I have a 94 ES and I am looking to upgrade to a higher alternator but I have seen non that are made for my car. I thought I had once read on here that a Toyota Highlander 130 amp alternator works for this car and fits right but I may be mistaken. I searched on the forum but no threads that answered this question. I'm just wondering if this is true or if an alternate option is available?

 

It is true. All the VZ/MZ family transverse v6's can swap alts's. That includes the optional 130amp highlander alt.

 

Yea you can do that, or u can look at another possibility, a custom alternator for ur car, i also have a 94 es300 and i contacted Dennis Moore [dennis@mechman.com] and told him wut car i had and he gave me many options, here check it out.

i wrote : hey I found your site on yahoo and I was wondering, can you give me the prices and specs for alternators for a 1994 Lexus ES300?

he wrote: We have four models that will fit your vehicle. First is the 20-250-43G-1G ($392.00) rated @ 150Amps "HOT" (185Amps "COLD") next is the 20-275-43G-1G ($454.00) rated @ 175Amps "HOT" (210Amps "COLD") then the 20-300-43G-1G ($534.00) rated @ 200Amps "HOT" (240Amps "COLD") and last is the 20-325-63G-1G ($624.00) rated @ 225Amps "HOT" (270Amps "COLD"). All four require an adapter bracket kit ($50.00) and an adapter plug ($35.00) for the install. Should you have anymore questions, just call our tech support @ 760-244-2049 or email us. To place an order call 888MECHMAN (632-4626) or email us.

so you can get some good brand new alternators for ur car from them, jus email him if u got any other question, this guy is real receptive. they will even tell you wut other parts you might need, like wires or cables, hope this helps.

 

Hey that's where I bought my alternator.

 

Thanks a lot for the relpys. Ill have to check those out.

 

truplaya i could be wrong but wouldnt a highlander alt from autozone checker napa bap etc....all be less than 300-400 bucks...even after you buy mounting kit brackets etc....jumping up from 80 amp alt to 130 IMO is a huge jump that should be more than enough for whatever you throw at it...plus Im sure the bigger you go the more of a load you are puting on rest of the electrical system.....pheonix are you saying for highlander alt its just a swap or will you need some special mounting kit/brackets etc....

 

Some of our first gen. Solara colleagues have been changing to the Highlander alt, http://www.solaraguy.org/viewtopic.php?t=28273

 

im wondering the same thing, are the highlander alt's just a direct plug and play, or are special mounting brackets required?
and call me ignorant, but arent those prices unreasonably high?
i had my alternator rebuilt for 130
Charley

 

Its the same engine... Its a bolt on.

 

wow im waiting three days for it to come in from cheker i m gonna keep my fingers crossed and hope my car keeps running till then...charley thats not bad at all whats your new amp rating....checker sells the alt for 160 after core... 130 amp alt!!!! i didnt think i would ever be so excited about an alternator but im ecstatic.. lol

 

I think the reason those alts are so pricey is because they are all custom, i heard they are real good quality too, and come with lifetime warranty. so i dont know, ill look into it more in a couple months when i get around to buying my subs and amp. i really dont need it right now.

 

There was a place called Mr. Alternator that was making them for the Camry...but have not heard of success one way or another with them.

 

toyrsrme from lexownerscluba aka pheonix on here said he did on his car 94 es when he was running 2 l7's off bp1200 and and 2 10's off another amp and said it helped with the dimming but not a huge difference...he had done all the basic stuff as well upgraded big three deep cycle batt rana cap but still had dimming so thats kinda frustrating as to how weak the electrical system is....

 

^ '93.
What I implied was that in my case I still had some dimming. Consider, it takes what? About 40amps to run a car, and I was pulling 130amps just with the amp'ed audio (Not including the head unit).
It was 2x 2004 kicker 10" L7's on a jbl 1200.1, and a pair of kicker SMB8's run off a 150w amp.
What dims is the dash lighting, like when you hit the brakes. I think that problem is un-fixable. Older ES's simply have too much amperage from too many bulbs in the tail.

My headlights weren't dimming at all, but that's not a good viewpoint, as I had HID's before I had a system. HID ballasts smoothe out any power irregularities & they go unseen in light output.

 

unfortunately 130 was for the rebuild of the stock unit-90? amps. here in az there are a few shops called start mart, and they rebuild/recoil these units, while at it, they check the diodes and everything else.
i wasnt thinking very much when i did it, if i was, i wouldve just upgraded to the highlander unit.
Charley