I just realized as I put the final touches on a motor swap I started a year ago (oilfield lay off put a delay in things) in my 93 XJ, that the reason I had to do a motor swap in the first place is because some not so smart kids drove through some flood water and hydro-locked the engine. That's ok, I accept that teenagers are a very non-intelligent breed especially in this day and age. The thing that didn't occur to me was that killing the motor with water also killed the alternator. I've never owned a 91-96 that I used as a mudder, so I'm not quite accustomed to rushing to the parts house and ripping off my mud caked alternator to warranty it out once or twice a weekend. These things are a massive P I T A

Please tell me that there is some sort of way to eliminate the multi-nut, multi-size bracket/connector abomination on the back of these alternators. There can't be all that much complication to a non-regulated alternator that it HAS TO have all that nonsense on it. It seems ridiculously harder to remove from the engine as well. Does that little metal bracket have to remain installed for it to continue to work correctly? If memory serves me correctly, the Renix era alternator had just 2 bolts that held it in place. And despite it being a regulated alternator, it seemed extremely easy to remove compared to this ugly thing. I need my old quick change alternator back. There's enough other things that require a contortionist midget to get to on this thing.

 

Note from DJ

I hope that you checked out the starter as well?

You might take a look at your 89 Comanche because my 88XJ 4.0 has the same bracket. The reason I know this because I just pulled mine off this morning because my alternator failed. And as I was removing that bracket I was asking myself the same question is this thing really that necessary.

I hope the verdict is no.

Now if this 93 is going to become a mudder and you have no need for AC; I think there has been some past post where the alternator was moved up where the AC compressor is located.

Don’t forget to keep us in the loop till the problem has been solved one way or the other that how everyone learns something.

 

Luckily the retards were already parting out the stupid thing so it didn't even have a starter when I got it. I'm probably not going to mud this one, I'm just mad that I just now got it together and the alternator has to come right back off. It's not that big of a deal, but I think it could be a much smaller deal. I know all this electrical nonsense in finicky and must be connected by the book in order for proper operation, it's just a major inconvenience to get to.

 

I just looked at the MJ. It has a nice beautiful GM style alternator. One eyelet to the main power and a 3 wire quick connect plug from the regulator. 2 bolts hold it on the motor and it has a big open spot behind it to pull it out. I can't even figure out what all the crap on the back of the 93's alternator is. It shouldn't be that complicated

 

It took many weeks of design by engineers ($$$$$) to come up with that design and the fact they would never have to change one themselves.

 

I figured that out as I was bending my fan out of the way to get the stupid thing out yesterday. It tested good, but the bearings were bad. I replaced it anyways because it sounded like I was dragging a 500lb safe down the road behind me.