Quote:
Originally Posted by ischmitz
The diodes are rectifiers. They convert the AC current into a DC current. As I said in my previous post the bad diode WILL cause issues. It will confuse the regulator and over time break the battery.
You made the comment that you keep the battery on a battery minder over night. This and the fact that your alternator now puts out a DC and AC voltage lead to wrong readings with a simple multimeter. The AC confuses the DC voltmeter. You need an oscilloscope. A correct way to test the battery is to switch on the headlights without the engine running for maybe 10 minutes. This will remove surface charges. The with the engine running and the system under load check for a clean DC and voltage level.
Depending on the type of alternator and your tools you might be able to do the replacement by yourself. However, there still is the issue of sourcing the part. These diodes come premounted on a heatsink and are not readily available at your friendly autoparts store.
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Strange....
The converter in my MH charges my battery just fine with PURE full-wave rectified AC(DC "pulses") voltage.
Alternators NEVER supply DC voltage for battery charging, only full-wave rectified AC. The battery itself provides the "smoothing" of the pulsating DC. A shorted diode typically results in the alternator overheating and soon failing but in the meantime functioning fairly normally.