1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Lee - - From everything I've read the Bosch voltage regulators in these alternators are perpetual. They include the brush holders and brushes, made in one piece. The brushes DO wear.
The brushes, usually replaced in a piece with a new voltage regulator, are the most common failure item on an alternator. They're a wear item and can actually be bought separately and installed by soldering, for those savvy enough and cheap enough.
If the alternator is not charging, you should be seeing a battery warning light on the dash, as well as experiencing the battery gradually dying while running. Are you seeing that warning light?
If the light is on, or flickering, or coming on and then going off, probably you have bad brushes. Or, as others have said, the ground wire from alternator case to the head is missing or internally broken.
On very high mileage alternators, which most originals now often are on these cars, the copper slip rings where the brushes run are often ridged or deeply grooved and that can also make trouble and short life for new brushes.
The voltage regulator with brushes can actually be changed without anything other than one very long phillips screwdriver, leaving alternator in place, after disconnecting the negative battery cable. Screwdriver needs to be angled, and held firmly down into the screw head.
But first you should know if that's the problem. Everyone says not to do this but my favorite test of whether an alternator is charging is, start car, loosen negative battery cable and twist it loose and pull it off, briefly. If the car dies when it stops contacting the battery post, the alternator is not charging.
Another possibility why a car won't crank is a badly corroded positive battery cable, up inside the insulation. Or just cable clamp very corroded and not fitting the post properly from being deformed by overtightening.
posted by 71.173.8...
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