repeated alternator bearing failure

[mpj76]

I have an old 91 cop car. It came with a 130 amp alternator with an external voltage regulator. I had it rebuilt a total of 4 times since it was always free. Each time it would last only about 6 months. It was always the bearings that went bad on it. Be careful while tooling around. One day while it was rubbing, a component within the alternator came loose and found its way onto the cooling fins while the engine was running. The component shot up into the hood with such force that it put a very sharp dent into it. It knocked the paint off the bump on the other side. Judging by the bump and the hood material, I would guess that it had the same force as a BB gun.

I finally bought a new G3 unit. I've had it in there now for about three years. It charges better than the old alternator and hasn't given me a single problem. I highly recommend it.