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Alternators
An alternator is an old term for electric generator that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy producing alternating current. Alternators are mainly used for recharging batteries and to power electrical loads of vehicles.
4,629 Questions
How can you tell in need a new alternator for a 1997 Honda civic?
Disconnect the batery cable from the battery while the vehicle is running, if it dies, you need a new alternator there, buddy.
Defective voltage rgulator? Mounted inside the alternator
Remove alternator and have it tested
also plausable you may have a poor ground. check the connection by following the neg (-) on your battery to the front radiator support behind your headlight.
How do you test an alternator while the engine is running without having to remove it from the car?
Put a voltmeter on the battery.If it reads 12 volts or less,the alternator is not charging.It should read 13 or 14 volts.Make surte your belt is not loose or broken also.
Why does an alternator charge at idle but drop voltage as it revs?
You may need a new one. It might not be capable of charging as well as it used too.
Were is the alternator relay switch located at on a ford taurus?
should be under plastic panel that covers radiator a black 5 x5 inch squre muli function module bolted to top of radiator support, if your looking for voltage regulator is built in alternator
Can an alternator make a clicking noise if it is dead?
im not sure but in my 2000 Plymouth neon my alternator has been making squeeking noises in the morning when its cold and just recently its been making a clicking noise as the engine is ruvving down or sometime ruvving up, not sure if that has to do with the alternator
How much should it cost to replace a VW Jetta alternator?
A rebuilt alternator is around $90-250 USD according to the year of the unit and whether you have A/C or not. Figure 1 hour to r&r the unit and test at $75 /hr.
How do you test the voltage regulator for a 1967 Land Rover?
You need the test equipment and a bunch of knowhow.
Can a bad starter keep your alternator and battery from charging?
Yes
First if the starter is bad the car will not start, if it will not start it can not charge the battery.
If the starter will not work it can mean there is an electrical problem that will also prevent the alternator from charging the battery
The starter itself CAN NOT CAUSE CHARGING PROBLEMS!
The extra load on the battery can ruin the battery and that can ruin the alternator. But before that NO.
Where is the in line alternator fuse located on a 2002 Chevy 1500 pickup truck?
under the battery or close by
How do you replace the alternator on a 1985 Honda Accord?
It's easy, you just take out the old one and put in a new one, unless the engine is installed in a vehicle! There are a few chioces to get access to the alternator. The method I used last night on my 1985 Honda Accord (carb) was to unbolt and disconnect the old alternator, move it out of the way, remove the alternator bracket, jack up the car with the left front tire floating free, unbolt the strut (the 3 nuts on top), slide the alternator out by turning it over (regulator side out first, top mounting hole down) pushing down against the axle. It is a very tight fit, I used a pry bar to walk the alternator out to the right, along the axle slowly. I think there is just enough give in the motor mounts to not dent the oil pan too much. The new one goes in in reverse order. Don't forget to reconnect the Negative battery cable. The whole job took me 3 hours. Good Luck! PS: This method works easily with a couple of extra hints. 1) Don't forget to disconnect the negative cable in the first place. 2) Secure the strut as far down and back as it can go. I pushed it down with my foot while reaching under the fender to wedge a stick about 10 inches long between the strut and the wheel well. 3) Remove the single bolt securing the motot mount nest to the fender and dismount the electrical connector from the radiator fan bracket to give room for the engine to be levered forward. 4) Lever the engine forward with a long crowbar placed between the driveshaft and the oil pan. With the alternator positioned as above you can wiggle it out by hand and shove the new one in with your foot. This works so well I didn't get too depressed when I realized I had bought the wrong alternator and had to do this all over again. Do compare your new alternator to the old one before you install it. The difference is that carb models have a three-wire connector and fuel-injected models have a four-wire connector.
How do you replace the alternator on a 1998 Mitsubishi Montero Sport?
I hope that i can be of help. I had to replace my alternator. First remove the positive and the negative cables from battery. Take time to look at manner inwhich the belt is woven around the alternator and the pulley, it will have to go back on the same way. Remove the air intake nozzle by removing the 2-10mm bolts on the radiator support. Remove the electrical plug from the back of the alternator. squeeze white clip down with small flat bladed screwdriver and then squeeze the dark gray clip, I found it easier to remove after the belt and bolts were removed. There are two bolts that are holding on the alternator. The top one is a 14mm and the bottom one is a 12mm. The belt tensioner is located between the alternator and the crank pulley. You need to jack up the front of the vehicle and remove the splash pan (4-14mm bolts). Look up and you will see a hex headed bolt on the bottom of the tensioner pulley. Again, 14mm, a little awkward, but a socket and extentsion will clear the lines. Back off generously and you will have enough slack to remove the belt. When replacing, put the top bolt first, then the bottom. Belt back on, double check for alignment, and then go underneath and tighten the bolt to the tensioner until snug, not too tight. The other two belts on this engine all remove and tighten with the same proces. Once you have the correct tension reattach battery cables.
