Do you mean any 245mm diameter shroud can be machined to 106mm depth? Good to know. These things seem to be in high demand.

More than one way to skin the cat.

I just heard back from the shop and the alternator tested out perfectly! Good news for sure but now I've got to figure out the real source of the problem. I'll recheck grounds. Tell me if these are all of them:

- Battery to body - checked and replaced with new cable, battery terminals cleaned. Battery 1 year old.
- Body to trans - removed and cleaned trans end but body end was inaccessible. Meter showed continuity and no resistance between body and strap. I'll take another shot at the body end.
- Alternator to engine - attached to engine case bolt so I'm not removing that one. About an inch of insulation is torn at the engine end of the wire and the exposed wire is a little rusty but not broken. Could this be a problem? I can replace that wire but where else could it attach for a good ground?
- Alternator to air blower in engine bay (according to Bentley diagram). I haven't checked this one but does it have anything to do with the charging system?

When removing ground wires, I clean the wire terminal and the attachment area with a wire wheel on a dremel and then use a dab of DeOxit before reattaching.

Why doesn't my alternator dash light indicate a problem?

The mystery continues and suggestions are welcomed.

The other good thing is that I caught the disintegrating fan shroud before that time bomb exploded!

Gordon

I managed to find a decent fan housing and am preparing to reinstall everything. What about this ground wire from the alternator to the engine? The insulation is brittle from the heat and has broken away about an inch from the end. The wires are a little corroded but intact. Continuity and resistance is good. Normally I would just replace with new but I don't want to loosen or remove that engine bolt to do so and I'm not sure where else to attach a new wire. Any thoughts?

Thanks as always
Gordon

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1601664313.jpg

Change it. One nut removed and reinstalled isn’t going to cause a problem.

Yea, it is just one bolt while the engine is NOT running so no forces on the case.

Remove the nut, change the wire, and torque to spec.

Does anyone know offhand the torque spec of that nut?

I went ahead and removed and replaced that ground wire. Thanks for the reassurances.

After I clean up this new/old housing that's covered in flaking silver paint I'll get it all back together. I'm anxious to see if my charging problem has been resolved.

18ftlb.

Thanks John.

All buttoned back up and charging at 14.4 volts. Now for a test run to see if the intermittent charging problem persists.

To wrap up this thread, I've now put on 200 miles since repairs and the voltmeter stays steady between 13.8 - 14.2 volts so I think the problem is fixed. I'd say the intermittent voltage problem was due to that corroded alternator ground wire.

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I am now much better informed about alternator r & r and more confident to take more lengthy drives this fall.

FYI: colors here in the Ozarks will be peaking in the next couple of weeks and are better than the past few years. Great time for a scenic drive!

My magnesium story:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/1029154-fan-shroud.html