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Stupid alternator question...

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Fargo

07-18-2003 11:47:05

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Every time an alternator goes bad, I open it up, clean the brushes, and clean wire connections and Presto! they work again. Am I just lucky or is this the only real problem they ever have. Do the bearings ever die? What else goes?

Would like to know.

Thanks, this board is the best.

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Oldfarmboy Jim

07-19-2003 13:17:54

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Re: Stupid alternator question... in reply to Fargo, 07-18-2003 11:47:05

Fargo, You made your own luck. You've exercised your common sense! "Something's broke, let's take it apart and see if we can fix it." Back on the farm, we used to call this "plain old horse sense." In a throw-away society, everyone is geared to remove and replace the non-functioning higher assembly. You've chosen to find the offending individual part. I'll wager that you enjoyed doing it AND saved yourself some money. The men that I knew when I was a boy on the farm some 50 years ago, took great delight in being self-reliant and able to figure things out for themselves. They were great teachers and they taught me a lot about machines and the value of careful observation. Many of the folks that post on these discussion boards are the same way (you included). Everyone CAN make their own luck. My hat is off to you for relying on your brains instead of your pocketbook. I hope you enjoy your tractors as much as I enjoy the ones I repair for a friend. Jim

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MarkB

07-18-2003 19:14:11

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Re: Stupid alternator question... in reply to Fargo, 07-18-2003 11:47:05

Alternator bearing failures used to be quite common, but serpentine belts with spring tensioners have almost eliminated them. I recall taking my Chevy pickup into the dealer for an oil change. The "mechanic" informed me that the alternator bearing was about to go. Well, it did--100,000 miles and six years later!

Alternators used to be quite repairable, but the new style GM alternators can't be easily repaired because there's no easy way to get the diode pack out. And it's difficult to find someone who will sell you the parts. I prefer to repair alternators if I can; my experience with rebuilds is that they're mostly junk. I've had far more "rebuilt" alternators fail prematurely than alternators I've fixed myself.

Note that an alternator may appear to be working fine even though it has one or more blown diodes. That's because it only needs two good diodes to put out something. The only way to be sure is to disconnect the diodes from the stator and ohm them out.

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K.B.

07-18-2003 17:17:42

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Re: Stupid alternator question... in reply to Fargo, 07-18-2003 11:47:05

Yes, bearings do quit, but you will hear them squealing for quite a while before it dies, which gives you advanced warning to rebuild. Diodes quit, regulators fail, windings short out, brushes wear down, of course. I'd say you're lucky.

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sebas

07-18-2003 12:53:10

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Re: Stupid alternator question... in reply to Fargo, 07-18-2003 11:47:05

Becareful with the bearings. I replace the bearings of the combine alternator wevery two years. My father had a bad experience with the bearings of an old generator and burn the combine many years ago.

Goog luck

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Howard Yoshida

07-18-2003 12:06:51

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Re: Stupid alternator question... in reply to Fargo, 07-18-2003 11:47:05

Aloha, Usually when my alternator goes bad, it's the diode trio. One time it was the internal regulator but I also never had any problems with the bearings.
Now days I usually get a rebuilt because the parts cost almost as much as the rebuilt.

Mahalo,
Howard

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Randy

07-18-2003 11:57:37

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Re: Stupid alternator question... in reply to Fargo, 07-18-2003 11:47:05

I have always heard that there are diodes inside that short out or go bad. I think you have just been lucky. When my alternators have died they were dead.

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John

07-18-2003 14:43:33

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Re: Re: Stupid alternator question... in reply to Randy, 07-18-2003 11:57:37

I like to grease the bearings when I open them up. A shiny commutator is a happy commutator. Use very fine sandpaper when polishing the commutator.

Now a days, one seldom finds an alternator that goes bad.

Alternator rebuilding

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