Soooo, driving 2 hours away from home I got an alternator fault on the dash computer. Rode home in GFs car, had mine towed back via AAA.
Swapped the alternator the next day with a part from Autozone. Local shop because I didn't want my car down, but I also bought the same part from them online to get 20% off, then planned to just return the online part as the in store part. (hey, if they want to pay shipping so I can save 20%, thats their problem, stupid they wouldn't just let me pick up the same part in the store for that deal.....that's $45 off!)
Anyway, easy swap, worked great all week, then the fault comes back! I research online, one person says maybe bad new part from store....OK fine.....Ill swap in the one online after all, and return the in store part as faulty...I go to swap, and this time notice a tiny difference with the plug, it doesn't click into place, the layout is slightly different.....so that must be why the first failed in a week, it's working fine, but the plug got loose.
*(also interesting to note, the two alternators from Autozone were supposed to be the exact same part, but one says BOSCH, the other doesn't, and the pulleys are different colored. They are both supposed to be BOSCH, the factory part is BOSCH)
All 3 are 140 amps and everything else matched besides the plug....hell even the plug matches 100% except the interior plastic prongs are backwards, when I say plug I mean the D shaped plug, with the D right side up, the stock alternator has 1 on top, 2 on bottom, the 2 from Autozone are 2 top, 1 bottom. WTF! I went back to Autozone, tried one other part they had in stock, it too was backwards.....so I tried a different model year, the previous model, same issue!!! Called NAPA, they don't carry it, can't find it anywhere, all pics online show the D plug being backwards.
How the hell does this issue exist and why has no one complained yet!?!
So in the end, I swapped the voltage regulator from the stock alternator over to the new alternator I bought online and am returning the store bought one as a no-fit part. Plug now clicks into place, no more faults in the car, battery charging, issue fixed! Crazy I had to do all that for a simple alternator swap on a 2009. Hopefully this helps others.
Here is the vid about swapping the voltage regulator:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtyP7AyZxwg
Pics of alternator differences here: (first is stock, second is Autozone part and every other part apparently)
Autozone part number 15083. (15082 didn't work either! Also only a $1 difference, why the hell do they stock both???)
*Issue with my original alternator was the pulley wore out I guess...it slipped each way.
*Autozone was unable to bench test the new alternator. Couldn't find the specs in their system to do it, funny cuz they sell it, Advanced Auto also could not....they found the part specs but not the plug they needed to use....isn't that funny....all around a MAJOR PITA for such a simple fix!!!
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Meh, no way to add pics I guess....I described it enough, take my word for it, they don't effing match. lol
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