things i learned over the past 12 days about alternator install.

[47silver]

Problem: Over the course of a month the alternator light stayed on longer and longer, finally the battery died. Recharged the battery checked voltage at the battery and the voltages were below 13 and falling as I turned on lights etc.

Wanted alternator without voltage regulator immediately (so I called a local import place and they only had a rebuilt in stock. I picked it up.

The replacement alternator was a bosch rebuilt and looked perfect. Came with new nut, woodruff key and race.

Installation:

Tools needed: sockets
• (deep well and regular) 8mm, 10 mm, 13 mm.
• Allen socket to fit the fan housing strap,
• 22 mm socket and wrench for the alternator bolts
• Fan pulley tool.
• Metal file. 3/16” or so wide to file any woodruff key slot burrs that are on the fan..
• screwdrivers. \
• Heat gun.
• soldering iron, (butane soldering tool is nice for heavy wires but always have water and fire extinguisher ready.
• Rubber mallet.
• Hammer.
• Wood blocks
• Wood box or an 6 inch plastic coupling.
• Long extendable magnet.

Materials and parts.
• various size stake-on connectors and heat shrink type connectors to replace any wire and connector that looks like it needs refreshed.
• Extra alternator shims.
• Good wire solder.
• Nylock nuts get 12 of them for the back of the alternator.
• Washers for the nylock nuts.
• Long bolts if you can get them to replace the ones in the alternator so that the air guide will fit.
• Black electrical tape.
• Sandpaper
• New ground strap for the alternator ground to engine.
• Anti-sieze, anti sieze, anti sieze.
• Resistor for low rpm charge excitation. May or may not be needed. I could not find one local so purchase it at Pelican and keep on hand. You could use 3-250 ohms in parallel to give about 84 ohms if you can find them with a 5 watt rating.

Remove the alternator: this has been covered in other posts so I am not going to elaborate other than to suggest that you remove the engine covers on both sides of the alternator that are held on with 10mm socket head bolts/screws. Allows you to maneuver the alternator easy and the left one has to be removed to get the air guide out.

Getting alternator out of the fan housing: I used 2 blocks of wood and dropped the housing about a foot, it popped out.

Getting fan off: I used a 6 inch plastic coupling and had the fan straddle it with a thick rolled towel at the bottom. Put the nut on the shaft and hit the shaft with a brass or heavy plastic hammer. To be honest I had to hammer it off with a metal hammer and ruined the nut before it came off. The wood box works too.

After fan is off:

Inspect the fan slip the woodruff key into the slot. If the key does not go in easy then file the burrs off. It will make it easier to put on the fan later.

I also recommend that you get the alternator rebuilt and do not turn it in as a core. They are getting harder to get and with a rebuilt one you will have piece of mind.

Advice that I should have taken myself: buy an australian alternator from Pelican Parts, life will be easier. I went through 2 bosch rebuilts and finally bought a new Valeo with internal alternator.

I picked up a the rebuilt and installed it. Alternator light was on continuously. I thought I may have pulled out a wire and began a 3 day investigation. I ended up replacing a lot of bad wires and found a short at the blower fan. But after installing the alternator 3 or 4 times I took it to a local alternator shop (Stellar) in Pittsburgh. I also took the old one in.

Advice: if you have an external voltage regulator take that to the repair shop and it can be checked as a system.

Stellar found that the rebuilt bossch was bad and that the old alternator brush plate had disintegrated inside. He never saw that and knows the Porsche alternators.

I took the rebuilt back, they ordered a replacement. I picked it up the next day (should have used Pelican) and not wanting to have another bad rebuilt I took it for testing. Stellar looked at the replacement and found that wires were loose and that a diode was broken. 2 bad rebuilds. I called the import parts place and they said that they could get a new one the next day and would sell it to me at their cost.

The new alternator is a Valeo with an integral voltage regulator. Looks nice but none of the terminals are marked. There are only 3 but there are not marked so do a search on Pelican for the proper wiring as there was not any diagram in the box.

This alternator did not have a woodruff key so save the old one. It did have a new nut.

Check the fit of the fan belt clamping cap as it may need enlarged to fit the new shaft. Yes I had to enlarge it.

The alternator fits perfectly and the bolts are long enough to allow fastening the air guide. I tapped it into the fan shroud using the 6 inch piece of plastic coupling as a backing block and a large rubber mallet. The alternator was perfectly flush the second time. The first time it was not and bound on the fan housing..

I next installed the fan. Yes I forgot the woodruff key, but remembered it after I started the car. Yes I had to take it apart again so don’t forget it.

I recommend installing the fan so that you can assure that it spins properly. I installed it the first time after I had the fan shroud in the car mounted and wired and it bound as the alternator was not seated correctly. Learn by my mistakes seat it outside of the car and put on the fan with woodruff key to make sure it runs true before putting it in the car.

Also remember to install the alternator to engine ground strap and make sure it is not in the way of the housing when installing. Yes this was in the way with me.

NOTE: The original altnernator in my car had a bad stator, which needed rewound, the alternator guy said that it could have gotten progressively bad. The car runs bettter with the new alternator.

To keep some type of organization, I keep my tools on a tool chest on the right side and all parts on the left side.

I drove the car and re-tightened the belt.

The alternator is working perfectly and the light does not stay

My old alternator is getting rebuilt, so we will have a spare.

[CT944]

Damn, this scares me!

[Paul Crowther]

For my 82SC, I went for the new unit from Pelican w/internal regulator (as my original).

Install was a bit tedious but simple and had no problems afterward. A good job for the amateur as it's mostly an unscrew/unbolt job, and you'll learn a bit about the top of your engine and bay.

Paul

[Wil Ferch]

I'm kinda partial to this tech article.....

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/911_volt_reg_replace/911_volt_reg_replace.htm

[Paul Crowther]

I guess you would be....
P

[Wil Ferch]

yeah...lame attempt at a joke...glad you got it ...

Still...some of the same issues came up and are listed.