Alternator internal component testing
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- A comprehensive video covering the testing of each of the main internal components of an internal regulator (IR) Alternator. Tests cover Rotor windings, Stator windings, Brush pack, Rectifier and Regulator units. Extremely useful information when trying to diagnose Alternator faults...any questions please ask, I check my Channel daily. Also check out Charging Systems ON CAR video too...
As others have said,I work as a hgv mechanic,but never really understood alternators,mainly due to the lack of this type of in depth training at college,what an excellent video thank you.
Super klip,do sada najiscrpnije objasnjen rad alternatora!
At last, a real alternator video, not the dumbed down version we normally see on youtube! Thanks!!
No problem Mark, pleased you found it helpful. Cheers Andy
I laugh today when auto mechanics have to replace Starters & alternators instead of Changing a Bendix drive, starter solenoid, replace bearings, brushes in starters or Alternators & would rather pay $200 to $500 for a remanufactured unit instead of doing it them selves. But then I guess that's the world we live in, the throw away Society. I will say things are more difficult to rebuild because they are designed to be Non-Serviceable throw away but those days maybe coming to an end.
Unfortunately nowadays you can't rebuild a lot of parts because many of them are proprietary to the company or manufacturer and if you get them second hand or from a junkyard it's the same amount of money as if you were to take that second one hand apart and rebuild the old one
Yeah that's partially true. If my alternator goes out I'll rebuild it. For a customer no, reason being the labor is going to cost them just as much if not more than an alternator. You can get one online fairly cheaper than it'll cost you to pay me to remove it open it up etc. I've seen alternator go from 100- 500 depending if you want OEM or aftermarket. AC Delco is at AutoZone and they are OEM for GM Chevy and most American made cars. Denso for Asian vehicles which you can find at AutoZone often a lot cheaper than dealerships. I can rebuild starters alternators cv joints but those parts have gone down in cost in the last 5 or 10 years.
Patrick kabunga. thx very much for all those educative videos, you make me love my trade
You are awesome in your video and it's descriptive nature. Very comprehensive then you're wearing a great shirt too!
Very good sir I am motivated
yup finally someone speaks slow and clear.i suggest you make a video for replacing internal regulator with external one. i'm afraid my Regulator is 'integrated' and non replaceable because i can't find it it any spare part shop. (Magneti Marelli AA 125 14V 45A). i'm getting mad, my new battery drains over couple of nights, and as i turn on headlights voltage drops and gets worse and worse with stoplights, fans etc. and light dims. engine on or off no difference at all. any suggestion is much appreciated. thanks.
Andy Andy I love your Explanation
Awesome explanation and understandable
Excellent teach in, hopefully you will have saved me some money. Plus I have learned something 👍👍👍👍
Excellent video vividly described.
one question I hve why car headlight intensity suddenly increase and then become normal during driving .could you please tell the reason and remedy .
Thanks a lot. The best video by far!
Cheers. Pleased you enjoyed it & thanks for the feedback. Andy
Great video
very detailed explanation! thanks for the help
+Ed Farmer Cheers Ed, good to know you found it helpful. Thanks for the feedback. Andy
Great video very good to explain it thank you greetings from Mexico
🤗🤗🤗
Thank you for your information
No problem at all. Hope you found the video helpful. Cheers Andy
Something often overlooked is the rotor balance test. With the alternator laying on the bench, spin the armature as fast as you can with a flip of the wrist. If the alternator bounces up and down, the alternator is scrap. Heat cycles can warp the balance of the rotor . Alternators spin up to 15000 rpm, the alternator will be noisy and prematurely fail. Always rebuild your alternator locally or buy brand new OEM. Any other way is a waste of time.
Interesting. I had not considered the fact the rotor could go out of balance.
Thanks for that. Cheers Andy
@@AndyMechanic Maybe you can do a video on how to balance rotating assemblies?
Excellent video, couldnt be better done!
Reliesko
its realy interesting vidio i have learn a lot
thanks for the information
Helpfull
The very first test, you're testing resistance between the slip rings.
How come you have continuity?
I thought slip rings were supposed to be separate. One slip ring for positive, one for negative. Because at the base, slip ring has one connector on each side.
Why are there two brushes? I thought one brush for for positive, one for negative.
Does this test mean that slip rings should have continuity all across?
Very Helpful. Can You explain about Starter motor too?
