Bad Alternator?

I saw the thread by Moze after he painted his alternator and thought I'd like to try it. Frst I tried to disassemble it, well I got it somewhat apart and couldn't get it to go any farther (the pulley was off the front too..I had forgot once already) so I got scared and put it back together. I painted it with gloss black caliper paint because it's durable and looks good, and put it back on the truck. Now my voltage gauge reads halfway between 9 and 14 and the battery light is on..did I get paint on the inside of the windings and that's causing this, or did I maybe mess it up when trying to take it apart?

I would recheck your connections and make sure there is no paint between the the alternator and the block. And check your belt.

Probably got it apart enough for the brushes to disengage. Putting it back together did you hold the brushes back?

I didn't hold anything when I put it back together...so maybe the brushes aren't where they need to be. How can I get it all the way apart to check? Thanks nathan!

Where's the alternator guy here?

You need to push the spring loaded brushes back and hold them in place with small plastic pins before reassembly. Once the halves are back together, the pins are pulled out and the brushes snap into place against the stator (?). Greg and/or Dale might have rebuilt one a time or two as well...

If it was reassembled without these steps it is possible the brush holders were damaged. You'll need a pro to help.

I got lucky and hit it on the front with a deadblow hammer and the volt gauge jumped up and it now shows its charging to like 15-16 volts. When I turn accessories on (heat, stereo, etc.) it'll drop down closer to 14, but it reads high now. Do I need to replace this thing, or will it be ok this way. My dad is from the old school and he said bad voltage regulators do that, but he meant with generators on old cars...any suggestions?

They made voltage regulators well after there were no generators. I'd like to foresee the future for you but if I was good at it I wouldn't be doing this job.

I could be wrong, but it's not good for it to be charging up to 16 is it? What problems am I lookin at by letting it be that way for a little while?

The PCM controls output rate. If it's really charging at 16 volts the PCM thinks it needs it....either because there is a huge load on it or a poor connection making the PCM think the voltage is low. You need a scan that will read IGN1 voltage in the PCM data list to continue diagnosis.

I still got my predator for scanning capabilities, I think it has that feature in the live scan. I also just got my pcm back from being tuned, that wouldn't have anything to do with it right? The wierdest thing with it is that I hit it and let it run for awhile one day and then a few days later I started ti again and it was reading around 10 volt cahrge again with the battery light on and we started hitting around on it again and this time we hit it on the back and it jumped up to 15-16 volts again. I don't understand that much about alternators, but I'm guessing I messed it up by trying to pull it apart?

I love it! If it doesn't work just get a bigger hammer.:tvhaha:

Oh hang on...he would have to had the back of the alternator off in order to pop the brushes...this type of alternator is very sensitive...I need to know in detail what you took off. I hope that you didn’t take anything off except the plastic cover or the pulley. There are numerous insulators that if even cracked can ruin your alternator...and 9 times out of 10 if you unsoldered the rectifier from the stator (3 leads coming from front of alternator) than your rectifier is useless now. Also EVERY SCREW COUNTS! Every screw has a job and it looks as if it has x2 as many screws as it needs but every screw is a conductor for ground to another part of the alternator. PM me and tell me what you did and I can help you from there...

Hitting it with a hammer is probley causing a poorly connected joint on the alternator to connect enough to charge...it isn’t making a kinda dull high pitch sound is it?

BTW It does have a regulator in the alternator...all the PCM does is adjust the voltage on the sense wire in the regulator...but hitting it wont cause it to charge if its the regulator...there electronic...

I took the alternator off the truck, took the pulley off the front, then took the 4 external torx bolts out that hold the 2 halves together. Next I took 2 prybars and used them to start getting the 2 halves apart, which I only got them about 3/4" apart and then everything kinda stopped and nothing would budge, so I tried to push the 2 halves back together and couldn't so I used the 4 e-torx bolts to pull it back together? Hope that's what you were looking for?

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Originally Posted by 1_fastsilverado

I took the alternator off the truck, took the pulley off the front, then took the 4 external torx bolts out that hold the 2 halves together. Next I took 2 prybars and used them to start getting the 2 halves apart, which I only got them about 3/4" apart and then everything kinda stopped and nothing would budge, so I tried to push the 2 halves back together and couldn't so I used the 4 e-torx bolts to pull it back together? Hope that's what you were looking for?

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well...I say head up to your local rebuilder or parts store and buy a new one...you probley messed up the diode rectifier...attached is a pic explaining

Ok I was thinking that...What would cause it to overcharge while the truck is running and then after it sits for a few days and I satart it again it's not charging, but then when it got hit hard it kicked in again and overcharged? Just curious.

Well that could be many different things...overcharging...could be from a "controlled short" that causes the electronic voltage regulator to be bypassed in what is called "fielding" of "full-fielding" This is probley the reason behind smacking it and it working, you have a short...smack it...breaks short...alternator kicks in (while shock from blow is still moving wire)...short is than reestablished...full fields and over charges. That is my best guess...I have some pics I am uploading now...

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...s/DSC00145.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...s/DSC00146.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...s/DSC00148.jpg

here are the parts I was telling you about...I took the time to label 'em for ya'...

"I assume no responsibility for any damages cause by you ,or anyone else looking at these pictures, trying to tear your alternator apart and rebuild/anything else for that matter" BE SMART…LEAVE IT TO THE PROS!!

^^not intended for you, 1 fastsilveado,...but other people who look at this post^^

Finally you showed up.