I had to swap my old Denso unit for a new alternator Friday evening because mine crapped out 3 hours round trip from home (my poor wife was stranded). It was an emergency, so I couldn't get a Denso unit.
I don't like using non OEM, but I had to. How screwed am I ?
I figure if the Duralast one craps out, I could always warranty it, sell that one or something and then get a Denso OEM unit.
Oddly, I think the new one is possibly making crackling noises, almost like a bearing. I'm going to take the belt back off and spin the pulley on the alternator and see if it's crunchy when I get some time this week.
The Duralast unit is putting out 14.0-14.3 amps for now . . . .
Thoughts?
There are 2 threads on this, and they are kind of all over the place whether or not it's even an issue. A key to it all is: I'm 45 min each way from an Autozone for a replacement, and living super rural like this, we are running the roads like crazy in all kinds of Wisconsin weather. So I'm a bit nervous with this non-OEM alternator.