RenGen

As most of you know the stock alternator had a design flaw which caused it to fail, so if I got a aftermarket one like the duralast Gold from autozone, would that be any better or is it the same design as the faulty stock ones? the autozone one does come with a lifetime warranty which I thought would be useful.

RenGen

edit: or if I just got another Ford alternator now, would it work better? Did they update the design to work better now that its been a few years?

Nuke

Even though Ford redesigned the alternator, many folks have still had issues. Look into one from PA Performance. Many have been pleased with it.

wcgman

If you're worried about failure, the autozone one is fine because the lifetime warranty pretty much addresses the issue. Even if it sucks, you just pull it and go get a new one.

Art161

True, but some have not been at all pleased. I remember a post where the PA Performance alternator was putting out only 12.8 volts and PA Performance would not cover it under its warranty.

Also, the Ford OEM alternator in the '07 GT has a one way clutch in the alternator pulley, which cuts down on noise. The PA Performance alternator does not have that, and some people say it is quite noisy.

Nuke

Thanks, Art. I knew that there were a few complaints about the PA Performance alternator but the vast majority of comments were positive as well as, once installed and functioning well, there were few if any subsequent failures. I wasn't aware of the clutch difference.

07 Cervini

I bought a duralast alternator after my stock one failed. The duralast does provide enough voltage to keep the car running, but for some reason occasionally I would get the "Check charging system" error. Since then I have purchased a PA alternator and that error has not come up.

Goldenpony

Since my '06 GT has almost 123K miles, I have looked into alternators, knowing their less than stellar reputation. I found out the clutch can be moved from your OE unit to the PA unit. AM I believe sells a tool to do this for a few bucks. That's the route I am going when time comes.

Clevor

What about the Boss 302 one? I've seen them sold alone. It has a one-way clutch, but alternators for performance apps don't turn adequate rpm for street driving and may not charge as well. Can anybody confirm?