well i guess tonight/tomorrow im gonna go to autozone and pick up a dura**** alternator for a 97 GC 5.2V8....i wish i had the time to search in junkyards....but i dont see that happening for a couple weeks and i definately dont want to wait that long.

 

AdvancedAuto alternators >> Autozone. And cheaper too.

This is the one I got, works great
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web..._1388002672___

 

Yep X2. the stock alternator is 90 amp. I suggest not getting a JY replacement, you can, but the others will be in similar condition. new ones are about ~70$. or you can get a powermaster 170 amp alt like me, and get to do all kind of mount fab hahaha

 

Well I found a jy that has em for 35 bucks....so I'm gonna pick one up today. Worst case scenario, I have to replace it again in 6 months.


Best case scenario....it lasts until I get so far down my wish list that I get a mean green one. But that's doubtful....since I got a loooong list

 

grrr.....my mech/work buddy flaked out on friday so im stuck waiting until sunday. i really need to buy a ratchet set for myself so i can do stuff when i want.


good news is, if i can get the alternator going early enough on sunday, there's another XJ guy in columbus (Empire Offroad) who is a tech and he agreed to give my jeep a good look. I am really looking forward to getting an experienced eye on my suspension/steering/etc so i know what my priority list of upgrades should be.


EDIT: found this online.....and i want to confirm that its the right routing diagram before i mess up another serpentine belt. http://allinfoaboutautorepairs.com/u...r/78227143.gif

 

I hear you, sounds like you havent done too much mechanically? Thats fine if so, I think this Would be a good first time project. You definetly learn along the way!

You should just mainly need a rachet set, maybe a phillips and flat head.

Remove battery (should be disconnected for safety)
Remove battery pan below
that will give you some upper axis to the alternator.

Remove the Serpentine Belt
Loosen the anchor bolts on the power steering res. and pump.

Remove several small connections on the alternator. (so they dont rip out)
remove the ground wire
Take out the last anchor bolts

and then rinse, cycle and repeat in reverse

 

so i got the old alternator ripped out, the connector on the back of the old alternator looks completely different from the GC136a alternator. It has the same looking connector as the 2001-2004 GC.


im trying to do this now, so any quick replies would be appreciated.

 

ya, thats the problem with the JY ones, they arent always correct. the new one is larger, and even the pulley diameter (which will change alternator RPM)

to get that larger one in there you may have to mod the mounts or even grind the block.

 

i did some research online and found that the 2001 cherokee alternator was a 117amp, and had that newer connector on the back. I guess im gonna have to nut up and buy one from advance auto parts.



im pissed right now. i snapped 2 of the 3 bolts on the battery tray trying to get it off, then ended up pulling the alternator out the bottom of the jeep. now ive got bolts and nuts of all sizes sitting in my toolkit.....lesson learned: label and seperate bolts during a job.


hopefully i can get the new one soon and get this ***** on the road.


my buddy said "its never as easy as it seems." how right he is.

 

ya, that sucks, were those nuts rusted solid? if you ever have stuck bolts, try saturating it with WD-40 and gently tap on it with a hammer to break the seal. wow 117 am, stock was 90, im 170!

 

i went to oreillys and bought the right alternator and got it put in within 20 minutes!


my only question now is hooking it up.


on the back of the alternator is a bolt with a nut/washer/nut on it. i know this is what the cable (ground wire?) attaches to. I just dont know whether to do it nut/washer/cable/nut or a different way, and what the cable needs to be touching.


its a full O shape at the end of the cable, but with a small piece jutting down so that if you looked at it sideways it would look like an L (with the O part as the vertical line of the L)


any help would be appreciated!


EDIT: also some pictures on how to deal with putting the belt on and tensioning it would be nice. ive looked around using the search but havent found any with good pictures. the belt it routed, i just need to loosen the idler pulley and get it over the fan pulley and retighten.

 

couldnt find any pictures so i just made my own >.<

I did find a thread that explains the tensioning on an 01 XJ (https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/ser...lt-help-12024/) but it has no pictures. i like pictures.


first picture is of the wire going into the alternator. i screwed it on just so i wouldnt loose the screws, but im not sure if i did it right.


the other picture is a top down of the PS pump
i assume that the red bolt is the tensioner
the yellow bolt is my best guess for loosening the PS pump....although i have heard that some years dont require this method of belt tensioning.
the blue circle is what i am guessing is the idler pulley itself.


hopefully these pictures will help. After a long day of turmoil, im beginning to feel like ive got this thing whipped, and i would absolutely love to fire this thing up before i go to bed tonight

 

im gonna bump, in the hope that the nate night/early morning crowd might be able to help me out

 

in that first picture, i'm confused. The alternator side should have a plastic/rubber boot thing that allows the cable only to be installed facing in one direction. Take a picture of the back looking at the connector if possible. Wire loop terminal should be against the alternator body.


As far as tensioning the belt, loosen the idler pulley bolt, and turn the adjusting bolt on the ps pump until the belt is tight enough, then re-tighten the idler pulley bolt.
There are a few ways to determine the correct belt tension. Since I assume you don't have the special gauge (either do I), tighten it enough so that if you press down hard on the top section of belt, it deflects (moves) about 3/4" down. Another way people use is to grab the belt between 2 fingers and twist it - if it twists to 90*, the tension is good. Any more or less....adjust the tension accordingly.

 

Well this is the oem alternator for the 01 cherokee....
http://www.partsgeek.com/gbproducts/...ek+Google+Base

The back of mine looks like that, which I know is different from most xjs, my guess is that they changed it at the last year (that back looks like the GCs from 01)

I'm not worried about the direction as much as how it has to sit within the nuts and washer, and how far into the boot the perpindicular tab on the wire should be.


Thanks for the pic about the idler pulley. On mine, the bolt looks tough to get to behind that fan...any tips?