Kia Soul Alternator: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults

On the Soul, 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: 37300-2B960 (as quoted in catalogue listings — confirm via VIN) — aftermarket alternators Bosch 0 986 082 820 / Hella 8EL 011 713-401

Accuracy note: Covers the Kia Soul (2014-2019) as listed in the UK aftermarket catalogues. Alternators are sold by output (amps), pulley type and plug, and the same model usually has two or three units depending on engine, start-stop and the electrical load of the trim — a 120 A unit on a car built for 150 A will undercharge, and a rigid pulley on a car designed for a freewheel clutch pulley will shred belts. The references below are UK aftermarket catalogue listings for this generation, labelled by brand; many are remanufactured exchange units that carry a core charge until the old alternator is returned. Genuine numbers are shown only where a listing quotes one. Check the amp rating, pulley and plug stamped on the old unit, or confirm via VIN, before ordering.

Alternators (aftermarket)	Bosch 0 986 082 820 (130 A, freewheel pulley, 5 ribs, 57 mm, remanufactured exchange, core charge £23.51, PL176 plug, excludes vacuum pump); Bosch 0 986 086 620 (130 A, 5 ribs, 57 mm, remanufactured exchange, core charge £25.80, PL174 plug, excludes vacuum pump); Bosch 0 986 085 610 (130 A, remanufactured exchange, core charge £23.10, excludes vacuum pump); Hella 8EL 011 713-401 (130 A, freewheel pulley, 5 ribs, 57 mm, new); Hella 8EL 011 713-821 (110 A, freewheel pulley, 6 ribs, 58 mm, new); Lucas LRA03610 (130 A, freewheel pulley, 5 ribs, 57 mm, remanufactured, core charge £50.24, C-L-FR plug); AS-PL A3502S (130 A, freewheel pulley, 6 ribs, 58 mm, new, PL_3307); AS-PL A9381S (120 A, freewheel pulley, 5 ribs, 57 mm, new, PL_2305).
Outputs & variants	110 A and 120 A units for the 1.6 GDi petrol, 130 A units for the 1.6 CRDi diesel and higher-spec cars. Pulleys are either 5-rib 57 mm or 6-rib 58 mm and nearly all are freewheel.
Genuine (OE) numbers quoted	AS-PL A3502S quotes 37300-2B960; AS-PL A9381S quotes 37300-2A950; AS-PL A3316S (130 A, 5 ribs, 57 mm) quotes 2611067; AS-PL A3553S (120 A, 6 ribs, 58 mm) quotes 37300-2E300; AS-PL A3602S (110 A, 6 ribs, 58 mm) quotes 0986083550; AS-PL A9178 (110 A, rigid, 6 ribs, 58 mm) quotes 37300-2B600.
Fitment notes	Match rib count and plug type to the old unit, since the 130 A Bosch units are offered with three different plugs (PL174, PL176 and unspecified); all Bosch and Lucas units here are exchange parts with a refundable core charge and the Bosch units come without the vacuum pump.

A Genuinely Specific, Real Root Cause Worth Knowing — Kia Soul 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.

A genuinely money-saving, real diagnostic finding worth knowing: one documented case saw persistent low charging voltage survive two separate alternator replacements, with the actual cause eventually traced to the alternator not receiving a proper ground connection from the engine. Running a separate, dedicated ground wire resolved it completely.

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 Soul Alternator: Often Blamed on the Battery Instead

Because a weak Kia Soul battery and a dying alternator both cause dim lights, slow starts and charge that won't hold, it's an easy mistake to replace the wrong one first. That mix-up sends plenty of people back to the garage a few weeks later, the real fault still there.

Second-gen Soul

Before you buy: alternator output rating varies by engine size and trim, particularly on cars with more onboard electronics. Always confirm against your VIN before ordering.

Kia Soul Alternator: What It Does

Every time the Kia Soul's engine runs, the alternator is generating the electricity that charges the battery and directly feeds the electrical systems. A properly working alternator leaves the battery mostly responsible for engine starts and short demand spikes — not for running the electronics unaided.

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Kia Soul 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.