How do you wire a 135 Massey-fergerson with an alternator?
What type of alternator do you want to install? if you have not got one yet, purchase a 1wire self energizing alternator from any good farm parts store, we sell Dixie part number #A1133-1ws, for about $110.00 65amp
Your electrical elements are going up and you need new ones.. same problem happened to me!
What are the precedures for replacing the alternator on a 1993 ford probe gt?
It's kinda of a rough job to do it cuz the alternator is placed at an odd spot. You can get at it from the top but you'd have to take the rad out. If you want , get the car on a hoist and go from under but the a/c compressor would have to be moved.
How do you replace the alternator on a 1991 Chevy Blazer S-10?
I had to do this about a year ago, and it was actually very simple. If you go out and buy an alternator, there are basic directions of what to do, and also having a Haynes manual to fill in the gaps will get you there. I know very little about car repair/maintenance and was able to do this mainly by myself (you might want another person to add some muscle for getting some parts off). even easier, make sure you have the appropriate wrenches, disconnect your battery before doing any work, you can shock yourself... disconnect wires from the alternator, use a wrench on the bolt to losen the belt (follow the belt to the passenger side, it's the next one, now go down about 4-5 inches) remove belt off of alternator, now it's just two bolts on the alternator to take out and you're good to put the new one in... just reverse the process for putting the new one in... i did mine last week... this is exactly how it happened... took about 20 minutes maybe
What does the alternator do in a cars electrical system?
It generates AC [alternating current] electricity which is rectified and converted to 12 volts DC [direct current] for charging the battery and operating electrical devices in the vehicle.
How do you repair a voltage regulator?
If it has gone bad, you should probably replace it. However, if you want to attempt the repair, it would depend on what is wrong with it. Like an electric motor, a voltage regulator commonly has brushes which wear down over time. Perhaps these brushes have worn to the point that they need to be replaced. If this is the case, I recommend changing them at a small repair shop that does that sort of work. Ask around with local handymen or guys at the autoparts store. Someone does it and it will probably cost $20. I don't know if you can buy the brushes to change yourself. You could also replace the voltage regulator by finding one at a junk yard.
How do you check the bad battery or alternator?
The simplest method to check where the problem lies, remove the negative cable. If motor still running problem lies with battery.if not running problem lies alternator .
Can a fuse cause an alternator not give enough output to charge the battery?
No. More likely bad brushes or a bad internal regulator.
You have a wiring problem. Check really close the small wire on the solenoid. This wire is located on the opposite side of the solenoid that the big wire going to the starter is on. These are usually found corroded and/or broken inside the jacket insulation. You can run a jumper wire to test or use a tester.
What affect does a leading power factor have on alternator generator excitation currents?
When a leading power factor load is applied, the voltage of the genset or genset bus rises, and the voltage regulation system reduces exciter power, reducing the strength of the magnetic field. If the field fails, the generator set may slip a pole, which results in potentially catastrophic alternator damage. pawan
How do you replace the alternator on a 1991 Chevy Astro?
On all the Astro/Safari vans I've seen, the alternator is located on the passenger side of the engine.
Recommended tools:
- 8mm box-end wrench or socket (not all will need)
- 10mm DEEP box-end wrench or socket
- 13mm box-end wrench or socket
- 14mm DEEP box-end wrench or socket
- 15mm box-end wrench or socket
- 3-inch socket extension
- 3/8-inch-drive ratchet
- steel "butter knife" or suitable substitute
- teflon tape or other "thread sealer"
If you elect to use a 1/4-inch-drive ratchet in lieu of the 3/8-inch-drive ratchet, limit its use to 10mm-or-smaller sockets: the threaded fasteners in this application having larger heads require greater torque than can be safely and reliably applied using 1/4-inch-drive hardware.
Read this entire procedure first, then decide whether this is a project for you to attempt.
There are significant minor differences to the specific procedures involved, to wit:
(1) Always observe all applicable safety procedures.
(2) Disconnect the cable from the positive (+) battery terminal. For some vans, you will need an 8mm socket or wrench; for others, you will need a 10mm socket or wrench.
