Bosch K3 Vs Valeo Alternator

[drgouk]

Hi Folks,
I am looking at buying a new Alternator to suit my early 901 fan ring, Should I step up to the bosch K3 unit or will the cheaper valeo unit do the same job for less money? Your thoughts please.

Regards

David

[drgouk]

Valeo replacement ok then?

[kidrock]

You may seriously want to consider taking your old unit into an electrical shop that does rebuilds. There are many threads about this, and the general consensus is that our alternators are basic, nothing special, are simple to rebuild, and you will save a stupid amount of $$$$. Just sayin'

[Joe Bob]

Local rebuilds are better than a no name supplied by whomever. They may give you a life warranty but doing another r&r would suck.

Have it done right the first time.

[JJ 911SC]

[QUOTE=Joe

Have it done right the first time.[/QUOTE]

+1

Bought a cheap rebuild, VR went South, boiled the battery and spend a day to removed and put a new one VR in

[brads911sc]

the new bosch versions arent german made and are no better than the Valeo. I got a new valeo (not reman) and it seems to be fine.

[larrym]

i put a valeo in my 914-6 last summer - "one-wire" style internally regulated - no external regulator needed

wish i'd had it years ago

one caveat - the wiring diagram that came with it was WRONG - cost me a day's work to pull it backout & fix it after the eBay "TopSeller" in SoCal coughed up the correct diagram

[Lorenfb]

"I got a new valeo (not reman) and it seems to be fine."

Right, until it starts to overcharge!

"i put a valeo in my 914-6 last summer - "one-wire" style internally regulated - no external regulator needed wish i'd had it years ago"

Again, until when you have to change the regulator because of overcharging
and wish you still had an external regulator.

[brads911sc]

So then upgrade the regulator. there are several brands you can buy if I recall. the most expensive one i could find was less than $30. I dont recall the brand.

[Lorenfb]

"So then upgrade the regulator."

Doesn't solve the problem that internal regulators are less reliable than external
ones, i.e. the heat exposure of the internal, and are much easier to replace.

[304065]

Do those even fit? I would be concerned that any modern unit would be too thick and require the later fan ring. Maybe Valeo is making one with the same dimensions as the original 35A Bosch.

I am on record here as despising internal regualtors. There is no good electronic reason for them, and the heat and vibration of the location in a 911 is not good for them at all.