I installed a remand alternator about 2 years ago. I have driven the car maybe 5k since then. Now it is not putting out enough voltage when i have my lights on. Has anyone else ever had this issue? Also what other alternators can I use that have more juice?

Has anyone ever used one of those elechtic water pumps from MSA? I am just curious if they are practical for a daily driver.

Any and all help is appreciated.

 

The stock 60amp alternator should be more than enough for just the stock headlights with the heater on too. Maybe the brushes got rusty or the contacts on the back of the alternator are corroded.

Try removing the main power and ground wires off the back, clean them, and put them on. Charge your battery up fully. make sure your battery wires are in good shape too. Do you have a volt-meter or are you going off the amp meter?

 

This is sooo common....You are finding out what the remanufactured parts business is all about...

Ok soo they offer an affordable alternative to paying someone to rebuild your old alternator...and you can get the rebuilt one within a day....The problem is that many of these parts are substandard...Even though they offer a warranty "for life" they are playing a game of statistics with you....They are banking that you will sell the car before the part fails...They assume the new owner will have it replaced without knowledge of the free replacement they offer.

I have purchased 2 rebuilt alternators for 2 240Z cars that I own.... I have replaced them both numerous times under warranty over the last few years. I even managed to upgrade one to the later 280Z internal reg. version..for free.
The other one was eventually used as full credit towards a 1996 300Z 90 amp version. The parts guys got tired of ordering the old style alternators and just let me upgrade after a few returns.

I have found that the early models are not holding up to the high engine RPM...Once I upgraded to the later model I had better luck....The brand Nissan used was originally Hitachi...later on they switched to Mitsubishi...The late model Mitsubishi reuilds seem better...and they are more expensive.

 

If you do the diagnostics Bleach recommends and it turns out your alternator really is going/dead, you do have some options.

I've also pretty consistently noticed "reman" alternators failing within a couple of years of install. bjhines above is right, reman parts are cheap, they are convenient, and they do last a couple of years, which is more than adequate for most people, especially those who do the different-car-every-other-year thing. But for Z owners and other enthusiasts, that doesn't cut it. Second or third replacement you're thinking "Why am I doing this again?".

Not all electrical parts are the same. While I worked for Napa short time (5 or 6 years ago), we carried at least two lines of almost every part. And you could plot a perfect graph of price vs. returns and defects. The cheap stuff just didn't last. At the time, I always thought it was dumb to buy the cheap stuff. But, I talked to one of the countermenm, and he said he always warned people and that usually the cheap ones went to desperate folks who had to get a car running cheaply and quickly, or people doing what amounted to a faked "good condition, new work" private sale.

New or premium rebuilt alternators from the usual Z suppliers are really nice and quite reliable (in my experience, anyway), but they definitely cost a lot more (unless you're lucky/persistent and find a deal, I'm not that patient). One source, if you're looking to add good halogen headlamp upgrades and/or stereo stuff might be Z specialities. They've got a widely praised 120 amp output alternator, but it costs $200-some. http://www.zspecialties.com/hotdeal.htm
There are other suppliers, too, but I don't know them off the top of my head. We've got a local guy here in Boulder (Vanatta Auto Electric), for example, who rebuilds, customizes, does what you'd like, but you definitely pay for his expertise. Usually they're in DexOnline under Auto-Electric or something like that. Good luck!
Dave