very welcome mike..good luck! i know the process of removing and re-installing the alternator can be a pain..always seems my hands are a hair too big for the job. dave is in concurrence with me, too about the ground strap..
ryan

Yea its a TOTAL PAIN IN THE A$$!!! I always wonder if the german engineers ever meant for these cars to come back apart!

:D

I truly believe that much of the designing was done during Oktoberfest!! http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/wat6.gif

Well I checked and double checked all of the connections on the alternator and they are all hooked up correctly. I dont really know what to start checking from here. Any suggestions?

Mike

You may want to have an electrical shop load test it. On one occasion I ended up removing mine three times. By the last time I was very efficient at taking it out. I removed it the first time because the light was on. Installed the rebuilt unit. It ran about a day then the light came on again. Removed it and found one of the brushes was sticking in the holster and not touching the commutator. Fixed that and put it back in. Alternator ran one week. Pulled it again to find the spring that holds down the brush had snapped allowing the brush to back out. Fixed that and the alternator lasted about 10 years.

Another time I found one of the solder joints on one diode had cracked from age, heat, and vibration. The crack was not visible but was enough that the alternator light would come on. It only showed up when the diode was wiggled under load. I had all the joints sucked free of the old stuff and new solder put in.

In summary, I would:

1) pull the alternator again
2) check that the commutator brushes move up and down freely
3) check the brush hold down springs
4) Have it tested under load to see if the charging voltage holds while the diodes are wiggled

Of course the suggestions by the others are possibilities as well but these are areas where I've personally experienced issues.

So you don't feel it's a total rework effort, polish your fan while it's out.

Good luck

Thanks for the suggestions autobonrun, Looks like its coming out for the 3rd and hopefully final time!

Mike

has a check of systme voltage still not been donw with engine running? still could be something as simple as the ext vr..
ryan

Mike,

I've been following this thread with interest (as you might imagine). One test you can try if you still have everything hooked up is to look at the field voltage from the regulator with the engine running. I'm not sure what color the wire is on your regulator but if there is a lable it should be DF (the F stands for field). This wire is how the regulator controls the output of the alternator. When the voltage output of the alternator is low as is the case on your car, the regulator will raise the voltage on the field to try to get the alternator to increase it's voltage. The field voltage should be high if the regulator is working. By high I'd guess it should be around the same as your battery voltage (about 12 volts). If this wire is low (less than 5 volts) then I think your regulator is bad. I'm kind of guessing at these numbers but hopefully the voltage will be about zero or 12 and that will resolve the issue.

You may be able to have the alternator tested at Autozone (probably need to put a pulley on it somehow. If the alternator really is the problem I'll buy it back from you.

-Andy

think an alternator shop might be able to bench test your vr..i'd do that if they can before pulling the mother****er again.. ;)
ryan

I've also been following this. I thought my alternater was bad after some dim lights after a little run, and almost stalling out at a stop sign 3 times. But let me know what you think. I had my battery tested in the car at my shop. It read about 12 at idle. At 2000 RPM, it showed high 11's and said "not up to specs". Now, my voltage meter has not worked for about 6 months. I hooked it up this week and it shows about 14 at 65MPH. Good, I think. Now the question??? Would having a volt meter NOT hooked up cause a drain? Would having it disconnected cause a "break" in the circut showing the battery, or having the battery go down. Thanks for any help.

I agree. Perform every test possible before it's pulled again, including the item you mention.

I was starting under the assumption that everything else tested good. A bad VR is definitely a possibility.

It costs extra but I've always replaced my VR when I've replaced my alternator. Just a personal choice and it may be unnecessary, but I've been more comfortable replacing the entire charging circuit. You can never tell if a bad VR caused an alternator problem or vice versa.

and the battery? take it to a napa and let them put a load on it. it may have dead cells as i indicated earlier. these alternators DO NOT perform well when they're constantly forced to shore up a dying battery..
ryan

I really appreciate all of the help guys! I didnt even bother working on it today because im just so ****** frustrated with it right now. Tom i will take the battery in to get tested and the VR bench tested. Hopefully ill get this resolved soon.

Eagledriver- Even if the alt. is the problem I am planning on keeping it and getting it rebuilt or whatever needs to be fixed, fixed. I appreciate the offer though.

Mike

good plan..