Churnd

Well, in light of my unsuccessful experience with my 140 amp alternator from Mr. Alternator, I'm back in the market for a high amp alternator. Because of all the negative things I've heard about re-winding an alternator, the new alternator must be built to put out whatever current it does in it's "stock" form. Here's a few I'm considering:
[list=1][*]NWOR[*]90 amp Lexus alt first discovered by LandYacht of this forum[*]MR2 100 amp alt[*]Premier Power Welder's unit[*]Mean Green??[*]PowerMaster Alt, if they still make them[/list=1]

They are listed in order in which I'm considering them. Before you go and raise the caution flags about NWOR, rest assured that I know about their horrible customer service. I also know that they have the easiest drop in application that should put out enough at idle to satisfy my needs. If I go that direction, it's pretty much gonna be a gamble.

I'm trying to keep the fabrication down to as little as possible, in case I ever need to go back to the stock alternator. Also, because I don't know how to weld or fabricate new mounting brackets for the MR2 and Premier Power Welder. If anyone would be willing to make a bracket for me at a reasonable cost, it sure would get me to reconsider my options.

I listed Mean Green mainly because I wanted to see if anyone knew whether or not their Landcruiser alts could be made to fit in the stock 3VZE location. How 'bout it... anyone?

As for PowerMaster, they're still in business but Performance Products no longer carries their alternators. I could have sworn they had a bolt in application for the 3VZE that put out over 80 amps at idle. Anybody have any other info on them or know of any other retailers that carry their products?

Also, if anybody knows of any other alternators that I should be considering, let me know. I appreciate any help.

One more thing... does anybody know if an alternator from the 22re will bolt up on the 3VZE?

its2slo

ohio generator??

WATRD

You already know what I did, but if you decide to go with NWOR, drop my name to the sales-weasel I mentioned. If you have any trouble whatsoever, let me know and I will try to help out.

Churnd

Funny you should mention that...

I'm hearing impaired to the point to where I can't talk on the phone much at all. I can handle simple conversations but if it gets too complicated all you're going to hear from me is "What??... Huh??... What??". I've been that way since the 3rd grade. It's mostly hereditary since my dad's deaf too. Anyway...

I rely on email and an IP-relay service that MCI offers for free to communicate to vendors for stuff like this. My g/f helps me out every now and then by calling for me, but the more technical the situation gets, the more frustrating it can be on the both of us. Just imagine her on the phone... "So you need to put the whatchamacallit in the... HUH?? What'd you call me?!?!?!" God bless her for putting up with me. Anyway again...

Since NWOR doesn't seem to have an email address (I find that odd for an online retailer), I decided to use the IP relay to call them up and ask them about their alternators. A fella named Sergio answered the phone. (By the way, Rob, I can't remember the name of the guy you talked to.) Sergio says "How can I help you?". The IP relay operator then explains to him what's going on, as thats their job to do so. Before I can even type a word in, Sergio replies "Oh ok... well the relay customers can use our fax number to send us a fax for their order 24 hours a day." I then replied "Well, I just have a few questions concerning your alternators." He answered "You can send us a list of questions on to our fax number and we'll answer whatever we can and fax it back to you as soon as possible." I said "Ok, thanks." and hung up.

That pissed me off a little. I saw no reason why he couldn't answer my questions right then and there. Or maybe if he didn't know the answer, patch me through to somebody who could. I know NWOR is notorious for crappy customer service, so I prepared myself for the worst before I even made the call. I didn't expect that though.

So, I signed up for an online service that will let me use my email account to send and receive faxes so I can "communicate" with NWOR. I'd use XP, but I don't have a phone line where I live. I can tell right now that exchanging faxes with them is going to be interesting to say the least.

Back to the topic related to this thread...

I found a retailer that sells PowerMaster alternators:

Truck Performance



$500 is a little high, but I've yet to see an alternator that I can actually just bolt up that puts out 120 amps at idle. I'm definitely considering this sucker now. I'm going to wait and see how my "communications" with NWOR go first. I'm going to go with the one that gives me more performance for my buck.

midiwall

What was the end of that experience Chris? The last I knew you had problems with a newbie trying to get the alternator spun up. Did you finally get it tested?

Quite a few of us have them... including me. :|

Churnd

It just didn't put out enough current at idle for me. I think it that once it heated up, it would put out even less than stock. That seems to be typical of re-wound alternators. They will put out more, but you gotta rev em up to get it. I don't know about you but I don't want to adjust my idle to 1500 RPM's just so my alternator will charge right.