Hi Dinesh, yes, I already have a couple of videos on the channel covering starter motors. Videos #1410 & #1411.
Cheers Andy
I have a 1998 Honda alternator that I cannot perform a diode test on because. It seems as though there is a coating on the rectifier, which does not allow mean to check continuity. Any tips on how to get around this and perform the tests? Many thanks
Brilliant.
Thanks, excellent tutorial.
The problem with the alternator of my car is that the load is low.
In the rectifier, a diode does not measure.
It is an alternator of the brand Densom used in Suzuki Grand Vitara or Toyota Yaris. The rectifier is model INR-5028 in the Transpo brand.
Could that be the problem?
Translations (NZ to US):
Loom = Harness
Spanner = Wrench
Thanks John :-)
Thanks.
Thanks for this vid i learned a lot, but can i have some advice in what can cause a bridge rectifier to go bad? My jeep alternador won't charge, i had an electrician to have a look at it and he said it was the rectifier but he couldn't find the part anywere, so i bought a new one from UK, and instaled, the jeep did run fine for a short period of time, 2 days maybe and then it stoped charging again, since i bought the jeep 10 years ago and now when instaled the new rectifier, the max output was 13.9v with load or not, could that be the regulator? But would regulator damage the rectifier? Thanks
I wonder, what type and quantum of voltage field signal is sent by the ECM to excite the regulator on Mercedes B200, for bench testing and rotating with a drill; may be 1-4.7v or digital by PWM. Signal Generator? Or..??
Thanks. Cheers!
Thank you for your video. I've gained a lot. When engine is running, the reading taken from my charging system is about 3.8V. I've done voltage drop tests across alternator and all is okay. What could be the cause of this low voltage produced?
It could be your voltage regulator or maybe some of the diodes have failed in the rectifier.
Thanks very much Andy. I'll try replace voltage regulator first then see what happens next. 👍👍👍
Thanks
No problem. Hope you found the video helpful
Cheers Andy
@@AndyMechanic @Andy Mechanic did you realize you made a big error? I know it's hard for many people to admit to a mistake but I wish you can correct it for the sake of learners. The rectifier rectifies the voltage from AC to DC but it doesn't step down the voltage from 100 to 14. that would be a lot of power wasted. A simple rational litmus test for your theory, >> if the current is K amperes, the power utilized would be I*V hence (14*K), and the power wasted would be [(100-14)*K] that means 86% of the power would be wasted.
Actually what happens is that 100 volts is never reached, the goal is to avoid that. The regulator detects when the voltage attempts to go above 14 volts prevents it from going further by the following mechanism.
E = -N d(magnetic flux) / dt Now see, here when the engine rev increases the frequency of the flux increases and you know that T= 1/f. Hence the denominator decreases meaning E increases. And that's where the flux regulation of the field windings comes into play, the regulator keeps the output voltage E in check by reducing the current fed to the armature windings because that current is proportional to the magnetic flux.
Man i Love you .
Thanks so much very well explained.
How can I test the regulator without the tester
Hi, when I put negative to the body and test the windings I'm getting about 72 k ohms...I guess it's damaged, ..is that correct
Yes, it should open circuit - most likely have damage to the state insulation. Was the alternator disconnected from all vehicle wiring?
Cheers Andy
@@AndyMechanic Hi, yes and to confirm I tested from back lead to body and positive to slip rings and again got a reading which kinda confirmed it was knackered, oil had dripped into the alternator unfortunately and pretty much destroyed it, ...Mercedes S Class, 47,000 miles...very complex to remove, took about 8 hours....
Damn....that's a massive extraction job! Modern cars are hard work for sure.....you'll be pleased when this jobs finished! Cheers Andy
@@AndyMechanic yes , no clearance at all and you have to remove the slam panel and most of the front of the car for access, not to mention just about everything back from the radiator to the block Head to get enough access to pull the alternator forward and round the front of the engine and then with maybe a couple off MM from the block to the radiator somehow manage to lift it out, I reinstalled a new Lucas unit today, just to put the 4 bolts that hold it in place, probably about an hour, I'm putting a new serpentine belt on before putting it all back together as I don't want to revisit this anytime soon, ...plus I may be changing the Battery control module as I think its fried...no can bus signal from the module unfortunately 😕....
Damn! I'm pleased I'm not working in a repair shop anymore! Great job, you have more patience than me! Cheers Andy
this is one of the best videos regarding inspecting and testing an alternator I have seen. Well done. Good explanation while still relatively technical. Thanks.
