The MOPAR one was ridiculously priced and not worth the investment on a 19-year-old vehicle. I'm 70 and I don't need anything to last longer than I will. I was told the Delco and MOPAR pumps share the same main steel bearing with that bearing made with American steel. The Delco pump was cheaper than the MOPAR but more expensive than some of the others so I went with it.

 

belt loose, on start it has to charge hard to make up losses, then ok. i snugged up mine. it was squeal,not whine. i have no way to measure tension..

 

Very nice write-up, Uniblurb! I just replaced my alternator last year because it stopped charging while on a road trip. Since it was more of an emergency repair, I was stuck with whatever the I could find; O'Reilly was the only place with one in stock that did the job. It's been running well, though. I would love to replace it with a 160-amp model like what you've got here to power my big ol' stereo and new travel trailer.

Again, nicely done. :thumbsup:

 

Thanks Gman, appreciate it!

I haven't returned the 1-year-old 160amp unit to Autozone yet since it does still work. But I thought the front bearing squeaking/whining may go away. No such luck and I normally turn the AC off before shutting the engine down. The other day I had left it on and wow did the alternator whine when 1st starting it up! And no, it's not the belt, compressor, water pump, power steering unit, and solely the problem is with the newer upgraded alternator.

 

Resurrecting this lovely old thread because I have a question. You tell me the PCM controls when to switch on the alternator charging field based on battery voltage and power consumption. Is there a limit to how much power the PCM can deal with? For instance, if I managed to find an alternator with a peak output capacity of say ... 240 amps ... would this cause any problems? Would the PCM even allow me to use this much power?


So glad I came across this thread again, I have recently been wondering how the charging system regulates the voltage.

 

Resurrecting this lovely old thread because I have a question. You tell me the PCM controls when to switch on the alternator charging field based on battery voltage and power consumption. Is there a limit to how much power the PCM can deal with? For instance, if I managed to find an alternator with a peak output capacity of say ... 240 amps ... would this cause any problems? Would the PCM even allow me to use this much power?

So glad I came across this thread again, I have recently been wondering how the charging system regulates the voltage.

The PCM senses the voltage, not the amperage. The amperage is how quickly the electricity flows. So if there is a voltage drop due to a draw, higher amperage means that more electricity flows and the voltage drop is restored quicker. So from the PCM standpoint, it just knows that voltage is being restored quicker.

 

Good put on the ground strap upgrade. After reviewing your ground write-up, I'm thinking the grounds of importance here are G101 and G103, the two with 6 awg wires. (G101 = chassis to battery; G103 = block to battery).

 

Agree Gman and the G101 on the front of the inner passenger side fender along with G103, which is the 2nd ground to the rear of the motor mount on the passenger side engine block, would be the ground cables to upgrade. Both are connected on the other ends to the battery ground terminal.

https://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f310/jeep-wj-ground-write-up-info-4192594/