My junkyard alternator swap turned into a three day mess

Picked up a used alternator from Pull-A-Part in Phoenix for 30 bucks last month. Got it home, bolted it on my 97 Civic, and it worked for exactly 4 miles before the bearings started screaming like a banshee. Turns out I didn't spin it by hand at the yard to check for roughness, just grabbed the first one I saw. Ever have a cheap part cost you more in labor and towing than just buying new?

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the_susan2mo ago

OK so let me get this straight. You spent 30 bucks on an alternator and didn't even spin it by hand first? That's wild to me. I don't trust junkyard parts unless I can feel them move and listen for grinding. That 4 mile limit before it screamed is brutal though, I bet that was one of those "what did I just do" moments when the noise started. Did you try to limp it home or did it lock up on you? Bearings going that fast usually means it was already shot when you grabbed it, someone probably returned it for a reason. Gotta check everything at those yards, learned that lesson on a bad starter myself once.

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rosebennett2mo ago

Learned that lesson the hard way myself, lol.

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