I bought two new Gold Autozone batteries not too many months ago. They both died on me suddenly. Just replaced them both today with Optima Autozone. Alternator tested fine but I have a feeling that's not quite so. Already looking for a replacement alternator and I would like one that surpasses factory performance, is durable and it's not going to rust like the water or power steering pump which I replaced last year. I don't know to much about the market brands. Any suggestions and advice are welcome. Thank you Team Ram.

 

My suggestion is to have a local shop rewind it for you. Typically they are good the way they are. You have a load of accessories on it to want a heavier one?

There are limitations to alternators, especially at idle

 

I don't have a specialized shop where I live and I wouldn't trust them anyways. I will do it myself but in the mean time I need one to swap it and drive it and if I spend the money I want a quality piece. I only have a power inverter that I use once in a while when I drive. And the radio, radar detector, phone charger and another charger. Truck has over 80k miles with this factory alternator. Pretty decent I would say. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

https://napaonline.com/Catalog/Catal...+50022+2022078

$320 from the dealer, $30 core charge (and the $30 would've fixed mine as the only issue was a front bearing. )

 

Yer Velcome

Only 80K? They're good for 150K in most cases. But then again, this old and low mileage brings other problems.

I collect old Mopars. I have a 72 Dodge with 17,000 miles on it. Car is laiden with gremlins. Most recently it's the starter. I think you get my point.

I would run it for a while more. But as I said, put a volt meter on the batteries with it running to be sure it's not over charging. That would be a dround or a regulator.

A good way of telling there is a problem is with the head lights on. If they get dim at idle and real bright reved, chances are you have a charging system problem. But if they don't change much at all, then I suggest you get your monies worth out of it. Most decent auto parts stores can get one in a day if something happens

 

Hi Z-MAN,

I recommend you check out the alternators available at PA Performance. I have used their products and recommend them. You can see their products at PA Performance.com

 

I bought a life time alternator from Autozone......has worked fine for about 25,000 miles.......tuned out my OME alternator was fine and I had to have the ECM reflashed. OME alternator had 275,000miles on it and it is still good.

 

Out of curiosity.... what size inverter do you have and what do you run on it? Not that you can't have a run of bad rebuilds but usually bearings, brushes and regulators fail and when they do they take down the system and can cause other problems too.

 

Best alternator out there I have found is made by a company in Western PA called Mean-Green.I had one on my other truck and it cured all the issues I was having at the time due to added load from things I placed on the truck.They may seem a bit pricey but are the best bang for the buck and are not a rebuilt unit.

http://www.mean-green.com/Home_Page.php

 

MMMMM Good Find. But the info is a bit conflicting. The list 03 to 09 alternators as 5.9

 

Someday if needed I will do this upgrade.....**** good alternators!

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...rnator+upgrade

 

Eagle Auto Electric in CA. I put a 200 amp on a 96 snowplow truck. It puts out 182 amps at idle. They sell then on eBay. I have another one to go on the 01.

 

i've found car-part.com and ebay to be more than a fella needs..time permiting. Top-rated sellers on ebay really do what is needed to make it worth your while.

 

Have you verified the connections are all tight? If the + tie between both batteries is loose you can get some overcharging.