Does my new '89 carrera need a rebuilt alternator?

[jkarolyi]

As I mentioned in a previous thread, I pulled into my driveway after a long trip to smell sulfur coming from under the hood. Sure enough, the battery was really hot and steaming up the trunk carpet and underside of the hood. I quickly disconnected the negative lead.

My mechanical mind says "voltage regulator", but are there any other possibilites? The radio died on the owner a few weeks ago...would that have anything to do with it?

Is this the procedure?

1. Scrub the underside of the hood with baking soda? What should I do for the carpets, wash them down?

2. refill the battery with water, jump start car, test voltage at battery (more than 13.5V = bad voltage regulator). Isn't it dangerous to play around with a battery that's been boiled over?

3. Remove alternator and replace voltage regulator. Or should I swap the whole alt out for a rebuilt unit? Where can I buy one for my Carerra? Pelican doesn't sell them, only new ones ($$$).

Thanks for any advice. Can't wait to get her back on the road!

[john walker's workshop]

you can pretty much bet it's been overcharging if it boiled the battery like that. 17V is not uncommon. it would be nice if you could just replace the regulator, but the brushes on it generally carve deep grooves in the commutator ring they run on. the ring is very thin and needs to be replaced. it's too thin to machine. so either get yours rebuilt, or get a new or rebuilt unit.

[jkarolyi]

OK...so I need rebuilt alternator. Who sells these for a decent price? Pelican doesn't stock them...or am I missing something?

[john walker's workshop]

i'm sure there's an auto electric rebuilder in riverside or close. yellow pages.

[ga_mueller]

- I had the same boiling battery. The battery is now probably dead.
- Yes to the baking soda
- Rebuilt from another vendor ($200)
- My DME became unreliable after my battery boiled. It also needed to be rebuilt as a result ($375)