Hi all, I'm looking for a new alternator for my 1988 XJS and want to go to 115 amps. Found this one on AdvanceAuto.com and wanted to know if anyone has installed on their ride? If so, was it a direct bolt on? Advance Auto say it is "exact fit" but there must be a reason for many people going with a GM conversion beyond price, as $115 for this one seems ok to me. The original looks to be able to pull out of the bottom if I remove swaybar and possibly power steering hoses. The part in question is:
ToughOne Alternator - Remanufactured - 115 Amps - Part No. 14383 - $114.99

I'm still trying to follow all the advice on here in regard to testing as to whether it is the alternator for sure. Thought it would be straight forward but a lot of the threads I have looked at it seem to suggest many different means of testing.

Thanks!
Michael

 

Michael,

Things tend to get confusing up there, maybe too many choices available.

My original was a 75amp Lucas, 1985 HE, which I rebuilt some years prior. It never really kept up with things, and simply failed dismally when the twin thermo fans were fitted.

I used a 115amp Bosch from an XJ40, swapped the multi V pulley for the single V of the '85. Removed the bracket bolted to the engine, and drilled the thru bolt hole from 8mm to 10mm, to accommodate the new alternator mounting variance.

The rest of the install was as per the original, belt included.

Prior to this upgrade, my DVM dropped to 11.7 at idle with the a/c on. With the new unit it sat rock solid at 13.4 with the a/c on, headlamps on, and the heater fan on "high".

 

Thanks for your advice Grant! I'll probably figure it out when the new alternator comes in, but is the pully a unbolt/bolt on deal or are they the pressed on type? Looking under the car (is Jag the only one with the alt on the bottom?) it appears I can just slip off the sway bar and squeeze the alt out. One bolt easy to see, the other I guess I'll be doing by feel. Looks like alt is shipping today so I'll likely get it by Friday and install Saturday. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again!

 

The Lucas is a huge nut, and super tight generally. The pulleys are keyed to teh shaft, and generally slide off, but rust etc slows this sometimes.

No idea on the replacement, never heard of them, but mostly they are held on with a nut and lockwasher.

The stator shaft on the Lucas and the Bosch were the same diameter, so off and on was simple. The new unit may/should come with a V pulley fitted me thinks.

 

Thanks Grant.
It looks like the replacement will come with either no pulley or a serpentine so I will have to switch over the old pulley to new alternator. Why in the hell did Jaguar locate the alternator "down under"? Been reading a lot on here about getting rid of the air pump. Seems odd, given it's size and the fact it was original equipment, that the cars don't need them at all. Giving thought to getting rid of my air pump just to free up elbow room under the hood.

Thanks again!

 

I have no air pumps, most down here never did.

I remove that idler, or air pump, and lift the alternator out thru the top. It is much easier than it looks, just take care with the radiator hose.

Mind you, I have twin thermo fans on all the V12's, so much more room than factory, and 1 less belt and all the associated crappy pulleys and spring loaded arms. Only sad bit is the alternator belt is the last one off/first one on, so a PITA.

Not wanting to scare you, but please check, as best you can, the integrity of thr rubber bonding of that front harmonic pulley.The alternator belt is the only belt driven by the rubber bonded "V" pulley, the rest are a "pulley pack" that bolts to the inner section. A new upgraded alternator will put additional load on that pulley/rubber, and since old age is now well and truly in place it may start to slip.

 

UPDATE Sun July 14 2013: I decided against messing with the air pump for various reasons. As a driveway mechanic I don't always have the tools and it looked liked I'd need thin walled sockets to remove it from the manifold. Also read somewhere that fuel efficiency suffers? Anyway, I decided to remove the sway bar (needed new bushings anyway) and one oil cooler line. Getting to the alternator bolts with the stock fan and all was a bitch but managed to drop alternator right out the bottom. I had ordered a ToughOne Alternator - Remanufactured - 115 Amps -Part No. 14383 - $114.99 from Advanced Auto in the US. Actually had $40 off code as well so it came to $75. This alternater actually says Bosch everywhere so I guess it's just rebranded for this parts store. Their website said "Exact Fit". True enough except for pulley. It came with a serpentine. I figured no biggie, use old pully. Wrong! The new alternator shaft is bigger than the old pully. I'll be seeing if either a machine shop can alter old pulley or scout some junkyards as there are many in the Philly area.

