Alternator OEM Mazda or OEM Volkswagen

I just replaced the one from my 1996 Passat Tdi. 326k miles on it. The alternator still works too!

After installing it, all of the intermittent electrical issues disappeared. I'm guessing the old alternator couldn't power all of the electrical issues at once, particularly since the battery light would not come on with the higher rev's of a cold start, but would come on with the low rev's of a warm start.

Sorry for the late reply. just to go ahead and close this out, it was a bad alternator. Took the 400 dollar hit to my wallet and bought a new one. Spent a few hours yesterday replacing it. So far I've driven it about 30 miles without the battery light coming back on. Thanks everyone for the help.

I'm using a MK2 Golf alternator. It has the correct mount width, and has the right frame to mate up with the nice rack and pinion style adjustment bracket also from the MK2 Golf.

okay so i installed an alternator in my car yesterday, boosted it, let the battery charge a bit, removed jumpers...car stalled.

Alternators don't make good battery chargers and if your alternator is on its way out then it may not be able to charge the battery. A fully charged battery measures 12.6V when the car is not started. When it's discharged by 75% then it measures 12.4V. if it's like 12V then it's totally dead. When you start the engine and the alternator turns, at idle you should have at least 13.4 Volts. If it's less than this then try reving the RPM's to like 2000rpm. You now should have at least 13.4V. If you don't then you have a problem either with the regulator or you have a bad diode.

What bugs me now is that it seems the alt doesn't quite put out. Dash light (at least the one I put under the dash since the one in-dash quit working) won't go out. Goes from bright to dim when the alt should excite.

Upon only 3 days of ownership, the alternator went out due to the battery going bad, that took out the internal voltage regulator.

the car is a 1996 golf gl, 5 speed, with A/C (this is relevant to the alternator spec) Original problem, car not charging and replacement alternators were no good

I have a 99.5 vr6 2.8 afp and missing a alternator ground i think I am getting 20 intermittent ground fault codes and the kid i bought the car from had a alternator put in.