How old is your original...

wrote: :factory starter, alternator, water pump? I have about 75K mi on my 96 :Explorer and I'm thinking maybe I'll change the starter pretty soon.

96 XLT AWD V8

150K miles as far as I know. I bought it at 59K miles and have not replaced any of them myself.

Ever heard the phrase "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"?

Searcher

'96 V8 Explorer purchased new now with 127,000 miles, original water pump, alternator, starter, only replace the battery.

Why do you feel you need to replace the starter? cranks slow? check your battery.

On my '91 the starter motor quit at about 150K miles. The alternator at about 175K miles. The water pump was replaced at about 198K miles but it still worked. I was having a problem with overheating and decided to replace it along with much of the cooling system.

On my '92 the starter motor made it to about 250K miles. The alternator is original. I replaced the water pump at about 265K miles because I had to remove it anyway. It still worked though.

ya i have. i saw it on the back of a tow truck.

wow that's pretty good. the reason i asked is taht the last car i had started needing replacement parts around 75K. thanks.

Back when tune ups were a required, regular service.... many is the time I remarked ".... and we replaced the fuel filter, too.". I can't recall how many times I'd get "Why, was it plugged?". I could think of no better answer than... "No... did you want to wait until it was??".

There is no real way to predict the service life of some of the subassemblies on our cars other than past experience. Though the idea may be foreign to some, there are those of us who do not like unexpected breakdowns... we value our time and the events of our lives too high to risk time spent sitting on the side of the road waiting.

In the grand scheme of things, we can either run from breakdown to breakdown or become proactive. Not to say I'd replace anything without good reason but, say at winters onset, I will test battery, starter and charging system performance and react appropriately. My wife is often alone on our winter highways... I will leave nothing to chance..

All are at 255K. The starter motor has been making a scratchy sound for the last 5K, but its still fires up good.

Paul

i don't think there's an easy answer.

one factor to consider-How do you drive the car? fast, slow, jackrabbit starts, etc.

also, how has car been maintained, esp. water pump (coolant change, etc.)?

Have a 96 EB V8 AWD with 208K mi.

All the apptpriate components still work fine. I just replace the Idler Pulley this past week after it seized on the way to a Christmas party...took

30 mins and a 14mm socket.

As Searcher said..."if it ain't broke, don't fix it"

Considering the longetivity that other posters are experiencing with their parts and the poor quality of many of today's rebuilt parts, your 75k parts are probably a better deal.

Dave

95 Explorer with 247000 miles. Original starter, alternator, and water pump. Mark

Still running the original starter, alternator, and water pump on our '95 with 160K miles.

1992. Original Starter and Alternator. Water pump was replaced under warranty at around 20K. Vehicle now has 124K miles on it.

97 Mountaineer with 125,000 only lost an alternator at 38,000.... 2000 miles after warranty. I COMPLAINED about not needing a tune up for 100,000 and a damn alternator can't last 40,000... and you want $300!!!!! Ended up costing me $100.