I have a 1993 Toyota Camry, 200,000 miles, 6 cylinder, automatic.
I bought it used with repair records and it seems the alternator is original and tests ok.
Should I replace it preemptively?
I wouldn't replace it prematurely. I have seen alternators with 400k miles on em still going and some go bad less than 10k miles on a new car. As long as it's working, pulley and bearings are not making noise and it's spinning freely I would just leave it. You probably have more life left in one you have than you would get from a remanufactured one.
One of my cars is an '86 Saab with 300K miles that still has its original alternator, though I did replace the brush and regulator assembly several years ago. If your is alternator is working OK I would not replace it. (Parts store rebuilds are a real crap shoot.) If the brush assembly is easy to replace you could consider doing that since brushes are carbon and do wear down with high mileage.
Thanks !
no
Yours was a new Denso that hasn't broken. You have the option of replacing it with a broken one that has been fixed or an aftermarket one made in a chinese sweat shop. Leave it alone as long as it works.