I must say this is one of the most clear explanations on the subject, well done. I would like to chat more off the social media if you don't mind, and this is my email laz.mayumbelo@gmail.com.
I fixed my alternator using this video. Taught me how to diagnose the problem. Found an issue with the 18:22 rectifier on mine, searched online for the part number and part I needed, ordered the rectifier and new brushes ($38shipped w/tax), installed them... tested it out at autozone... and tests showed 100% good. Previously, the test at autozone, showed bad. AWESOME!
where did u find brushes and rectifier?
I watched this video about 3 years ago and thought it was outstanding . I just wayched it again today, and will probably watch it again. Very good video !!
Thank you :-)
Great video explaining how all the components work. If your alternator fails it’s 99% caused by worn brushes. Before brushes completely wear they cause sparking which can damage the slip rings through overheating and premature wearing. If you get a red battery warning light on your dash don’t ignore it. Generally, swap out the brushes and you are good. The hardest part of any alternator repair is getting to the alternator and getting it in and out of the car!
@@danyo1972 I took mine to a professional but I took out the alternator myself in front of the shop. They definitely saved alot of time by me doing it in 10 minutes. I have a 2012 corolla so those arent all too hard to take off.
Viewing Guide:
Intro 0:07
Overview of the internal components 0:35
(Stator 0:50, Rotor & slip rings 1:29, Brushes 2:22, Rectifier 2:46, Regulator 3:26)
What and how we will test the components 4:53
Testing the Single Rotor winding & slip rings 7:14
Testing the Three Stator windings 12:47
Testing the Rectifier 18:23
Testing the Brushes 26:24
Testing the Regulator 27:24
Conclusion of this particular Alternator 37:32
Assumption/Alternate test method for Regulator test 38:38 & 42:44
How to properly connect the earth lead in the Regulator Test (common mistake) 39:30
Conclusion 40:20
Champ! Thank you!
Thanks Andy, especially for emphasis on the diode setting in the multimeter, I thought my rectifier may have been faulty, I just had to correct the setting on the meter, just as you mentioned, make sure it’s set for diode testing, the symbol popped up on the screen and then all checked out ok.
Excellent in depth, detailed explanation on alternator function. Very very very well done!
I watched probably 10 videos already and still confused how to test an alternator. Once you explained the voltage regulator at 3:27" it all became clear. Thank you!
Awesome! Really pleased to be of help. Thanks for the feedback too. Cheers Andy
The best video about how to test an alternator. Very good explained.
Thanks :-)
An absolutely fantastic primer on alternators and testing their components. I wish my college teacher would have been that good. Hats off to you sir, and thank you for this great presentation.
Such an inclusive amazing detailed testing and analytical display A+++++++++ very valuable best regards ,Bob Alabama Parts company owner
Thanks Bob, appreciate your feedback. Have a great day. Cheers Andy
I never leave comments but have made an exception. Beautifully clear diction and video thank you
Very well explained!! Kudos to you. Thank U
Andy check the time you posted the video and now(25/12/22) , I'm so grateful for the best lesson on alternator testing as I tried watching even by passing your video not knowing it had the full package. Thanks and happy Christmas to you and the family at large. Exceptional presentation ever!
Helped me a lot diagnose my alternator. Turned our my stator had a break and was making contact with the windings. I wish I checked this before replacing the worn out brushes.
Great video ! Very impressive ! Hard to find this kind of basic teachings nowadays !
I subscribed.
Best video to learn about how to diagnose Alternator for faults.
I actually work as a car mechanic and I never really figured out how to measure an alternator when I was in school though we took some apart but this video has helped me a lot, finally I know how to test it. Thank you so much for a fantastic video!
No problem, pleased you enjoyed the video. Cheers Andy
You being very helpful and you very informative....thank you sir 👍
Very informative presented session lm sure l will refer to it again thank Very much.
Definitely the best and easiest understood video I have seen on testing alternator components with a multimeter, exactly the video I was looking so I can repair my alternators rather than replacing them and not knowing why the failed, thank you Andy Mechanic for making this video.
Super Great technical video.. thank you very much..❤
Excellent video....well put together...concise....ability to keep the viewers attention with your very clear and precise instuctions
My only criticism is I SEARCHED TOO MANY CRAP ALTERNATOR VIDEOS BEFORE I FOUND THIS!! clock-on vid thanks.
