Durango Alternator Swap

[Mercury]

Hello, all!

I've been reading a bunch of threads on this swap and I'm confused about the Jeep year requiring different plugs and apparently some issue with what side the alternator sits on.

I have a 1999 4.0 and I just found that the junkyard near me has several 01-04 4.7 Durangos in stock. My alternator sits on the left hand side if I'm havingy the front of the Jeep.

Is there a certain Durango alternator I need to look for to prevent having to change the plug? Is it going to be compatible with my Jeep at all given the alternator location? I've done my research but I'm still left with questions.

 

[Feralkid]

probably better off buying a reman durango unit at napa.
it's not going to be a upgrade unless you actually need more output.

 

[Mercury]

probably better off buying a reman durango unit at napa.
it's not going to be a upgrade unless you actually need more output.

I definitely need more output. I'm trying to save my money to buy a nice 240 amp one down the line so I'd rather not spend $200 on one that I'll replace within the next year, but for now I could use a boost.

 

[Artsifrtsi]

I definitely need more output.

What are you planning on running at over 2kW of power... in a TJ?

 

[Mercury]

What are you planning on running at over 2kW of power... in a TJ?

Over 2kw stereo. At the moment I'm running about 1.5k but I'll be upgrading to a 1500w sub amp in the next year and that'll push me to about 2400k. Plus I like that the hairpin alternators will put out a lot more at idle so I can winch faster (I've been told) and run my stereo with less battery drain.

On my current alt I get headlight dimming even at highway speeds so I want to get an alt with a little more oomph. Then I can invest in a better battery over the next one or two months.

 

[Artsifrtsi]

You need capacitors...

 

[Mercury]

You need capacitors...

No, capacitors are mainly to address signal noise. They aren't really to help with dimming. I need a better alternator and a better battery.

 

[Artsifrtsi]

No, capacitors are mainly to address signal noise. They aren't really to help with dimming. I need a better alternator and a better battery.

You misunderstand... you don't need it for the sound... you need it to prevent the voltage surges...

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-fxJX4LIbtJ6/learn/car-what-is-a-capacitor-faq.html

 

[Jerry Bransford]

You need capacitors...

They don't help except for brief hits, they do nothing for continuous high amp draws. What he will need sooner or later with that audio system is hearing aids. I'm now wearing a pair of them and I still can't hear/understand 2/3 of what my wife says.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

You misunderstand... you don't need it for the sound... you need it to prevent the voltage surges...

Amperage draw surges.

 

[Artsifrtsi]

Amperage draw surges.

I was Just firing from the hip, and keeping things simple. The amp surge goes high, voltage drops low. The caps are indeed used for short bursts, not for long sustained extremes.

The OP @Mercury should also seriously upgrade and overhaul his grounding system. The stock chassis to battery ground will be seriously insufficient to handle what he is claiming, and he probably needs to undo and clean the existing grounds as well.

 

[Artsifrtsi]

I still can't hear/understand 2/3 of what my wife says.

Even with perfect hearing, none of us understand that... LMAO! You're doing good to be able to understand that 1/3...

 

[Mercury]

I still can't hear/understand 2/3 of what my wife says.

I think the question becomes is that necessarily a bad thing?

I don't actually listen to it that loudly. I prefer clarity and tight response instead of pure SPL. It's just with the road noise and lack of hard top you have to push an insane amount of watts to feel the bass. Even 750 is barely noticeable because of the soft top.

I was Just firing from the hip, and keeping things simple. The amp surge goes high, voltage drops low. The caps are indeed used for short bursts, not for long sustained extremes.

The OP @Mercury should also seriously upgrade and overhaul his grounding system. The stock chassis to battery ground will be seriously insufficient to handle what he is claiming, and he probably needs to undo and clean the existing grounds as well.

Yes, that's the next step. I have a Big 3 kit that I need to fashion contacts for (I need to pick up a hammer crimper) that I want to use to replace my battery cables. I wanted to last year but I caught up with other repairs and then it got cold.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Harbor Freight Tools has an inexpensive hydraulic crimper that warrants taking a look at.

 

[CharlesHS]

I still can't hear/understand 2/3 of what my wife says.

Wearing hearing aides gives you the ability to tune her out....
Not hearing everything your wife has to say is called Selective Hearing...
You select not to hear what she is saying.... 8)

 

[Mercury]

Harbor Freight Tools has an inexpensive hydraulic crimper that warrants taking a look at.

Oh, that would be useful. Do you recall the cost?

 

[Mercury]

Side topics aside does anyone have any advice for this swap? I could do it tomorrow or Wednesday once I know what I'm doing.

 

[Artsifrtsi]

I’m with the earlier post about biting the bullet and getting the better alt. There’s the “buy once cry once” mentality, or my preference “if you can’t afford to do it once, you can’t afford to do it twice”

 

[Mercury]

I’m with the earlier post about biting the bullet and getting the better alt. There’s the “buy once cry once” mentality, or my preference “if you can’t afford to do it once, you can’t afford to do it twice”

I'm definitely going to, but it's hard to pass up $35 to get a significantly higher output. That'll free to my budget to buy a better battery then within the next year get the HO alt that I want.

 

[Deputy Dodge]

I have a 99 4.0 with the alternator on the passenger side. I found that junkyard alternators don't work on the 99 because of the different orientation of the mounting ears. You might want to check yours before you buy.