95 Pathfinder Alternator upgrade

[Cowboyclaude]

Other than buying a HO alternator or doing the Quest swap, are there any other options?

I heard that the Maxima / 240SX alternators bolt on, just need to use the Pathfinder pulley. Is this true?

[Bwana]

What is this for? A 240? Sohc or dohc? More info needed!

Welcome to NICO!

[88pathoffroad]

A Maxima 90 amp alternator is a bolt-on after you swap pulleys. You may need a spacer washer or two for the pulley to ride at the correct depth on the alternator's shaft, though. I forget which year alternators fit...

[Cowboyclaude]

It's for a 1995 Pathfinder, VG30E 3.0l DOHC.

I want a better alternator, without spending $400 for the high-output type. A 130 amp Maxima alternator is 2x as strong as a stock alternator and that is plenty for me.

I am wanting to swap the stock alt. for a reman from a 1995 Maxima. I know washers may be needed for spacing, but I want to make sure it physically FITS before I go tearing things apart.

[Bwana]

Ah, my bad. I read it as you wanted to swap a pathy alternator onto something else...

Unfortunately I don't know the answer to your question, and searching turned up nothing for me. You may just have to pick one up and see if it fits. Maybe remove yours and take it into the parts store to compare them before you head home with it?

Good luck!

[Cowboyclaude]

That's pretty much the plan. Just looking at them, the bolt holes seem to be identical, and they are both for 6 cylinder engines with the same displacement. I know the Maxima is mounted different, since its FWD, but I don't think Nissan would waste time making 2 distinctly different alternators for the same engine.

So, the plan is to check out 2, one from each vehicle, and to measure the clearance before I take mine off. We'll see what happens and I'll report back.

[Bwana]

The other thing you might check is the plug, it could possibly be different...

You might also check and make sure that the alternator wiring is sufficient for the increased amperage. I'd think that it would be, but it's worth checking.

[Cowboyclaude]

I have 1/0 running from alt. to battery. The plug LOOKS similar, but I can check before I try it.

QUESTION! I know some people try to squeeze more amps out of their alternator, especially at idle, by using a smaller pulley.

Would the opposite be true? The Pathfinder pulley is larger, therefore the alternator would spin slower.

Assuming the pulleys have similar belt tracks, could I keep the Maxima pulley and use a slightly longer belt?

[Bwana]

A smaller pulley should get you more idle amps, but it seems like you'd risk over speeding the alternator at high rpms. I'm not sure how plausible that is, but it seems possible.

[88pathoffroad]

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