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My Duralast alternator crapped out after only 3 months. It’s under warranty so I would get a new one but I have a mechanic friend who recommended Oreiilys brand alternator instead. Is there anyone who has opinions on the Dursley as opposed to O’Reilly’s? See y’all later, gottago play with grandkids for a bit.
My Duralast alternator crapped out after only 3 months. It’s under warranty so I would get a new one but I have a mechanic friend who recommended Oreiilys brand alternator instead. Is there anyone who has opinions on the Dursley as opposed to O’Reilly’s? See y’all later, gottago play with grandkids for a bit.
Thank for y’all’s help
Brudda..........If spending the coin won't bankrupt you then do yourself a HUGE favour and get a higher output, higher quality unit like the DC POWER 180amp:
All these Napa and Oreilly alternators are just crap IMHO and as already mentioned a FICM can be destroyed easily when provided with improper amps/volts/ohms.
Most FICM damage occurs during starter engagement when the voltage has really dropped. The alternator will not cure that; good batteries are the key. Ford's warnings that a FICM is about to get hurt are 4 seconds at 9.00v and 10.25v for 60 seconds.
A stock 110a, once spinning, is above that as long as light and accessories are not on and the batteries are not seriously depleted. But these trucks never should have come with a 110a alternator. A 135/140a at minimum.
OP, all rebuilt alternators from auto parts stores will be poorly rebuilt.
I replaced the alternator with another Duralast from Autozone. It was still under warranty so it had no cost to me. The FICM checked out okay (47.8- 48.1) so I think it’s good for now. When this one starts to go, or the one year warranty gets close, I will get a new unrebuilt one, maybe an upgrade. Thanks for all your help. This forum has always been a great resource.
Most FICM damage occurs during starter engagement when the voltage has really dropped. The alternator will not cure that; good batteries are the key. Ford's warnings that a FICM is about to get hurt are 4 seconds at 9.00v and 10.25v for 60 seconds.
A stock 110a, once spinning, is above that as long as light and accessories are not on and the batteries are not seriously depleted. But these trucks never should have come with a 110a alternator. A 135/140a at minimum.
OP, all rebuilt alternators from auto parts stores will be poorly rebuilt.
As TMT said it's weak batteries that will damage the FICM. You need to monitor the starting voltage especially if your in an area that the glow plugs are needed during startup. I keep my batteries on a NOCO charger anytime it's parked. Even then the voltage will drop to around 11 volts at startup but recovers quick.
11.0 to11.5v is pretty good. 10.25v is a point when I'm at a threshold about the batteries.
Guess I'm good then eh!
The digital voltage meter is hardwired to the drivers battery(temporarily)and so far I haven't seen it go lower than 13.8v when at lower rpm or idle and once on the highway again it bumps back up to 14+. I've seen voltage go as low as 13.43 via Livewire while hardwired unit reads 13.8 so for now on I'm only going to go off the hardwired display and basically ignore the Livewire main voltage.
And after sitting overnight it's at 12.5v so everything seems hunky dory
Also noticed voltage at start drops to 10.43v via LW where as the hardwired shows 11.8v so I figure the hardwired unit is more accurate yes? Picture is a screenshot of paused video during cranking just fyi.
>>11.0 to11.5v is pretty good. 10.25v is a point when I'm at a threshold about the batteries.
Is meant for the voltage drop during the few seconds of starter engagement, not running voltage.
I documented years ago on this forum that the OBD2 display can read up to 0.5v lower than at the battery. The thermister in the alternator can bring the voltage down to 13.6 by design, so you don't overcharge the batteries when hot. It's not abnormal.
>>11.0 to11.5v is pretty good. 10.25v is a point when I'm at a threshold about the batteries. Is meant for the voltage drop during the few seconds of starter engagement, not running voltage.
Yeah 10-4 on that TMT. So going off of the hardwired voltage gauge is a better idea then yeah?
Also find it weird that the voltage reading via OBD bounces around so much, but is steady via hardwired unit. Is what it is and not an issue I know so whatevski lol 😆
As TMT said it's weak batteries that will damage the FICM. You need to monitor the starting voltage especially if your in an area that the glow plugs are needed during startup. I keep my batteries on a NOCO charger anytime it's parked. Even then the voltage will drop to around 11 volts at startup but recovers quick.
I am in north Georgia. If the forecast is 40 degrees or lower, I plug in the block heater. It seems to do a good job.
