jmgtp

It failed about 30 miles from home. I was worried given that it was raining which meant added load of lights, wipers and the fact that I have an electric water pump. Luckily it was highway travel so it was pretty quick and I made it home - 11.9 volts when I pulled in my garage. It's on a slow charge now to restore the battery.

Is it worth a rebuild? I've never rebuilt one myself, are specialized tools required? Procedures?

I just don't like the thought of a rebuilt in China/Mexico unit going in the car. I've put those "A" store cheap rebuilds in other cars. Some never had a problem, others failed repeatedly. C4s are miserably hot under the hood, I feel that one of those cheapies is asking for trouble.

What do you all do? 1994 LT1.
21 years ain't bad for an alternator!

Hot Rod Roy

Yes, I've rebuilt several alternators. Are you okay with electrical work? Check with your favorite parts sources for a rebuild kit for your car. You may need a high wattage soldering gun to replace the diodes. The internal regulators are usually a bolt-in replacement. Do you have a DVM to check the diodes? Do you know how to test a diode? Brushes are easy to replace. I've never found a bad winding in the alternators I've rebuilt, but check them to be sure they're isolated from the case.

jmgtp

Thanks for the reply - I do have a DVM and decent electrical background (dad is a retired electrical engineer, taught me a few things). I'm going to give this a go. My main concern was dealing with the brushes on reassembly. I watched the below linked video and I'm very confident I can get this done.

This is an excellent video-
http://youtu.be/riYZssdSmXY

kimmer

Go for it, what have you got to lose.

Hot Rod Roy

The video didn't get to the brush reassembly procedure. Notice the small holes in the brush holder? Look for holes thru the back of the alternator housing that line up with these small holes. For reassembly push the brushes up into the brush holder, then slide a wire (straightened paper clip) thru the back of the housing and thru the brush holder holes to retain the brushes up inside the brush holder. After the alternator is assembled, pull these wires out of the back of the housing, which lets the brushes snap against the slip rings on the rotor. Your done!

jmgtp

There is a part 2 of the video - I didn't link it. But as you say, a pin through the housing that holds the brushes back until the 2 halves are reassembled. I'm pricing out the parts now. It seems like I can get them for less than a rebuilt unit of questionable quality, keep the factory original alternator in the car and have the satisfaction of repairing it myself. An all around win. I'll be sure to take some pictures and can create a post for the rebuild.

jmgtp

Oh, here is the other link to part 2:
http://youtu.be/vKbX7mezuFM

jmgtp

I just went to pull the alternator out and found the + lead not connected! The terminal actually broke off the wire. I'm not sure if it grounded out anywhere - I'll have to check it for continuity. I believe that it's protected by a fusible link that would be fried it it grounded out.

Looks like tight space to make the repair to the wire, but doable. So I guess the alternator is OK.

WVZR-1

The stud and nut are still intact on the alternator and the "ring terminal" on the wire has been demolished?

jmgtp

That is correct. Not sure how it happened as the alternator is bolted down tight - no movement. The ring that was crimped to the wire looked almost as if it was bent back and forth until it snapped off.

jmgtp

I'm having trouble finding an appropriate terminal ring to replace the broken one. I believe the wire is 10 gauge but the issue is that everything I find is very flimsy and cheap looking. Aanyo e have a source for a quality one up to alternator duties?

The broken one looked fatigued, like a paperclip bent back and forth too many times. Odd consider there should be no motion.

70ZZ3 96LT4

Have you found a compatible wire yet? Just wanted to tell you that you can test your alternator to see if the internal voltage regulator is responsible for a no charge problem. At the back of the alternator you can use a small screw driver and touch a part just inside the rear case to ground this part. If your alternator begins to charge, this will tell you that only the internal voltage regulator needs replacement.

jmgtp

I wanted to close my thread out by saying I did find a terminal ring on Amazon. I actually bought a few different ones hoping one would fit.

The "Panduit LCB8-10-L Code Conductor Lug" fit best. It is solid copper and so much thicker/heavy duty than the original lug. I did have to drill the lug hole a few sizes bigger to fit the post on the alternator. I removed the remnant of the old lug and crimped this new lug on. The shank of the lug is longer so I used two layers of shrink tube to insulate it.

I also want to mention that I found out why it broke. My alternator was loose!

The long story is I have fabricated aluminum rocker covers and used a small offset bracket (I made it, about 1/2 inch) to swing the alternator out enough to clear the cover. The problem was the bolt that secures the bracket to the aluminum alternator mount was loose and allowed a slight amount of free play, just enough that I could feel it when I tried to rock the alternator by hand. Multiply that action by a running engine and in a few short years the terminal ring is fatigued and finally breaks.

I decided my bracket was not a good solution and instead clearanced the alternator case using a bench mounted grinding wheel. I had to take hardly any material off to get a proper fit.

The rear alternator bracket that bolts to a manifold stud has not been used. It doesn't want to fit with the covers I use and the headers but after this experience I think I need to figure that out. I've seen some guys use electrical conduit crushed on the ends. I'm not sure how effective that is though since that conduit is flimsy enough to bend by hand.