Cooked Alternator

[Denis R]

Alternator is Remy 100 Amp on Beta 35. Last week:

Tuesday noticed fluctuating voltage on Smartgauge, both battery banks, settled down again.

Wednesday engine wouldn't crank, replaced battery as battery tester indicated low cell, no improvement, found broken engine earthing strap. Changed strap and all well.

Sunday, engine suddenly starts hunting on tick over in Buckby Bottom Lock. Settles down again. Half hour later, discover engine cover is red hot, alternator is boiling, Smartgauge Domestic bank reading 97% and 13.65Volts.... (Usually a steady 14.4V at that charge level)

Switch off engine, no alternator warning light on Domestic..... Disconnect alternator drive belt.

Next morning batteries are down to 48% and alternator warm but not boiling. Guess the batteries are discharging through the alternator. Disconnect alternator completely and charge batteries through generator. Smartgauge giving sensible readings.

So, here are the questions:

1) What is the likely failure?

2) Is there a chance the windings have survived?

3) Before I put my spare alternator on, is there anything in particular I need to check first?

4) Is this a 'user serviceable' alternator?

 

PS I got an alternator for £48 off eBay - it's the same as used on many Vauxhall Zafiras. The pulley is wrong and needs changing over but it's form and fit the same.

[RobinJ]

Alternator is Remy 100 Amp on Beta 35. Last week:

Tuesday noticed fluctuating voltage on Smartgauge, both battery banks, settled down again.

Wednesday engine wouldn't crank, replaced battery as battery tester indicated low cell, no improvement, found broken engine earthing strap. Changed strap and all well.

This will have caused a problem with charging but it depends on how the alternator is controlled as to what other damage (if any) it could have caused.

Sunday, engine suddenly starts hunting on tick over in Buckby Bottom Lock. Settles down again. Half hour later, discover engine cover is red hot, alternator is boiling, Smartgauge Domestic bank reading 97% and 13.65Volts.... (Usually a steady 14.4V at that charge level)

Switch off engine, no alternator warning light on Domestic..... Disconnect alternator drive belt.

This can happen when the battery is pretty well charged as the controller cuts out and back in again as the voltage drops - apparently its not supposed to?

The fact that the warning light is not working suggests the alternator is burnt out, but it could be casued by more faulty earths or a blown fuse etc.?

Next morning batteries are down to 48% and alternator warm but not boiling. Guess the batteries are discharging through the alternator. Disconnect alternator completely and charge batteries through generator. Smartgauge giving sensible readings.

This doesn't sound too promising, although more likely to fail open circuit, it is possible a short could result in battery discharge through the alternator windings.

So, here are the questions:

1) What is the likely failure?

2) Is there a chance the windings have survived?

3) Before I put my spare alternator on, is there anything in particular I need to check first?

4) Is this a 'user serviceable' alternator?

You need to check that all the earthing is intact and continous between engine, alternator, batteries etc.

Check the warning lights to make sure they have power and illuminate (no blown bulbs), which you can do by temporaily shorting to earth.

 

What is the best way to wire up an engine isolator? Many systems have the alternator connected direct to the starter and battery. It makes sense to have the feed from the battery direct to the starter solenoid, but is it better to connect the alternator via the isolator switch?

[gary4lw]

Stick your nose near it,does it smell ??????

[Denis R]

A quick update on this. No it doesn't smell it just got flippin' 'ot. The spare alternator is working fine and everything is doing 'wot it oughta'....

Next job is to research repair parts.

[WotEver]

Next job is to research repair parts.

 

A link given to me only this morning: http://www.woodauto.com/

[Sir Nibble]

Almost certainly a main +ve diode gone short circuit. This allows battery supply to back feed to the stator winding and thence to the field, hence heat and overnight battery drain, also low output voltage etc etc. If this is the alternator I think it is then these failures are common. The use of heat transfer paste on reassembly is vital if you go down the repair route. It's a fairly straightforward job with soldering iron and a female torx bit set, that is IF it is the alternator I think it is.

[WotEver]

Just noticed your sig, Snib...

 

Too old to rock 'n' roll, too young to die..

 

You're never too old to rock 'n' roll, but there does come a time when it's better done in private

[Sir Nibble]

Just noticed your sig, Snib...

