R50 Alternator issues

[Buzzard95]

Installing my 3rd Valeo rebuilt alternator this year in my 2004 R50, all from O'Reilly. First time I replaced the tensioner, and the last time I replaced the battery, water pump and filed the ground connection cable terminals (passenger) side of engine compartment) as well. Drove to O'Reilly & had it tested and they said bad voltage regulator. These guys are great for no hassle replacement of defective parts, but I'm getting tired of dismantling the front end to get at the alternator. I noticed that the F-39 5A fuse also services the power steering pump fan as well as a connection to the alternator (per the Bentley manual). (what is this connection for? the warning light?) since Mini has a recall out for this fan, could it be affecting the alternator? can I just unplug the fan & drive it to see what happens? Love the car, but I spend more time with it up on jack stands than on the road. What else can I do before putting the front end back together. All suggestions short of finding a nearby cliff are welcome.

[Buzzard95]

Anybody out there? Since the original post, Installed my 3rd Valeo rebuilt alternator from O'Reilly, cleaned the ground strap connections and the bus connections on either side of the engine compartment, and the ground under the #3 fuse panel. After reassembly, battery voltage is only 12.06 V at idle measured at the battery terminals. Took alternator out & this time had O'Reilly bench test it, and it checked good (13.6V at idle, 14.5 at RPM limit (of the tester) How can I check to see if various components are loading down the system to that extent? What can I disconnect & still run the engine without blowing up the ECU or something else?

[Buzzard95]

As a test, I ran a new 3' battery cable from the alternator to the battery terminal. Amazingly, the battery now shows charging @ 14.5V. So the problem seems to be the connection from the alternator to the starter, which is the way BMW wired it. Now I just need to decide if it's worth pulling the starter to fix the connection, pulling the starter & replacing it, or just drive it with my bypass wire.