My junkyard alternator swap turned into a parking lot soldering circus

Pulled a used alternator from a Pick-n-Pull in Akron for 40 bucks, bolted it on my 98 Civic, and the charge light stayed on. Turns out a squirrel had chewed through the harness behind the battery, so I stripped the wires on the asphalt with a pocket knife and used some 16-gauge butt connectors I had in the glovebox. It fired right up after 20 minutes of squinting and swearing, but I still get nervous every time I hit a bump. Anyone else trust those junkyard electrical parts long term or do you always buy new for wiring stuff?

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2 Comments

davidh8818d ago

GLASS GLOVEBOX? You kept butt connectors in the glovebox and I'm supposed to believe a SQUIRREL chewed through the harness? Man, that car has been through some stuff. I don't even keep loose change in my glovebox without it rattling around and driving me nuts, let alone electrical connectors. But hey, if it fired up and the charge light went out, you beat the system this time. Still, every bump you hit is basically playing Russian roulette with that splice. I'd wrap that whole mess in electrical tape at least three times and zip tie it somewhere it won't wiggle. Or just buy a new pigtail for 15 bucks and do it right, because that parking lot repair is gonna haunt you.

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miab1618d ago

Butt connectors from the glovebox on a junkyard alternator, you are living on borrowed time my friend. That's not a repair, that's a prayer with heat shrink on it. Hope you keep a fire extinguisher in the back seat, because that wire splice is going to either outlast the car or burn it down, no in between.

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