 

 

 

You're never too old to rock 'n' roll, but there does come a time when it's better done in private

 

Before that it was

"The wise men don't know how it feels, to be thick as a brick"

Might go back to that one actually.

[RLWP]

Before that it was

"The wise men don't know how it feels, to be thick as a brick"

Might go back to that one actually.

 

At least it isn't "Spitting out pieces of his broken luck"

 

Richard

[Sir Nibble]

At least it isn't "Spitting out pieces of his broken luck"

 

Richard

Quite, but there was once a post on the fridaaay thread that went. "Sun streaking cold, the hamster wanders lonely, taking life the only way he knows". Moley was good enough to advise me not to "start away uneasy".

[RLWP]

Quite, but there was once a post on the fridaaay thread that went. "Sun streaking cold, the hamster wanders lonely, taking life the only way he knows". Moley was good enough to advise me not to "start away uneasy".

 

And people go on about Tennyson and Wordsworth.

 

Richard

 

Life's too long (as the Lemming said)

[Denis R]

It's a fairly straightforward job with soldering iron and a female torx bit set, that is IF it is the alternator I think it is.

It looks exactly like one of these:

100 Amp Alternator

In fact the alternator that's just blown IS one of these - cost me £48 off ebay too, form and fit the same as the original fit, just needed to change the pulleys over and drill the front mounting hole to clear the 7/16 UN bolt that Beta used on my engine to mount it. (What a bizarre size, did they have a job lot in the parts bin?) I only bought it because my owner's manual from Beta told me I had a 70 Amp alternator and I fancied an upgrade. As it looked form and fit the same I went for it. The reason it's form and fit the same is that my engine had been fitted with a 100 Amp alternator from new.....

[Sir Nibble]

Can't see it, site blocked. If it's the one I think it is there's a 120A version too.

[Denis R]

Can't see it, site blocked. If it's the one I think it is there's a 120A version too.

Hmmm.... I just tried the clicky again and it worked. I think I set it up correctly. A 120 Amp version may interest me, I might have a surf.

[RLWP]

Can't see it, site blocked. If it's the one I think it is there's a 120A version too.

 

Yes, it's ebay. There is a list of numbers too. does this help?

 

0123505002

0124415008

10479273

10479923

10480384

10480409

24439410

2542273

3493823

6204000

6204002

90356897

SG10B012

LRB196

 

Richard

[WotEver]

Can't see it, site blocked.

 

The info on the listing says:

 

VAUXHALL/OPEL 100AMP ALTERNATOR

 

12V 100AMP INT REG. (OUR REF B196)

 

** SIX GROOVE PULLEY***

 

FITS:

 

VAUXHALL/ OPEL:

 

ASTRA F 1.8i & 2.0i 1992-97

CALIBRA A 2.0i 1990 ON

CORSA B 1.4i 1993 ON

FRONTERA A 2.0i & 2.2i 1995-98

FRONTERA B 2.2i 1995 ON

OMEGA B 2.0i & 2.2i 1994 ON

TIGRA 1.4i & 1.6i 1994-00

VECTRA A 1.8i 2.0i 1992-95

VECTRA B 1.6i, 1.8i, 2.0i 1995-02

CAVALIER 111 1.8i & 2.0i 1993-95

 

 

 

CROSS REFERENCE NUMBERS: **

 

0123505002

0124415008

10479273

10479923

10480384

10480409

24439410

2542273

3493823

6204000

6204002

90356897

SG10B012

LRB196

 

If that helps

[Sir Nibble]

That's the bunny. Go to the wood auto site and put in one of those delco numbers, 10479273 for instance.

[WotEver]

Go to the wood auto site and put in one of those delco numbers, 10479273 for instance.

 

And it gives you this: http://www.woodauto.com/Component.aspx?Ref=ALT1421

[Denis R]

That's the one. Have a poke around ebay and you can get them for £65 or so. I had a bit of luck and got one for £48. I think the Beta price is somewhere in the region of £185 or so. As I said before, I had to drill through the front mounting hole 11.5mm to fit the bizarre socket head cap screw Beta had used to mount it and swop the pulley over but that's little effort for the saving.

Repair will be effected in due course.....