Alternator bench test & autopsy
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- Опубликовано: 7 янв 2017
- Following the replacement of the alternator fitted to my trusty old Nissan Patrol, I was keen to complete a bench test and visual inspection of both the slip rings and brushes inside the old alternator.
The strip down and testing has been done using only regular workshop tools - no special tools here!
If you have any questions then please add them to the comments section below & I'll do my best to get back to you soon.
Andy Mechanic 
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Awesome video. Thanks for the explanation and teachings. Great job.
Wow! I’m impressed! I find electronics impossible to understand but you made everything clear and understandable ! Thank you.
Great Video You surprise me being in NZ as you sound as though you actually are a uk guy and your speed of delivery is much appreciated as other explanations are far too fast to comprehend
Nothing to add to that comprehensive tutorial except to say what a very good presentation it was.
Thanks Philip :-)
Love when I come across a new channel and the explanation is just as good as the video quality. Close up detail makes all the difference! Thanks for taking the time to make this video. New subscriber here 😉
Thanks John, welcome aboard! Cheers Andy
Well thank you for uploading this video, been having issues with my alternator for months, after a strip down and a clean, I followed your instructions and successfully tested the alternator on the bench prior to fitting to my vehicle. Great instructional video and the bench testing was priceless.
Thanks again.
Thanks :-) Pleased you found it helpful. Appreciate your feedback. Cheers Andy
Thorough detailed demonstration of an alternator. Thanks. I know all this but always remind myself and get back into the right mode with a good video as Im a thorough kind of person too.
Thanks Andy! I like your thought process during troubleshooting. I hope to see more automobile electrical repair videos. A few more on alternators would be nice to see. I can say that starting motor troubleshooting is pretty simple and straightforward compared to alternators. The alternators are way more complex. There's a point where an ordinary guy with basic tools cannot has to stop. That's the regulator. So it would be great to see different kinds of problems on alternators being solved. I like your videos. Keep uploading more, Andy.
Excellent video. Subscribed. 40 years ago i took a class on repairing alternator,, forgot everything lol.
very good mentor, very good teacher, keep it up !!!
thank you
andy - i took apart an old non working electric drill and stole the larger brushes and just cut them to size on my band saw - use grips and be careful - added the smaller piece of brush on top of old one pushing it into brush holder - using drill bit to hold both and reassemble and worked just fine -- Brilliant !!
+MrRobert1603 Haha! That's awesome! Great job....thinking outside the box, that's what I like. Pleased you enjoyed the video. Cheers Andy
Your info was very helpful, hopefully to hear more from you .thanks
Hey Andy, excellent video!
Mr Young, you could use an air compressed ratchet-(the ones you use to open the car tires) to run the alternator. it worked for me. Bought a junk alternator and made it work. Brilliant and thank you.
Thanks for that lecture I love it please keep on
Translations (NZ to US)
Do sums = Do math
Knackered = Worn out or tired
Spanner = Wrench
Chuffed = Very pleased
Excellent video!
Cheers John :-)
GOOD INFO THANKS VERY MUCH ANDY
Andy thanks very much this has to be the best video I have seen on checking the alternator is working or faulty, thanks I have an old looking one on a 1950 Ferguson tractor I just bought, and I am delighted I came across your video and Page.Thanks from Ireland.Jimmy.
Cheers Jimmy :-)
Hi Andy. I always looks at the condition of the alternator / starter first, because I get no come backs on repairing the original units. Brusher, bearing, slip ring machining, and some time a quick varnish spray over windings work out to less than £20 .00 . I am all ready set up for this type of job and keeps parts from old units. John S UK and some times One tree Hill
Thanks Andy, Just did my own alternator brushes. $7 all done. & working well again
+Dave Rowley Great job, thanks for the feedback. Andy
thanks for the good info sir, God bless and more power
Great video
Thanks Richard, pleased you enjoyed it. Cheers Andy
great tutorials man.
Thanks Nick :-)
When looking at the worn brushes in the alternator 29:03 is also a good moment to explain how the NEW brushes get installed. The brushes have a spring behind them, which pushes them out of the casing to apply slight pressure against the slip rings for good electrical contact.
When putting the alternator back together or installing new brushes, this spring will cause the brushes to push over 1cm out, and *block* you from installing the center spindle (armature) into the case. You need to use a retaining pin or 3cm piece of wire to hold the brushes IN while putting the armature in place. At 29:03 you can look about 4mm below where the brushes poke out, and you will see a small hole. Push the brushes IN, slightly past this hole (like at 29:38, but farther) then insert a pin in front of both brushes to keep them in place temporarily. There is a matching hole in the outer metal case of the alternator that will allow the pin to stick through so you can reach it later. After the alternator is completely assembled, pull the pin OUT, which will release the brushes to touch the slip rings. The pin is only needed during assembly, and the alternator will not function properly in the car if you do not remove the pin. You can either discard the pin, or keep it for the next time you are working on an alternator. NEW brushes are shipped with this pin already in place. Do not remove this pin until after the armature/spindle is installed, or the brushes will just pop out, and get in the way until you stick the pin back in place. I hope this little paragraph prevents confusion when some of the readers are working on their own alternator.
