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Diodes under the back seat??? Posted by RS [Email] ![]() ![]() ![]() In Reply to: diodes in 92 900S, zomar, Sun, 12 Jan 2003 18:30:03 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Marvin would complain about the diodes on his left side hurting, but this is a different matter.
This sounds like he's grasping at straws. The only diodes that might reside under the back seat might be part of the IC that controls the alarm system (which wouldn't cause an alternator to burn out.) He might as well blame sunspots or the Bermuda Triangle.
Has the mechanic actually checked the old alternators or has he just swapped in replacements?
It sounds like the mechanics probably haven't given you an exact diagnosis of the true alternator failure (failed diode pack, failed voltage regulator, etc.), other than to say that it's fried.
I'd suggest taking a look at a few things to narrow down the real cause of the failure:
- The ground wire that connects the alternator to the body of the car may be broken internally or may not be connected at all. This is a common failure point in C900s.
- Any of the ground cables that connect the engine to the car body (right lower side of the radiator yoke, transmission-to-body ground cable, to name 2) may not go to good clean grounds. The ground points on the body and engine need to be cleaned up.
- I assume that these alternators are remanufactured rather than new. Sometimes the old voltage regulator/brush pack is just slapped back in the alternator instead of replacing it with new. The carbon brushes that contact the slip rings on the rotating part of the alternator can be worn below their service limit. The alternator can put out current if they aren't replaced, but it won't be sufficient to charge the battery. Checking them is as simple as undoing 2 screws on the back of the alternator (with a very long screwdriver - it is tight there) and taking the voltage regulator out to check the brushes.
- It's also possible that the harmonic balancer (main pulley) is slipping and keeping the battery from fully recharging.
posted by 66.21.16...
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