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A Parts Guy in Tulsa Asked Me Why I Was Buying a Third Alternator in 6 Months
I was at the counter last week picking up an alternator for a customer's truck when the guy behind the register stopped and asked why I kept coming back for the same part. He said most shops he deals with buy maybe one a year and I had bought three since March. I laughed it off at first but he was right, and it bugged me the whole drive back to the shop. Turned out the real problem was a worn belt tensioner letting the belt slip just enough to cook the bearings, so I was just replacing the symptom every time. I felt like a rookie and I have been turning wrenches for 11 years. Now I check the whole belt drive before I sell anyone an alternator. How many of you have chased a comeback part and found out the real issue was something totally different?
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karenf402d ago
Man, this one hits close to home. I went through something almost the same with starters on an old farm truck, swapped it twice before I figured out the ground strap was half rotted and the thing was pulling way too many amps to crank. Here is my question for you though, when you found that worn tensioner, did you check the pulleys too or just slap a new tensioner on and call it done? Because in my case the idler pulley was wobbling just enough to eat the belt, and if I had only done the tensioner I would have been right back at that same counter a third time. Also did that parts guy end up telling you he sees this all the time, because I swear the good ones behind the counter spot pattern failures before we do sometimes. Curious how deep you ended up going on that belt drive once you knew.
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