Any suggestions on getting the proper pulley for this alternator?

And thanks for all of your earlier advice Grant.

 

Since its a Bosch unit, scrap yard parts should be simple enough.

Think outside the Jaguar name for a while.

Merc, BMW, Ford used Bosch. GM down here did, but I reckon GM up there is Delco.

Measure the shaft diam on the new one, and take the verniers with you, which will get messy, but may be quicker than a shop machining it.

Also down here, we have Auto Electrician shops, of old school, who actually rebuild alternators/starters/etc, and they would have boxes of pulleys I would suggest.

Maybe check with the Bosch site and see if they sell a pulley to suit that shaft, with a similar OD as the original.

 

That's probably the best and easiest bet. I can imagine plunking the alternator on the counter, telling the man what you need, and three minutes later walking out with a pulley...installed.

I'm lucky enough to have a alternator/starter rebuild shop just a couple miles away. Great bunch of guys.

Cheers
DD

 

Thanks Grant. After 3 junkyards in Philly looked at me like I had 3 heads after asking for a simple pulley I opted for a machine shop. They did it in 10 minutes & charged me $10. So all in all $85 for a Bosch 115 amp alternator. Not bad. And bonus is since I removed it from underneath & had sway bar off I get to install all new bushings on sway bar. Old ones were completely shot & some were completely missing. Hopefully the sickening "clunk" over bumps & potholes will be gone.
Thanks also for your help Doug. Now out to the driveway & 105° heat & sun :-)

 

I'd personally take it back and say "wrong part" exact fit should mean just that "exact fit" If your going through the trouble of taking in the new part to an auto electric guy then just take your old one in and have them rebuild it. Don't be afraid to remove the air pump, fuel efficiency should improve due to less weight, that thing if memory serves me right only does anything on start up and most by this time don't work effectively and probably leak like a sieve. Also the parts store may have a solution pully on the shelf when you go back, my local Advance Auto is great for this, they have a whole bin full of them from old alts. My smog pump is gone and I've a GM Alt in its place.

 

Thanks JT! I felt the same way about returning it. But all they could do is order another one which would have the same issue. I'm.thinking now that the Bosch unit comes with bigger serp pulley because it's 115 amp & perhaps the 75 amp Lucas replacement comes with the right size pulley a shaft.

On install I'm thinking dielectric grease since the old one was pretty cruddy being located at bottom. And of course this beast has an oil leak. There was so much caked on thick grease that I couldn't locate the grounding straps at first. Cleaning that all up while I'm in there.

Thanks again.

 

Final update. Installed new alternator. Last issue was that the starter wire tab hole was not big enough to fit on bigger post on new alternator. Quick drill out took care of that. Made sure battery was fully charged. And presto! Started right up. Instantaneously actually. No more cat whiny slow grinding start. Dash voltmeter rock solid at middle of gauge. Turning on lights, accessories and it doesn't flinch. A/C blows strong now. Headlights much brighter, though still seem slightly yellowish in color.
Thanks to Grant, Doug and JT for all the advise and help! Hoping that all repairs won't be as drawn out and challenging as this job was. I'm used to changing out an alternator in 15 minutes!

 

And it probably *would* have been an exact fit if the car had been originally equipped with the 115amp alternator. When you're changing/upgrading specification, though, you have to expect a few snags

Fortunately this one was pretty easy to solve

Cheers
DD

 

Good work! Sounds like you got a lotta bang for for efforts!

Cheers
DD