Haha! Cheers for the feedback Roland. Andy
The most important reason for having that machine is for whenever you install a NEW regulator. The new one should be tested before being installed into the alternator. Imagine doing all that work to find out that the regulator was faulty.
Very true. It's a useful machine for sure but it's not mine, I just borrowed it for the video.
I dont rebuild enough alternators to really justify buying one.
Thanks for the feedback. Cheers Andy
Testing my alternator finding out everything had reading of 180 ohms on three different alternators then decided to touch tips of Meyer leads reads the same, may I throw my meter against the wall now??
Oh dear..... :-(
Brilliantly presented! Very talented. 👍
I can't believe how much wear there is on that rotor. Parts for alternators are nearly impossible to source here in Australia 🇦🇺 They only want to sell you a new one as they say the cost of repairs are too high.
Hi Ian, yes, its definitely going that way here in New Zealand too unfortunately.
Cheers Andy
What do you advise me to do? Should I buy a Remanufactured alternator from Denso for Tahoe 2007-2014, or should I buy a new one, but it is not a first-class original ?
Personally I'd either go for a new one or of you can a second hand Genuine from a wreckers. I agree original build is always best provided its from a low mileage car.
Cheers Andy
@@AndyMechanic thank you Sir🙏
I found three alternators n took them home. Now that I saw ur video I can test them to find the problem n hope to repair them. I live in remote Community n this will help me a lots. Good video.
Incredible video and very well explained! I took my alternator to get fixed by a professional and I wanted to do my research to understand why it failed and what was repaired. Im a mechanic of almost 5 years and I will continue to keep learning on how to repair car parts instead of replacing. Thank you so much sir!
Great video Andy! I went to Unitech nearly 20 years ago (shout out to Duncan Wales). Great that that they still have guys like you!
This video is very impormative for me.. clearly explanation..about alternator mechanism..step by step..one by one..up to assemble material.. thanks for sharing your video ser
Appreciated.. great job..
Very useful video.
Thanks Andy 😊
Excellent tutorial on alternators, thank you sir
thank you sir this is one of the best videos
i think i understand now, thankyou. but in order to test the battery light circuit in the car does the charge light wire for the alternator (on cars loom) go to ground to make the light work? (with alternator unplugged of course) on a negative ground car.
Hi Mick, the battery light goes to battery +, so provided output matches battery + voltage the battery light bulb stays out. As the voltage on the light (output wire) from alternator drops the light on the dash will start to glow. If output is very low then light will be bright....make sense?
Cheers Andy
@@AndyMechanic thanks Andy, that makes perfect sense now.
I'm trying to work out an issue with mine, light doesn't come on when ignition is on but did with previous engine, my charge light runs off a relay and relay is powered by charge wire. Going to check Internal regulator by bypassing as per service manual after verifying charge light circuit.
Excellent stripdown and diagnostics
Yes thank you so much , I just did find the company on Google
Hai Andy like the way you teach from Zambia
Excellent teaching and useful technical revelations. Thank you.
I've only just found you thanks to some land cruiser forums! I'm an automotive student at a polytech in tauranga and you seem like such a better tutor than I have, used this video to get my cruiser up and running
Awesome, great to hear you like the videos. Good luck with your course. Cheers Andy
Brilliant, thanks, the best video ... just need to work out before I test is: - are those figures (rotor and stator) relevant to a 24 volt alternator?
Hmmm....to be honest, I'm not sure. I haven't rebuilt a 24v before. I'm sure you'll find specs on Google :-)
Thanks for the great feedback. Cheers Andy
@@AndyMechanic Thanks for your reply. I went through all the tests after my message and the results were the similar: continuity and the diode test - all ok. Just left the regulator.
Again, great video.
If I had 4 hands I would give 4 thumbs up😂
A very usefull video much appreceated .
Thanks! I have high resistance on one of my stator windings and some continuity from stator windings to casing, there was a buzzing sound coming from it and also a bit of burning enamel smell, battery light on, no charging from alternator when running, also noticed alternator was hot after only running for about 1 minute.
Absolutely fantastic work. Thank you. I used to have fractional hp motors rebuilt (1970's) but no body does that anymore. Seeing this I really understand my vehicle so much better. I have found kits here in the States to rebuilt alternators. I'm amazed. Like you say shops won't do this because of labor costs but I can fix my own. Empowering.
Outstanding !!