(3) The power steering reservoir is in the way on vans having the Z-code engine: leaving the hoses attached and avoiding tipping of the reservoir, remove and save the screws that hold the reservoir to the cowl; then bend the hoses and rest the reservoir on the driver's side of the radiator shroud.
The air filter box is in the way on vans having the W-code engine. Open the clamps that seal the box, remove the filter: the nuts and bolts holding the airbox in place are visible. Remove the airbox, saving the hardware.
(4) The ductwork supplying the engine with fresh air is in the way. Usually, these plastic pieces just click together, but there may be one or more clamps, nuts and/or bolts, or screws holding some of it in place. The offending portion consists of the following pieces:
(a) the lower part that turns the air about 90-degrees, so that the air flows upwards,
(b) the upright section that channels the air upwards (it looks like an accordion's bellows on the Z-code engine),
(c) the upper ductwork connecting the upright section with the air filter housing.
I have heard that some ductwork installations are secured using #2 Phillips threaded fasteners (screws); if yours is such an application, you will also need a #2 Phillips screwdriver.
(5) Remove serpentine belt. The ratcheting tool that looks like a long, flat handle -- it came with the vehicle as part of the lug wrench kit -- has an opening that fits the pulley on the tensioner. Using the tool, loosen the tensioner with one hand and slip the belt off using the other hand.
At this point, whether you need to remove the fan from the front of the engine should be obvious. If you must, be aware that so doing without removing the shroud really isn't going to give you much room (about 1/2 an inch, maybe an inch).
If you need more than that, the shroud has to come off so that you can remove the fan. Although at 13.5 inches (34.3mm) circumference and 14.5 inches (37.9mm) circumference respectively, my forearms and upper arms are rather small, I think that needing to remove the fan to have enough room is a highly unlikely condition.
(6) Remove the engine oil dipstick bracket from the stud holding the alternator to the bracket. The nut securing the dipstick bracket is probably a 10mm. Remove the dipstick bracket from the stud. Be aware the dipstick tube could slide from the engine.
(7) The alternator bracket should be loosened from the front of the engine. Remove the bolts (it should be a trio of 14mm bolts) and save them. This allows the bracket, tensioner and alternator to be tilted away from the engine. At least one bolt may be wet with engine coolant; seal the threads of any such bolt before reinstalling it.
(8) Use an appropriate tool to unclip the plug from the alternator (I used a "butter knife), and remove the red wire from the lug at the back of the alternator. The nut securing the red wire to the alternator is probably a 10mm; the stud in the alternator is probably a 15mm (menitoned just in case the new one needs snugging).
(9) Remove the bolt from the rear of the old alternator holding it to the bracket (either a 13mm or a 14mm); then remove the stud holding the old alternator to the bracket (either a 13mm or a 14mm); then remove the "hinge" bolt holding the old alternator to the bracket (either a 13mm or a 14mm bolt screwed into a 15mm nut).
Installation of the new unit is done by reversing the steps of disassembly.
SAFETY NOTES: Be aware that there can exist pinch hazards during this procedure. Also be aware of the possible hazard of falling tools and/or debris.
Helpful hint: if possible, have someone else hold the bracket/alternator/tensioner assembly in-place while you start the lower 14mm bolt by hand from underneath the passenger side. This makes installing the upper bolts much easier.
Start ALL the bolts before tightening any of them. Generally, it goes pretty quickly if you begin with the "all bolts finger-tight, then all bolts hand (wrench/socket) tight, then all bolts torqued" method.
NOTE: Conspicuously dexterous people may not have to remove the alternator bracket, but in my opinion, the procedure is much easier if this is done. You should never have to remove the doghouse (engine cover inside the van) to replace the alternator. If a mechanic told you he/she did it that way, you should be going to a different mechanic.
There are two bolts visible on the front side of the alternator, and one on the BACK side which you can only feel, not see. The trick to remove this back side bolt is to remove the engine shroud in the passenger compartment, and remove the bolt securing the dip sticks to the firewall. With the dipsticks loose, you can push them aside enough to get a long socket extension on this back-side bolt (might be 10mm, I forget) from the passenger footwell area. An alternate method used by Pros, is to raise the vehicle on a hoist and use a 3-foot socket extension from the ground to reach up to this rear bolt. IMPORTANT NOTE: If this job is done by someone other than yourself, check to make sure this rear bolt was re-installed. Some unscrupulous individuals will omit replacing this bolt because it is such a PITA. You wil have problems a hundred miles down the road, failed alternator, thrown belt, cracked accessory mounting bracket, etc.
