altenator bearings

[Jr mason]

Has anybody had any luck replacing the bearings in the altenator? I have a bad one, other than that the altenator works flawlessly and I hate to spend so much money on a good quality reman. I split the altenator on my bench and got the numbers off the bearing, but haven't had any luck locating any. They are NTN bearings, I even emailed their bearing locater section with the number but have not heard back from them. HELP!!!

Thanks guys

 

[LNXGUY]

You don't have a place like National Bearing or similar near by? You could drop by with the old bearings, get them to measure and order you up whatever you needed.

 

[Jr mason]

Unfortunately I do not. I live in a rural area so it's just the basic essentials here. Even the nearest shopping mall is 40-45 miles from here. (Just the way I like it )

I'm really surprised NTN did not email me back, I have used their bearing locator before with success. They guarantee being able to cross ANY bearing ever made, yet I did not hear back from them on their OWN bearings .

Another thing that surprises me is that these are not readily available through any of the VW guru websites. Being the voltage regulators and clutch pulleys are so readily available for the DIY guy you would think there would be a higher demand to offer the bearings.

 

[Jesus Is Lord]

Just measure old bearing with caliper and search for it on ebay.

 

[trailhead]

Another thing that surprises me is that these are not readily available through any of the VW guru websites. Being the voltage regulators and clutch pulleys are so readily available for the DIY guy you would think there would be a higher demand to offer the bearings.

Every size of bearing is available on the interwebz, measure it and search, for those living the quiet life...

They are readily available at any bearing supply in any city, that's why no vendors list them.

Keep searching you'll find them.

 

[Jr mason]

I can try this route, just never had to do it with any other bearing. I've always been able to enter the number in a bearing locater or have my parts guy cross it. Will let you know what I find.

Thanks anyway guys.

 

[MOsierraJOE]

If you can pull the dimensions off of the bearing, or if you have the bearing number, you may be able to find the same bearing or one of the same dimensions and different manufacturer here: http://www.globalspec.com/search/products?page=ms#sqid=6683912&comp=50&show=suppliers&RegEvent=login

It's called GlobalSpec. It's an engineering/part search website that pulls part information from many other sites. You may need to register (it's free) to look at parts, but this may help you find what you need.

 

[Jr mason]

OK guys, I located them. Actually my parts guy did. After I left he dug out the books and after searching for an hour was able to locate them. For those that are interested they are a 6003 series, 17mm ID x 35mm OD. $7.00 per bearing. I had to order the tools to remove the clutch pulley so I have not yet been able to confirm the inner bearing is the same, I'm hoping it is.

While I've got the altenator on the bench I'm going to replace the voltage regulator and the clutch pulley as a preventative measure. I do not know the full history on this car but I am assuming it is the original altenator as we purchased the car with 100k miles back in October. The wife puts on anywhere between 100 and 150 miles per day on it and the miles are adding up quick so I figure it would be better to do it now and be done with it. Also putting on a new tensioner and belt while it's apart.

Thank you to all that replied.

 

[bherman13]

Quick question for OP, where the OE bearings sealed, shielded, or open?

I was looking for bearing for my B4, but was having trouble finding sealed bearings with a high enough speed rating to withstand the alternator's potential max speed. I didn't want to use open or shielded for potential of grease loss or dust entry and therefore reduced service life, but I haven't taken apart my alternator to see what came from the factory.

 

[Jr mason]

They are a sealed bearing. And as I found out earlier the bearing closest to the clutch pulley is substantially larger than the outer bearing. This makes sense as I'm sure the load on that bearing is substantially higher, even though they both obviously spin the same rpm.
My parts guy was able to match the outer bearing up by the ID and OD. The bearing numbers helped narrow it down but he needed actual measurements. I'm hoping he can do the same with the inboard bearing, I will know here shortly.

 

[bherman13]

Yeah same with mine. My bearings were 6203 and 6303 IIRC. The larger one tended to have the smaller speed rating, but I ended up finding NTN sealed bearings that had ratings of 16k and 19k rpm. 16k should be just enough if I calculated the pulley sizes right.