I've noticed that new, new aftermarket, rebuilt, remanufactured electrical components don't seem to last, key switches, alternators, starter solenoids are real pain to deal with. Now I've got older machinery not the latest and greatest but it seems I'm always replacing solenoids on starters, last fall I did one a day for five straight days on the same machine, rebuilt starters are giving me grief as well. I've been taking my stuff to several different places to get worked on and checked over and none have any better track record on lasting. Those blankety blank Delco starters I've been replacing for decades now with about anything else made, delco alternators are just about as bad, we've got several on hand for spares at all times so downtime isn't so bad, but I can't have spares for every make model and brand I've got. I got to thinking the last few days, if there is a difference in brands of component parts they use for alternators and starters and all the shops I use to rebuild stuff are using the same brand of components, is there a difference? Last fall when we went through solenoids so fast I finally told them to give me another brand and that helped but not for long, that makes 7 new solenoids in less than 9 months on the same machine and its not a high hour machine either about 300 hours per year. I've noticed the import stuff, like Isuzu doesn't have as many problems with electrical stuff going wrong as often, motorola, the jap starters on deere tractors are 100 times better than the delco originals, bosh and a half dozen others seem to not give much grief either. Whatever brand alternator is on my excavator went almost 6k for hours before needing anything done and some of the other machines have gone less than a few hundred then need taken back off because there not charging again. The remanufactured through some companies are not worth putting on, like john deere for example while others go a lot longer, but some no matter what you do or what machine they are on seem short lived compared to others, and rebuilt, thats anybody guess, 100 hours, 500, 1500 hours or not even a day. Its so random it can't be in the machines. I was wondering if anybody else noticed this or is it just me, seems I spend more time changing these components than I do using the machine their on some days.
There used to be an actual difference between re-manufactured, and rebuilt and just repaired. Now I think it's mostly a con game. I still have confidence in Cat reman and have had good service although I haven't bought anything in a couple of years. Everything I else I buy rebuilt if I absolutely have to, other wise I buy new or use a local re-builder we've been using for decades. He uses good parts and will tell me if something might be iffy and will recommend OEM. I installed 5 starters in a friends pickup truck in a single month that he had bought at a national chain parts store. Actually not true, I installed 4, the second to last one would not run on the floor from a battery charger. We took it back and the owner of the store insisted a battery charger would not run a Ford starter so we hooked to one of his new batteries and then two batteries and the stupid thing wouldn't run. Sure they're guaranteed but who needs the grief.
What I have seen in the last few years is the continuing quest for the least expensive in parts and components. Unfortunately the least expensive comes from China, Mexico, Singapore and on and on. Lately most of the people I've seen are more than willing to spend more just to keep running but that quest for cheaper has run all the good suppliers in this country out of business. I have seen the difference in Japanese electrical components and they do last. The problem is they also cost an arm and a leg. They however know that to get a part or component to last, it costs in good materials and quality labor. So when you figure out that you are in business of moving product, and not fixing machines, you should spend a little more on your components. If a rebuild or exchange component doesn't last, then start considering paying for a new one.
I had what used to be an excellent rebuilder for starters and alternators. Than their stuff turned to sh--. Was told about a small rebuilder in a near by town and went there. First thing he told me was that the solenoid put on the by the last guy on a D3 Cat starter was chinese. OEM was a few bucks more. Told him to put it on. Things back to normal. Now he does all of my stuff and I am having real good luck with his work and parts supplied. I told him from the get go use the good stuff. He answered that he does not use the chinese junk at all. At least in my case.
John even the new stuff isn't the greatest of quality either it seems, even with a warranty, some of this stuff isn't worth the time it takes to install it, it seems. I've been considering buying more equipment with japanese components, some of this usa made stuff isn't worth taking home, anything delco made I've almost given up on, even new, I'll try to find something else to switch it over to just to eliminate the headaches of dealing with it. The gear reduction starters seem to hold up better no matter what brand they are, with of course the exception of delco. I've spent the money for new ones from case and jd, ford, gm, and dodge, but none seem to hold up, the last dodge truck I had I bought new, had for 18 years and over 300k miles and it was never off to be fixed, the next one didn't make it a year before I had to put a new one on, that didn't fair much better, fords are worse, gm is beyond terrible for me. Now we're going through a rash of starter switches, in pickups, vans, trucks and now equipment too, all new stuff from the dealers and none are any good it seems. We've been trying to keep better records of vehicles and equipment repairs, before we only did major components and oil changes so the little stuff wasn't recorded, now we try to do it all and the entries for these same repairs are showing up again and again, so I got thinking is it in the components inside that they are putting in or the ones doing the work, then we are comparing to new to try to see if it pays to put on new al the time instead for hours or months in service before needing a replacement again, nothing seems to appear better than anything else, they all seem junk to me. Maybe its I'm getting older and this stuff bothers me more, doing the same repairs over and over again and I notice it more, but I don't think so. I try to ask how long the warranty is for the part before buying it even new, because thats all the longer it'll last it seems, one year on new alternators or three months on remand ones and about a month longer and their out again not working. One of the guys I have do some rebuilding for me claims its the parts quality of the components and since they are the same one's new manufacturers put in, new isn't any better than rebuilt, from my data I'd have to pretty much agree. Does anybody know for sure if a new starter for a dodge truck is the same from dodge, napa, carquest, case even sells then now as does john deere or a host of other places or is there an actual difference, I've been told no, basically one distributor sells them all, its who you want to buy it from and deal with on warranty, same goes for a starter solenoid for an isuzu engine out of a hitachi excavator, they all come from basically the same distributor anyhow so ones just like another? I don't know I was asking if anyone did know.
Randy88 I agree with you totally. I think the issue is still the same. Last I checked Delco was sourcing electrical components from Mexico and Asia both for new and used. They have to compete with labor rates on parts built overseas when the end users here began the race to the bottom of the component price wars. Now it is all made somewhere else and we have to pay the price in down time, extra labor and aggravation. I do believe you are spot on in keeping track of failures though. Tracking those numbers will provide you with the ammunition you need to argue this out with owners, suppliers and manufacturers. The mention of sharing those kinds of numbers with the world via the internet should provide a little leverage when you deal with your suppliers. Good Luck!
Is there somewhere to get quality components for these things or to get complete will fit replacement units of another brand to fit some older off machines not made by cat or some other big name manufacturers, some of what I have have gone bankrupt years ago and now we are hunting the local napa and basically auto parts stores for replacement stuff. Just by looking at a starter solenoid I can't tell the difference between one made in china or mexico or somewhere else of maybe better quality. I don't mind the higher price at all I just don't want to pay two or three times the price for the same alternator or starter with just a different logo on it, if it is better quality then I'm all for it but how do you tell before the rat race of taking it home and trying it out to see how many hours you get before it fails. Thanks for the replies and info.