Beutiful explanation /
Presentation thank you..
good work andy
i fix my elntra altintor thanks for all info
Great job Adrian :-)
Very informative would love to see how to replace both the bearings
Good one, Andy - never had one apart!
Thanks Pete, it's not often I pull them apart, usually only if I'm the one paying for the parts! Pleased you enjoyed the video. Cheers Andy
nice job bro
damn you are a smart dude. Subscribed!
Hi Andy, I just stumbled across your channel. I am really enjoying the TD42 Nissan Patrol videos, I would like to learn how to do the tappets, how to replace hub seals and bearings and how to diagnose my dead aircon.
It stopped working after I did an engine transplant, it worked for 2 days afterwards and now it won't work. I am tipping it's from hanging the compressor unit by it's hoses (as instructed by a mate) and now it has a leak somewhere but I don't know where to start.
Cheers
Hello Andy,
I love the video on this alternator autopsy and looking forward viewing many more; however, could you turn on the caption from your RUclips channel so I can read your wording. Thank you!!
wow ...! wonderfull
Thanks :-)
Hello Andy, Nice video but i have a question,can i full field this alternator ? and if,where is the field terminal
Thank you
I tested my Bosch alternator at two different O'Reilly's. It passed both. The battery light would come on after about 5 misn of driving. I took it to an automotive electric place and he said the oil that got in it would heat it up and make it malfunction.
RUclips needs to provide a "Fucking Awesome" like button. Interesting video Glad to see someone else looks for Man. Specs.
I swear for just a moment that I saw some out-of-round action on that unevenly worn slip ring. I'm not sure how tight the tolerance would be, but I'd be tempted to stick a dial indicator on it and see if there's any significant variance. :)
That's a really good point, thanks for reminding me. I'll do a check on the next video. Just about to leave for Auckland to pick up the new brush pack. Cheers Andy
Andy, awesome video! Just curious, could you tell me what the oil pump on the alternator is used for?
+Bryan Lamontagne Hi Bryan, no problem :-)
It's the vacuum pump that supplies the brake booster (servo) with vacuum when the vehicle has a diesel engine. It's not possible to use intake manifold vacuum like with a petrol engine.
Hope this helps. Cheers for now. Andy
Thank you Andy, yes, it helped alot!
Thank you Andy for the videos. Is there a chance that a car can fry the alternator? Thx and I am looking forward to catching up with all your videos.
Hi Wilson, thanks for your feedback. Alternators can fail for sure & can be damaged due to a number of issues on the vehicle. For example: poor connections, faulty battery & even poor cooling (airflow) etc
Hope this helps
Andy
Andy Mechanic Thank you. Yes it does. Excellent work.
My Bosch alternator 0 123 515 022 was working fine. I replaced the brushes and two bearings and put everything back together. Now it won't charge the battery for some reason. What could be wrong?
Hi and congratulations for the video first, I have a problem I have an error code P2501 high voltage terminal L + of the alternator lamp what can it be, the alternator charges well, thanks I am waiting for an answer
2006 subie sti with failed Mitsubishi alternator voltage regulator. Should I repair or replace.? What's my best option? Im in ct. Usa.
what course did u do. also I'm wondering whether I should do mechanics or auto electricals which one is better. but I wish I cld find one course that covers both mech and auto, pliz help if u know the name of such a course if it exists.
Hi Nick, personally I'd recommend going down the auto electrical / autotronics route as there are far fewer techs around with these skills plus it's much better paid in my experience
We did do am autotronics course at Unitec but it's likely been discontinued now. Sorry
+Andy Mechanic thanx a lot bro, I'm gonna go for auto electrics then.
My slip rings are good cleaned them with fine sand paper brush`s are new I cant get the bulb to light at all any ideas thanks in advance ,,
Test light is wired between the output terminal of the alternator that connects to your battery light on dash & then to battery +
Should be bright when rotor is stationary & go out when rotor spinning
@@AndyMechanic Thank you for the quick response I watch your video several times to make sure I had all the wires in the right place I`m going to take the alternator apart once more to see if I missed something I`m sure it needs a new regulator but not sure if that would stop the light from coming on thanks again ..
Hi, yes, if the regulator is faulty it will likely cause the bulb not to light. You should see battery voltage on the bulb terminal with the alternator not turning.
Cheers Andy
@@AndyMechanic Thanks i will see if I can find a regulator online .
hi, what happens if you put your battery wire on the lamp terminal and vice-versa? I have a delphi 190 amp and i do not know what to plug on those 2 terminals inside the plug. Can you help?
+FerreirAveiro bulbs can be wired either way unless they are LED. Cheers Andy
thanks for a reply but i mean the wires on the alternator, one must get the positive current from the batt, and the other connect to a bulb. i dont know wich is wich and what if i go for trials and dont get it right the first time?
Hii good
You had to rev it to intialize because you had a faulty regulator. Krist that was a lot of talking for not much.
this test did not work for my toyota or ford alternator.
keep swinging from middlesborough or hull to kiwi, it's confusing me
Lol, I'm from York, lived in Loughborough for college, then Spain, then Scarborough & now NZ....totally messed up my accent!
@@AndyMechanic well I was close...
All i see is mumbo jumbo!
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