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Tried a $20 junkyard alternator on my 96 Civic, and it taught me more than any new part would have
Back when I first got into this, maybe 5 or 6 years ago, I would just buy whatever cheap part I could find and bolt it on, no testing, no thinking. Picked up a used alternator from a pick and pull outside of Fort Worth for $20, slapped it in my Civic, and it worked great for about 3 weeks. Then the battery light started flickering, and I went through a whole mess of chasing grounds and cleaning terminals before I finally had it bench tested at a parts store. Turns out the diodes were shot, and the guy behind the counter just laughed and said that's why they give cores a warranty. What I learned is that junk parts can be fine, but you got to test them before they go in, or you're just moving the problem somewhere you can't see it. Now I keep a cheap multimeter in the trunk and do a quick check on anything used before it touches the car, saved me a tow at least twice. Anybody else got a junkyard score that turned into a headache, or a trick for testing parts before you buy them?
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wyattmitchell14d ago
Learned that same lesson the hard way with a $15 starter off a wrecked Accord. Bench tested it in the parking lot with jumper cables and it spun fine, but the bendix was weak and it left me stranded a month later. Now I bring a multimeter and a buddy to spin anything before I pay for it.
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