Date: Sun, 30 Oct 2011 14:21:09 -0500
Reply-To: Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Alternator Troubleshooting
In-Reply-To: <CAK-ud2jq+u7xmdyQ5gDMavi+ztM0Ow6gQ88SLHRpwCs+qX_22Q@mail.gmail.com>
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I quickly realized
> that the pulley’s were different between the alternator in the van and the
> rebuilt one in the box, so no-go for a quick and easy swap since I don’t
> have an air compressor strong enough to power an air-wrench to ‘bump’ the
> retaining nut on the pulleys. Tried holding it with a vice and such, but
> really it’s on there tight.
>
You can hold the alternator body in a vice, gently and padded with
cardboard, and hold the pulley with an oil filter strap wrench while you
put a socket on the nut.
Jim
>
> So, some quick testing with a voltmeter:
>
> Test 1: with the engine running, I put my positive lead on terminal B and
> the negative lead on terminal D. The voltage was 7.1V. Battery light still
> on dash.
>
>
>
> Thinking this is a bad voltage regulator or brushes, I pulled the voltage
> regulator out. A little grimey at the metal contacts, but the brushes
> looked fine. Cleaned the grime off and re-installed the regulator. Restart
> the engine and check voltage across terminals B and D and I get 7.1V.
> Battery light still on dash.
>
>
>
> Just for kicks, I pulled the regulator out again compared it against the
> one in the new alternator from FLAPs and they look identical physically.
>
>
>
> Test 2: Installed the new voltage regulator into my old alternator. Started
> the engine and tested across terminals B and D and I get 6.9V. A few other
> measurements at this point (wish I had taken them in previous tests):
>
> Terminal B to alternator housing: 11.75v, dropping to 11.5v after about 30
> seconds
>
> Terminal D to alternator housing: 4.57v
>
>
>
> So, given that information and testing, I’m thinking either I have a bad
> alternator (diode, perhaps) or I’m chasing down the wrong path altogether.
>
>
>
> One other caveat to mention: on my original alternator, the suppression
> condenser was not mounted the same as the new alternator from FLAPs (which
> was connected to terminal W and the alternator housing). Mine has had the
> connector cut off and mounted to Terminal D, and the condenser itself had
> the hole enlarged and mounted to terminal B. Don’t know that this would
> cause an issue, but thought I’d mention it. It’s been this way since I
> acquired the van earlier this year.
>
>
>
> Any thoughts or advice on other things to check? Or, next steps to take? Do
> I replace the alternator at this point (find a way to swap the pulleys or
> get a replacement one with the correct pulley)?
>
>
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Gregg
>
>
>
> 91 Westy (Blueberry)
>
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