Victory Lap FDA-03 Alternator Repair Kit

I bought this kit well over a month ago, and the alternator on my '89 Mercury Cougar has been going strong ever since. (This kit was a life-saver!) As with many people these days, my money situation has gone into major decline, so anything I can do to save money is very important to me. Considering what a Dealership repair might have cost me, this kit was invaluable. (In other words, I could NOT have afforded any kind of professional repair at the time.)Everything required to rebuild my alternator to brand-new condition was in this kit. Front and rear bearings, brushes, regulator, (which was inside my particular alternator.) They even included a new rectifier. (Turns the alternators AC-current into DC) which I understand are very prone to failure in my make and model. They even give you a little capsule of thermal paste for mounting the regulator to the inside of the housing.This was not an easy repair for me, since I've been away from fixing my own cars for quite a while, but I had plenty of time and tools, (except for the 1-inch socket required for the main pulley-nut) and I took things very slowly to make sure I was doing it right. Most of the initial work was straight forward, (releasing the serpentine belt, undoing the required connectors and bolts,) but pulling the alternator apart was a bit tricky. After 230,000 miles, my poor baby was a bit crusty and difficult to work with. (I even had to tote my alternator down the road a few miles to PepBoys, so they could get that pulley-bolt off for me.) The kit's instructions kept me on target, although some of the details applied to different models of alternators for my car, but in the end, I was able to figure out any ambiguities and get the job done. (A call to Victory Lap's Hot-Line also helped, and I was treated with respect and the exact information I needed to keep going.)One thing that held me up, was that my Alternator's configuration wasn't quite like the instructions indicated. The front bearing was held in by a plate with several screws as described, but they were inside the housing and the armature blocked any access to them. I discovered later, that the bearing was initially installed with a bearing press, which meant that I needed access to one in order to shove the main-shaft through the bearing in order to replace it. Instead, I decided to support the housing, then whack on the end of the shaft to see if I might get it to move. (Big Mistake.) My lack of recent experience is my only excuse for this, but I should have used a plastic hammer to do this, or at least threaded the main pulley nut on the shaft until it was flush with the end. Instead, I wound up mashing the outer threads slightly. When it came time for reassembly, the nut simply refused to take to the threads. I had to walk the thing to a corner auto-shop and they fixed the problem for free. (I think they were amazed that a geek like me was actually REBUILDING my own alternator. Maybe their amusement was worth any hourly rate they might have charged me.) :-)As far as the internal repairs; once everything was disassembled, the most important part of the job was re-surfacing the "slip rings." (The copper circular surfaces the brushes ride on.) I should mention, that one of the old brushes had worn all the way down to the embedded copper leads, and was already beginning to score the slip-ring. (Identifying the probable source of my alternator's failure.) This meant that resurfacing that slip-ring down to flat and smooth, was a real bear. I read that there are some nifty ways to automate that process with a lathe etc., but I stuck with several grades of sandpaper and did the entire job by hand. One slip ring was already pretty clean, but even that one took a while to bring it down to bright clear copper. The one that had been scored was a real nightmare, but I kept at it, being careful not to bring the diameters of the rings too far from being equal. (In the end, I gave up before they were perfectly equal.)Once the rings were clean, circular and smooth, I installed the electronic components, (soldering the leads to the regulator as suggested,) then gently began the reassembly process. I should mention, that since I had no access to a bearing-press, I decided to ignore the front bearing. (It seemed to be turning perfectly anyway, with no slop or granularity as it rotated.)Once I had the housing back together again, I decided to tighten the main pulley-bolt as tightly as I could without the proper socket to fit it. After that, came the re-installation, re-connection, and serpentine belt.BTW, the belt gave me more of a problem than anything else. I live alone, and had nobody else to help me with it, and the last belts I put on anything were long before the development of "belt tighteners." I wound up trapping the tip of my middle finger between the belt and a pulley when a "cheater" I was using slipped off the end of my socket wrench. (My screams of pain will probably be legendary in my neighborhood.) It took me several minutes to finally extract myself.Thankfully, I've been a life-long Automobile Club member, and I got a guy to come out and help me reinstall the belt. (It took both of us to get that danged thing back in, but it didn't cost me anything thanks to AAA.)Starting my car again felt like attending a Moon Launch, but she fired up in an instant. I checked the voltage with a proper meter at an idle, which came between 13 and 14 volts as advertized. Higher revs came up a bit as expected, but well under control as designed. (That alternator was working perfectly.)A drive back to the corner garage got my main pulley bolt tightened properly with an impact wrench, and I was on my way. I've had no problems at all with that alternator since the repair. (Which means that the regulator, bearings, brushes and rectifier were manufactured to perfection.)I would recommend this repair kit to anybody with a decent amount of experience with auto repair, and a willingness to do the job right. Just remember that you may need a bearing press, a large socket or wrench for the main pulley nut, and a bit of stamina when it comes to sanding down the rings. (Wax on, wax off...on steroids!)Thank you "Victory Lap" for providing a perfect kit, and perfect customer support.And thank you Amazon for the low price and rapid shipping.(Who says that "things are falling apart?")

This repair kit came 2 days before it was supposed to. And this was really great as our truck had a bad bearing in the alternator. My husband was able to replace all the parts inside, and the truck sounds and runs as good as it can for a 1987 Ford Ranger.He's happy, so I'm happy.Warning: Taking an alternator apart can be tricky and can lead to quite a few choice words. In order to cut down on the amount, watch an online video to learn some tricks to get it apart.This was bought on Prime Day and the deal was awesome.

i received a defective regulator and found out until install, comes with all parts needed just make sure proper operation

Great rebuild kit! I purchased this to rebuild my son's 1993 Mustang GT alternator assembly. The parts all fit properly and the alternator charged within specs after the rebuild. The only complaint I have is the packaging and the ad state "Made in the USA" but most of the parts were unmarked and didn't seem to be the same quality as the OEM parts I removed. I guess time will tell but this is a much better option than buying a rebuilt unit from the local parts store.

This kit is good in a pinch and might have last longer, but with alternators its hard to say.The kit extended the life of my alternator, but it lasted about 3 months before I had to replace it.....as it just so happened to give out on Christmas day. I made it home, but that is one bad present to receive.

Worked very well for rebuilding my alternator myself saving me over $100

Glad we're still able to buy quality rebuild kits such as this one. The instruction are well layed out,(if you need them) USA bearings Top notch kit. This kit took me back 35 plus years, just got in lazy habit of just changing parts and not r/r. Like I said Top Notch Kit. Bill in W.V.

Regulator had a 4 amp draw on the battery when the key was off causing a dead battery.Regulator was defective when installed.

Kit is very complete and instructions are excellent! Resolved the issue on my 91 Mustang.