Alternator failure -- twice!

Electric Comet > wrote:
(Scott Dorsey) wrote:
>
>> They take the whole thing apart and check all the individual parts.
>> They replace all wear items like brushes, bushings, and bearings. If
>> a winding is bad they'll replace it. They'll test the rectifiers and
>> regulator circuit and replace anything bad on it. They'll put it
>> back together and load test it.
>
>seems to be that these kinds of shops are fewer and farther between
>the nature of the throw-away manuf/engineering designs of most things
>now

This is absolutely true, this is why we need to support those few shops
that are still operating and keep them in business!

I'll put in a good word for my local shop, Dixie Electric in Hampton, VA.
They have also rebuilt wiper motors, fan motors, and once a servomotor
from a plotter...
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On Fri, 20 Feb 2015 14:42:14 -0800, Electric Comet
> wrote:

>On 20 Feb 2015 15:03:30 -0500
(Scott Dorsey) wrote:
>
>> Possibly. If so, they'll probably tell you it's not worth rebuilding.
>
>this is good
>
>> They take the whole thing apart and check all the individual parts.
>> They replace all wear items like brushes, bushings, and bearings. If
>> a winding is bad they'll replace it. They'll test the rectifiers and
>> regulator circuit and replace anything bad on it. They'll put it
>> back together and load test it.
>
>seems to be that these kinds of shops are fewer and farther between
>the nature of the throw-away manuf/engineering designs of most things
>now
>

They rebuild most alternators. Throwing it away is throwing away a
30-50 buck core charge.

On 2/20/2015 5:01 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
> Electric Comet > wrote:
>> (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
>>
>>> They take the whole thing apart and check all the individual parts.
>>> They replace all wear items like brushes, bushings, and bearings. If
>>> a winding is bad they'll replace it. They'll test the rectifiers and
>>> regulator circuit and replace anything bad on it. They'll put it
>>> back together and load test it.
>>
>> seems to be that these kinds of shops are fewer and farther between
>> the nature of the throw-away manuf/engineering designs of most things
>> now
>
> This is absolutely true, this is why we need to support those few shops
> that are still operating and keep them in business!
>
> I'll put in a good word for my local shop, Dixie Electric in Hampton, VA.

I wouldn't patronize anything that had the word Dixie in it.

> They have also rebuilt wiper motors, fan motors, and once a servomotor
> from a plotter...

Is it from a circa 70's vintage Calcomp X-Y Plotter?

> --scott

On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 5:26:18 PM UTC-6, . wrote:
> On 2/20/2015 5:01 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
> > Electric Comet > wrote:
> >> (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
> >>
> >>> They take the whole thing apart and check all the individual parts.
> >>> They replace all wear items like brushes, bushings, and bearings. If
> >>> a winding is bad they'll replace it. They'll test the rectifiers and
> >>> regulator circuit and replace anything bad on it. They'll put it
> >>> back together and load test it.
> >>
> >> seems to be that these kinds of shops are fewer and farther between
> >> the nature of the throw-away manuf/engineering designs of most things
> >> now
> >
> > This is absolutely true, this is why we need to support those few shops
> > that are still operating and keep them in business!
> >
> > I'll put in a good word for my local shop, Dixie Electric in Hampton, VA.
>
> I wouldn't patronize anything that had the word Dixie in it.
>
> > They have also rebuilt wiper motors, fan motors, and once a servomotor
> > from a plotter...
>
> Is it from a circa 70's vintage Calcomp X-Y Plotter?
>
> > --scott

Graves Auto Electric (the shop less than one mile West of me) and Neely's Auto Electric and Weeks Auto Electric, over here.

>On 2/20/2015 5:01 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
>> Electric Comet > wrote:
>>> (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
>>
>> They have also rebuilt wiper motors, fan motors, and once a servomotor
>> from a plotter...
>
>Is it from a circa 70's vintage Calcomp X-Y Plotter?

It was a 1970s Tektronix plotter. Better software support than the Calcomp,
I thought.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

> There is an auto electric shop about a mile from me. Alternator, or
> starter motor, I always take them to that shop and let them rebuild
> them for me.

There was a great rebuild shop‹old fashioned, dirty floor, plywood sales
counter. They folded shop 1 or 2 years ago. The problem is that everyone went
to McParts and bought their crappy rebuilds. Pretty soon there's not much
business marching in the door.

On Tue, 17 Feb 2015 23:26:34 -0800, Sparky > wrote:

>> I've been told that things that cause problems include bad grounding
>> of the alternator and bad batteries.
>
>The battery was replaced at the same time as was the alternator: 5 months ago
>(corrected from my original post).*
>
>Measurement of battery cables: from battery cable (+) terminal to alternator
>(+) terminal: 1.5 ohms. From battery cable (-) terminal to chassis: 1.5
>ohms.*
>
>Charging numbers with new alternator & 5 months old battery:
>With partially (50%?) depleted battery, when the car was started and engine
>revved, the new alternator output 34 amps, headlights off. With lights on
>high, output was 44 amps. Charge voltage was 14.04 volts. These numbers are
>within those specified in the Toyota factory manual (charge current: ³30A or
>more²; charge voltage: ³13.9-15.1².*
>
>Thanks.

Assuming you are using a decent ohmmeter, those numbers seem rather
high to me. My + reads zero ohms and my - varies depending on what I
measure between about 0 to 1 ohm. I don't think your numbers can be
correct. V=IR. Plugging your amp and ohm numbers in you'd have
V=34x1.5 => V drop of 51 volts thru the + batter cable, which isn't
even possible for a 12 volt system. IF the alternator was keeping teh
battery charged before it bit the dust I'd be inclined to think you
are getting bad alternators.

> Assuming you are using a decent ohmmeter, those numbers seem rather
> high to me.

Yeah, I decided to go back and measure voltage drops instead of ohms:

- Charge current: 60-55A (decreased this much during my measurements)
- (-) battery term to chassis: 0.01v
- alternator frame to (-) battery terminal: 0.07v
- (+) alternator to (+) battery term: 0.3v

So all seems OK now.

On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 5:47:03 PM UTC-5, Electric Comet wrote:
> On 20 Feb 2015 15:03:30 -0500
> (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
>
> > Possibly. If so, they'll probably tell you it's not worth rebuilding.
>
> this is good
>
> > They take the whole thing apart and check all the individual parts.
> > They replace all wear items like brushes, bushings, and bearings. If
> > a winding is bad they'll replace it. They'll test the rectifiers and
> > regulator circuit and replace anything bad on it. They'll put it
> > back together and load test it.
>
> seems to be that these kinds of shops are fewer and farther between
> the nature of the throw-away manuf/engineering designs of most things
> now



You also have remanufactured parts and rebuilt parts. There is a big difference between the two