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^^^ Very likely that it is the brushes, but by the time you find them, install them, and all, it may be worth just buying the $50-60 cheapo alt...


I put new brushes in the alternator on my '84 twice. at 240k miles it was still running strong. I never had any trouble finding brushes at NAPA. They cost around $5.00 last time I bought them. You will need a soldering iron both to remove the old brushes and to install the new ones. Sometimes "parts store" replacement alternators are not even OEM based, but are actually Chinese knock-offs. I prefer to rebuild an original piece.

Last edited by matts; 07/31/11 04:50 PM.
'89 4runner SR5, 3.0, auto (fun)
'93 xtra cab, dlx,3.0, 5spd (work truck)