I went to the local Armature shop and did get it tested by a real testing machine (not the ones they have at AutoZone). The highest output I saw was around 90 amps at about 3500 RPMs. I didn't get a look at the guage at idle, though.

So, I'm sending it back to Tom. He was very understanding about it, but is charging me a 30% restocking fee. I think that's kind of high, but I was surprised he even took it back at all since I bought it last May. I'll run the stock unit for a while until I get another alternator ordered... whenever that may be.

midiwall

argh... okay... thanks. Good to hear that Toom was cool with the return.

At this point, I'll probably keep mine. it's defintiely doing better than the old one (original), and in the end, I think the price was about the same.

I refuse to pay NWOR's prices... (btw, they're as much fun in person - at least in my experiences).

Robinhood150

Have you seen this? http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/tech/alternator/

It's for a 22re, but maybe they have something for the 3.0.

Churnd

I think the only differences between the 22re and 3.0 alts are the mounting points. My haynes manual says they're similar in construction. Technically, that should work. I don't want to be the guy to try it out though.

I think I'm going to stick with getting an alt that comes already built. You can get the 90 amp alt from Mobi-Arc already built also, but only in the 22re version.

That PowerMaster looking nicer and nicer the more I think about it. 120 amps at idle... I could add anything I wanted without ever worrying about overloading my alternator again. Well... almost anything

Churnd

You might want to look into changing out the pulley on the alternator for one of a smaller diameter. It'll make the alternator spin faster than usual.

I found this article searching for PowerMaster alternators:

http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/85610/

This part of the article explains the pulley ratio thing I was talking about:

http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/85610/index2.html

Only problem is tracking down a smaller pulley that'll bolt up.

WATRD

Freaking Sergio! I have had trouble with him myself. He doesn't seem to pay attention when you talk to him either.

I will have to look up the guys name that I dealt with again, but as I offered before, on the off chance that you decide to go with the NWOR model, let me know and I may be able to arrange a road trip up that way.

Land yacht

Hello Chris,

I have called the shop where I purchased my 90 AMP ALT to get a vehical ID on the alt for ya.

They are going to look it up in the book and call me back after lunch so, I maybe able to get you some info soon on this subject.

It was a simple bolt on with a slight adjustment to the bushing in the top of the alternator bracket. This was the only thing I had to adjust, the rest was replacement proceedure.

I'd give ya'll some pics but, I don't have a camera.:pat:

I will update ASAP.

Churnd

I guess I'm not the only one who doesn't like the guy.

I'm having trouble setting up that email fax thing I posted about earlier. The company hasn't emailed me back with the information I need to start the account. Basically what I want from NWOR right now is information:
[list=1][*]How much does each model cost?[*]Which models are remanufactured NipponDenso units and which aren't? I don't want the ones that are.[*]How much power does each put out at idle?[/list=1]

Rob... I hate to ask, but that information is really all I need to make my decision. If you want to call for me and find out, that will be greatly appreciated. I'm still going to try to solve the email fax thing so if I decide to order from them, I'll be able to do so.

You know what... you should talk them into letting you be a freelance sales rep for their company. I'd certainly consider a lot more of their stuff if I had somebody like you handling my orders. What a waste on their part.

Churnd

Hey man... been a while since you've posted here, huh? I definitely appreciate you calling for me.

Could you elaborate a little more on exactly how you modified the bushing? Did you have to trim it or what?

WATRD

Sergio has a reputation... there are MANY who are none too fond of him.

Everything in your list is in their catalog. If you would like, I can scan the page and post it here tonight. That is likely easier than doing it via phone.

They couldn't afford me and I don't think I want my name that closely associated with them But, since I am in the area and I feel bad that you fell for that re-wound alternator, I will try to help you out as I can.

Churnd

That would be awesome!

Too bad. All they need is better customer service... then I bet they'd double if not triple their profits.

Funrunner

Churnd,

It sounds like Rob's taking care of things but if you needed any further help with NWOR let me know. They are all of 3 miles from my house so if you need me to help "in person" for you I could.

its2slo

why give them your money?? ive never heard of them having good customer service...i decided a long time ago i work too hard to give my money to people who dont appreciate it.<end my rant>

Churnd

Thanks a lot. I really appreciate that.

Next thing I know, we're gonna have a mob raiding their store.

Churnd

Supply and demand. They offer some things that nobody else does, and they know it.

I've got half a mind to start a petition. If I could figure out a way to get it signed by everyone here, I'd be delighted to mail it to them personally to let them know what they're missing out on.