My alternator has failed or is failing. I was planning on grabbing this 100 amp one from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/ACDel...&keywords=Alternator

Decent price and I understand AC Delco is a good reliable brand to go with. Their vehicle finder says it is a match for fitting my car (1987 Fiero w/2.5).

But my question is, how does one figure out what the appropriate amperage alternator is necessary for a given vehicle?

I think I read somewhere that you add up all of the values in your fuse box and that should give you a rough estimate. If that is the case, my fuse values all add up to 260! That can't mean I need a 260 amp alternator right?

My car's electrical demands are pretty typical and stock for the most part. The only addition was a 100 watt amp for my stereo added like 8 years ago. And I have the standard Fiero Subwoofer with its stock Fiero sub amp.

I'm on a tight budget for a little while so the $70 price tag on the AC Delco was within reach but I would rather not have any regrets, especially considering the pain it is to swap out my alternator with the engine in the car.

I searched the forums and most of the alternator related posts were pertaining to either the 2.8 or engine swap upgrades.

Thanks for any assistance.

That alternator will do just fine.

If it is an automatic getting out the old alternator is a pain.
I took a bolt off the dogbone and pushed the engine back a bit to wiggle the alternator under the intake to remove it. Watch out for the cooling line to the intake when taking it out this way.

quote Originally posted by mike-ohio: If it is an automatic getting out the old alternator is a pain. I took a bolt off the dogbone and pushed the engine back a bit to wiggle the alternator under the intake to remove it. Watch out for the cooling line to the intake when taking it out this way.

His car is a 4-cylinder, so changing the alternator will be easy in any case.

When I used your link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B...hicleType=automotive

It said that this alternator was not for your car. Check it again.

Rockauto - New AC Delco 100 amp $75.79
https://www.rockauto.com/en...or+/+generator,2412?

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quote Originally posted by Fiero.1984: It said that this alternator was not for your car. Check it again.

That was six years ago! I suspect he's dealt with it.

quote Originally posted by Patrick: That was six years ago! I suspect he's dealt with it.

LOL.... oops...