Thats a bitch
I hate Monday's....
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 40,156
Likes: 45
From: San Pedro CA
I hate Monday's....
On our way to work, we stop at the drive thru at the local McDonalds (on Carson and Denker for those of you from SoCal) and smelled this nasty ozone odor....
I then heard the whine... oh, yea, baby, the alternator dropped a brush.
Great. The voltage is down to 11.7, I turn off everything electric, and it peaks back up to 12.5~12.9, but that's about it. One brush is still charging.
I get it home, call NAPA, get another reman (junk, but time is now of the essence) and install same.
Oh, the last couple of weeks, I have been fighting an H15 code... Yesterday, switched over to the coolant display, and guess what! It would hit about 130~140F, and would go
!!!! It would climb to that temp range, then drop to LO, bounce up to 80, drop to 39, up to 67, down to 39, and then start to work again somewhere about 145.
Well, H15 will cause the engine to SHUT DOWN!!!! I would have to flood start it to refire... now I have a new sensor.
See? One helluva Monday morning, eh?
I then heard the whine... oh, yea, baby, the alternator dropped a brush.
Great. The voltage is down to 11.7, I turn off everything electric, and it peaks back up to 12.5~12.9, but that's about it. One brush is still charging.
I get it home, call NAPA, get another reman (junk, but time is now of the essence) and install same.
Oh, the last couple of weeks, I have been fighting an H15 code... Yesterday, switched over to the coolant display, and guess what! It would hit about 130~140F, and would go
!!!! It would climb to that temp range, then drop to LO, bounce up to 80, drop to 39, up to 67, down to 39, and then start to work again somewhere about 145. Well, H15 will cause the engine to SHUT DOWN!!!! I would have to flood start it to refire... now I have a new sensor.
See? One helluva Monday morning, eh?
Team Owner
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 21,473
Likes: 356
From: Palmdale, Ca----- 2009 Cyber Gray 4LT A6 F55 452 RWHP 422 RWTQ- RIP 1998 C5 734 RWHP & 585 RWTQ-----
Not too bad, at least you still can drive your baby! Mine didn't spend the night at home last night. It was at the tranny shop getting(well an improvement!) 2200 stall! Still though the Vette is breathing and so are you!!!
Thanks, Matt
Thanks, Matt
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Race Director
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From: SCMR Rat Pack'r Charter Member..Great Bend KS
Originally Posted by bogus
On our way to work, we stop at the drive thru at the local McDonalds
Shame on you, Bogus!!
Larry
code5coupe
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 7,354
Likes: 2,278
From: Central Maryland
Andy,
You can pick up replacement brushes for your original alternator for a few bucks, and it's one of the easiest repairs you'll ever make. All you'll need is basic hand tools and a paper clip to keep the brushes stowed until the housing's back together. I recommend it!
Glad to hear you survived the First and Second Mondays of the Week. Sour milk = yuck!!!
(PS: your alternator wasn't charging at all if one brush was absent -- without both brushes making contact to the slip rings, there will be no current flowing in the field windings).
Be well,
SJW
You can pick up replacement brushes for your original alternator for a few bucks, and it's one of the easiest repairs you'll ever make. All you'll need is basic hand tools and a paper clip to keep the brushes stowed until the housing's back together. I recommend it!
Glad to hear you survived the First and Second Mondays of the Week. Sour milk = yuck!!!
(PS: your alternator wasn't charging at all if one brush was absent -- without both brushes making contact to the slip rings, there will be no current flowing in the field windings).
Be well,
SJW
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 40,156
Likes: 45
From: San Pedro CA
Originally Posted by rocco16
Bad day to be sure....but, you actually EAT in your Corvette??
Shame on you, Bogus!!
Larry
code5coupe
Shame on you, Bogus!!
Larry
code5coupe
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 40,156
Likes: 45
From: San Pedro CA
Originally Posted by SJW
Andy,
You can pick up replacement brushes for your original alternator for a few bucks, and it's one of the easiest repairs you'll ever make. All you'll need is basic hand tools and a paper clip to keep the brushes stowed until the housing's back together. I recommend it!
Glad to hear you survived the First and Second Mondays of the Week. Sour milk = yuck!!!
(PS: your alternator wasn't charging at all if one brush was absent -- without both brushes making contact to the slip rings, there will be no current flowing in the field windings).
Be well,
SJW
You can pick up replacement brushes for your original alternator for a few bucks, and it's one of the easiest repairs you'll ever make. All you'll need is basic hand tools and a paper clip to keep the brushes stowed until the housing's back together. I recommend it!
Glad to hear you survived the First and Second Mondays of the Week. Sour milk = yuck!!!
(PS: your alternator wasn't charging at all if one brush was absent -- without both brushes making contact to the slip rings, there will be no current flowing in the field windings).
Be well,
SJW
It was making a funny humming sound and smelled strong of ozone... so something died in there. I assumed it was a bad brush.
I didn't have the time to consider rebuilding it... mainly, if it wasn't the brush, I was out that much time to redo it. So screw it.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 7,354
Likes: 2,278
From: Central Maryland
Originally Posted by bogus
interesting point. I thought that the alternator would still generate some power with one good brush.
Originally Posted by bogus
It was making a funny humming sound and smelled strong of ozone... so something died in there. I assumed it was a bad brush.
Originally Posted by bogus
I didn't have the time to consider rebuilding it... mainly, if it wasn't the brush, I was out that much time to redo it. So screw it.
Be well,
SJW
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 40,156
Likes: 45
From: San Pedro CA
You are right... I forget how the alternator works at times... I was thinking a conventional DC generator, I forget they create AC, which then gets rectified... my bad.
the reman I installed was actually a NAPA part this time. I am hoping it's better than the junk at Autozone and such.
I returned the old Kragen POS for core. I just don't have the time to deal with it. One day, when all the projects are done, I am going to order a brand new AC Delco unit... and be done with it.
the reman I installed was actually a NAPA part this time. I am hoping it's better than the junk at Autozone and such.
I returned the old Kragen POS for core. I just don't have the time to deal with it. One day, when all the projects are done, I am going to order a brand new AC Delco unit... and be done with it.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 20,179
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From: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
St. Jude '03 thru '24
Originally Posted by bogus
It was making a funny humming sound and smelled strong of ozone... so something died in there. I assumed it was a bad brush.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 7,354
Likes: 2,278
From: Central Maryland
Originally Posted by JrRifleCoach
Diode Bridge
But he smelled ozone, which indicates arcing was occurring (most likely at a failing brush/slip-ring interface).
But, it's all academic at this point, as he's already turned the dead unit in as a core...
Be well,
SJW
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 40,156
Likes: 45
From: San Pedro CA
Originally Posted by SJW
If Andy had smelled burning electronic components (what we like to call "Allen Bradley Perfume" in the industry), I'd agree it was probably a diode in the rectifier bridge.
But he smelled ozone, which indicates arcing was occurring (most likely at a failing brush/slip-ring interface).
But, it's all academic at this point, as he's already turned the dead unit in as a core...
Be well,
SJW
But he smelled ozone, which indicates arcing was occurring (most likely at a failing brush/slip-ring interface).
But, it's all academic at this point, as he's already turned the dead unit in as a core...
Be well,
SJW
Top that off with a sound and vibration issue.
Something internal was rubbing in a very bad way. I don't think the diode bridge, on it's own, would do all of that.