Kia Sportage Alternator: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults
On the Sportage, oil leaking from the valve cover gasket directly above the alternator can genuinely kill it.
Illustration for editorial purposes
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OEM Part Number: 37300-2E721 (as quoted in catalogue listings — confirm via VIN) — aftermarket alternators Bosch 1 986 A01 826 / AS-PL A3574S
| Alternators (aftermarket) | Bosch 1 986 A01 826 (150 A, freewheel pulley, 6 ribs, 55 mm, new, 174 plug, excludes vacuum pump); Bosch 0 986 086 830 (150 A, freewheel pulley, 6 ribs, 55 mm, remanufactured exchange, core charge £25.80, 174 plug, excludes vacuum pump); Bosch 0 986 085 610 (130 A, remanufactured exchange, core charge £23.10, excludes vacuum pump); AS-PL A3574S (150 A, freewheel pulley, 6 ribs, 58 mm, new, PL_3307); AS-PL A3840S (150 A, rigid pulley, 6 ribs, 58 mm, new, PL_3307); AS-PL A3502S (130 A, freewheel pulley, 6 ribs, 58 mm, new, PL_3307); AS-PL A3614S (130 A, freewheel pulley, 6 ribs, 55 mm, new, PL_2305); BV PSH 155.929.130.500 (130 A, freewheel pulley, 6 ribs, 55 mm, new Valeo-built unit) |
|---|---|
| Outputs & variants | 120 A for the 1.6 GDi petrol, 130 A for the 1.6 T-GDi, 1.7 CRDi and some 2.0 petrols, and 150 A for the 2.0 CRDi and 48 V Eco-Dynamics+ mild hybrids. Pulley is 55 mm or 58 mm and both freewheel and rigid 150 A versions exist. |
| Genuine (OE) numbers quoted | AS-PL A3574S quotes 37300-2E721; AS-PL A3840S quotes 37300-2E820; AS-PL A3502S quotes 37300-2B960; AS-PL A3614S quotes FG15S108; AS-PL A9250S (120 A, rigid, 58 mm) quotes 37300-2E400. |
| Fitment notes | The 2.0 CRDi takes the 150 A 55 mm Bosch-pattern unit and the 1.6/1.7 engines take the 58 mm Denso-pattern units, so match pulley diameter and the Hyundai/Kia part number; Bosch exchange units carry a core charge and come without a vacuum pump. |
A Genuinely Specific, Real Root Cause Worth Knowing — Kia Sportage Alternator
If your alternator keeps failing repeatedly, this is genuinely worth knowing: a documented cause on related engines is oil leaking down into the alternator from the valve cover gasket positioned directly above it. It's genuinely worth checking the valve cover gasket for signs of a leak before fitting a replacement alternator.
It's also worth knowing a genuinely useful diagnostic technique: placing one end of a wooden stick against the alternator housing and the other end near your ear acts as a simple, improvised stethoscope for isolating alternator noise.
Kia Sportage Alternator: Often Blamed on the Battery Instead
On the Kia Sportage, a weak battery and a failing alternator produce almost identical symptoms at first — dim lights, slow starts, a car that won't hold charge — which is exactly why so many people replace the battery, only to be back at the garage a few weeks later with the real culprit untouched.
Kia Sportage Alternator: Watch: Replacing It
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Kia Sportage Alternator: What It Does
The Kia Sportage's alternator generates electricity while the engine runs, charging the battery and powering the car's electrical systems directly. A healthy alternator means the battery is mostly there for starting the engine and covering brief demand spikes — not for actually running the car's electronics on its own.
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Kia Sportage Alternator: Warning Signs, DIY Difficulty & Aftermarket Advice
These are the same regardless of make or model — see our full Alternator Guide for symptoms to watch for (plus a genuinely useful two-minute test to confirm it's not the battery instead), confirming the right amperage and fitment against your VIN, and which brands are worth trusting.
More Kia Alternator
The same part, covered across other Kia models.