think I need a new alternator... need some help!

[m3avrck]

Hey guys,

Well I've had this ticking sound coming from my car during idle (usually after it warms up and I drive it a bit) and I've also noticed a fluctutation in power under acceleration. After a little bit of examining I pinpointed the sound coming exactly from the alternator, something isn't right with it!

I brought this up a bit ago and someone recommended that I might need to change my voltage regulator instead (had a similar problem car/miles) and save some money in the process.

So my question is, when do our alternators tend to go bad? I have a 1997 with 103k miles. What about voltage regulators?

Should I just go ahead and replace both now and be done with it? If so, where to buy an alternator and should I avoid the rebuilt ones? I hear bumping up to the 140A alternators is a great upgrade instead of sticking with a stock amp rated one. Thoughts?

Any help would be appreciated, especially reputable places for an alternator... seems a lot harder to find those than I thought!

Thanks!

[mobil1]

I hear a whine coming from my engine and I think its my alternator. Who knows though...

[m3avrck]

I hear a whine coming from my engine and I think its my alternator. Who knows though...

mine is definetly a ticking sound, put a screw driver on the alternator while the car was idling and i could hear the same ticking through the screw driver... great tip i recently learned for pinpointed noises! definetly my alternator... just not sure how much the voltage regulator affects the car at idle and maybe that is causing the ticking and not the alternator itself.