This is a great refresher for me too. Thanks much for making this video. It’s so nice to be able to watch this and get refreshed when I havnt done one in a while. Thanks again.
Michael. Liked and subbed. 👍
Thank you the best explanation so far.
What's driving me a little batty is trying to figure out what the actual voltage output of the field line is supposed to be.
+James Sodium Do you mean the output from the stator windings? If so it's AC and can vary from as low as 40 volts upto 105 volts - this depends on engine rpm and make/model etc. This AC voltage supplied by the 3 stator windings is then converted to a regulated DC output with a max voltage of 14.5v though again I have seen reg/rectifier units like on the GN250 be up to 15 volts DC supply to battery and loom.
Hope this helps a bit. Cheers Andy
nice video sir..detail explanation..
Andy, what a great video, and that without stupid useless music, so very good understandable, i always repair those myself, also new sliprings etc, bud i did not know to test the diodes on the diode mesuring of the multimeter, thanks for that.
Andy, You speak too much¡. I know for certain that you assume we are following your reasoning, but it is not always true this. My suggestion: Speak less; show us more, and logically, I mean; step thru step demostrate the results for your sample fixes. I am specially gratefully for the Regulator tester device this time. I am to get one. I huge hug from Mexico. My name is Arturo Nuñez, and I am a retired worker from education at the University. Thank you, Andy.¡¡
A very detailed and instructive video. You have an understandable way of teaching. Other videos on the subject make my mind drunk.
Thanks Jamie, I do my best & enjoy passing on what I have picked up over the years. Appreciate your feedback & here's wishing you a great New Year.
Cheers Andy
Excellent video...always check the rectifier first before taking apart the alternator, 90% of the time that's the problem, sometimes you can even get it off without removing the alt. from the car.
Very helpful video, thank you!
Excellent! One question, can I test the bridge rectifiers while still attached to the stator leads? My alternator has the leads soldered on and I would rather not disconnect them if not necessary.
+tkvezina unfortunately not. They need be out of circuit. Cheers Andy
Hello, actually you can. If the diodes are bad, you will have a leak of AC current. Set your multimeter to meassure AC current and put it at the battery. beetwen the two poles. If you messure above 0.3 AC volts, you have a mayor leak. One or more diodes are bad. Hope this help. Saludos from Mexico. Gerardo
Hi Gerardo, that's really interesting info, I honestly didn't know that & I have never heard of that test been done in the workshop during on car diagnosis. I will now include it in my testing. Really helpful, Thank you & hello from New Zealand. Cheers Andy
@@gastecconversionprofesiona4250 Could you please explain a lit bit more in detail? What do you mean by put it at the battery? I thought you need to put the multimeter in series in the circuit if you are measuring current. Cheers
@@wecarespares Not current! AC Voltage is what you are measuring across the battery terminals. More than 0.3V AC can indicate a bad diode..
Well explained, I got all your points well
Sounds really complicated.. I'll just buy a new alternator, DIY installation and I'm good to go
thank you very much Andy sure am happy with your technology
Excellent video! Thank you!
was their no WAY you could test the regulator with the MM unit instead of transpo..? You can with motorcycles by individual tests on each pole. Mine generates 13.9 without load but with load just over 13. So yes mine has an issue but it id DIRTY s hell. The amount of black crap that just came off mine by using BIOSOL SDS.. Leave it for 10 mins. put it under a tap and full blast. the amount of shyt that came off was amazing. Repeated x2 afterwards then left it to dry for 48 hours... Really want to avoid dismanterling but have no choice. However can this test on the REG be done by the MM unit instead of transpo.?
Impressive. Thumbs up for you
Where do you buy this equipment to test regulator any websites?
I'm not sure as I borrowed it from Unitec where I was working as a lecturer. If you Google the brand you should find a Web site where you can order it. It's very useful.
Cheers Andy
this was a great refresher for me, I used to this in my high school auto shop class
Damn, why didn't I find this video before? Anyone trying to fix an alternator needs to watch this. I'm not a professional mechanic, but I have been working on cars for friends and family for almost 30 years. Usually, I did the normal thing and replace the whole alternator if it was bad. On the car I'm working on now, a reman alternator costs about $160 locally. The whole rebuild kit is about $30. We need to get back to the old school art of repairing of parts, rather than replacing the whole part. That only serves to make the vendor more money, it isn't helping us at all.
So very true. Cheers Andy