Man, oh man, this is an AWESOME video. Mike, you are a mechanic's mechanic. This is the best repair video I have ever seen in my 76 years. Thanks, loads. Barry
Good videos and nice shots. At 3:40, to un-solder the stator from the rectifier's connector, I am lucky enough to have a 450 watt soldering gun (SnapOn R450 / 42 years old) and once applying some rosin to melt, once it flows, I hit the liquid solder connection with compressed air carefully away from me. It maybe necessary to repeat, but using very small side cutters and needle nose, made for electronics work, allows you to remove the wires safely without breaking one off. I have tons of pullers and found one designed to remove starter & alternator bearings, it worked great on the brush end bearing. Using a small cold chisel, I chipped away the epoxy carefully from both sides the the connection for the brushes. It reveals a twisted pair making the connection from the slip ring assembly to the rotors windings. Using rosin and enough heat, the solder flowed and used compressed air again to remove most of it. Twisting counter clockwise, allowed me to disconnect the slip rings. With a cold chisel at the base of the slip rings insulate base, I found it easy to drive it up, alternating from side to side. Cleaning the shaft and key-ways used for the slip rings wire using some crocus cloth, or 400 grit sandpaper to make it easy to re-install the slip rings and bearing. (Note: Place the 400 grit, face down and apply duct tape to the back. This will keep the sandpaper from tearing & then cut into strips to clean the shaft. I found several kits online that sell everything required, but perhaps off-brand bearings and a non "Taditel" regulator that is OEM) Be careful of the regulator depending on what you want. A single wire is fine for most down an "LS" swap, but some terminals are for duty cycle the PCM uses to control the rate of charge while other use one terminal to produce a 0.7 volt DC signal for brake booster assist which is a vacuum pump GM used mounted in the booster, that comes on at 8 hg or lower (Internal switch) to add vacuum for proper booster operation. This may come in handy for large profile camshafts that reduce available vacuum and braking suffers. I Just grew up during the age when only new part from the dealer came in a box. We rebuilt everything. ASE Master Tech since 1978. Subscribed! Very good video.
Mike, great video but had a thought.. I would not dry these in the oven at 350F.. The varnish insulation on *most* magnet wire doesn't usually hold up well above 180C (which is around 350ish F)... it starts to dry up and weaken too even before it fails. There are magnet wires like Ceramawire that can handle 1000F but it's usually not used for these. For most magnet wire 250F is safe.
Well although I really did like the theme of the video and it shows what the average DIY home mechanic may deal with with, I have some exceptions to and with some of your methods. 1) At 7:10..... Using a ball peen hammer or any steel hammer can well end up in a bent or cracked casing. Use a hard plastic hammer or a bit of hard wood such as oak or maple to keep tapping around the casing to drive it off the stater. 2) At 9:48 you detailed about putting the front casing into the oven @350'F (250"F is my preff" for 20 minutes. then you drive in a new but at "room temperature" bearing. Had you also put that bearing in a plastic sandwich bag and placed in the freezer for 20 minutes, when you bring them both out for reassembly and quickly put the bearing in, it will in all most all situations very simply slip into the casing without any forcing with a hammer. However, tap it lightly just to make sure it is seated! 3) At 14:22, had you also put the rear bearing in the freezer in a separate bag and the rotor in the oven @250"F for 20 minutes, the rear bearing also would likely have just slipped fully onto the rotor shaft. The using a socket just to tap down assuring that it is seated. 4) At 15:00 it was visible that you cut into the commutator which should be avoided at all costs as the sharp groove may tear away at the brush. By appearance, it looks like the brush will likely be above that cut Hopefully. For all you DIY, people, be easy with the dremmel and don't cut into the commutator or the rotor bearing surface. Not poking fun at anyone here, just adding my two pennies worth to help make your job a little easier!
Great comments. Thank you very much. But, to be the most help to the people actually doing the job : Trust our many, many years of experience with alternator tear down. DON'T waste your time with ANY rubber, plastic, brass or wooden mallet. It won't work, or your arm will be so sore, you won't be able to finish the job!! Just grab a regular ball peen and use a little heat and common sense. The plates are not pure aluminum. They will take a lot of force. If you DO happen to break one and you bought one of our kits, we have your back. Call us m-f 8-5 eastern and we can ship a complimentary or very cheap replacement from our stock.
Also Lisa, very sharp to notice the slip ring at 15:00 ! Nobody's perfect, and we suspect that could happen in the field to people using our kits, because if you have to cut the bearing off, it could be unavoidable that minimal damage occurs to the slip ring, do to the geometry and the diameter of the cut off wheel. This "imperfection" (nyuk nyuk) will have no performance or life expectancy effect on the alternator, as long as the cut is 1/16" away from the brush track. This is a perfect example of clinical verses practical (actual) mechanics who get the job done, not just talk about it.
just take chunk of wire strip the end and dip it into some flux. Now you have a wick to absorb the hot solder from what you are desoldering. Or buy a solder bulb to suck it up with.
Thank you very much for providing this tutorial for us! I followed your instructions and have ordered the correct rebuild kit from your website for the rebuild.
How did you get the post standoff off so the new rectifier ground can go on? Does it need heat? Your video just cuts from it being there to it being off.
It shows you somewhere in the video. Tap down on the post with a hammer while supporting the rectifier from underneath with a closed end wrench that's a little bigger diameter than the post at the bottom.
Great video, thanks for making it. I have a question, I have a 2000 Buick park avenue 3.8L your website does not list a rebuild kit. I have had issues with the battery boiling over. Voltage was 14.15 v when the battery was at 12.8 (fully charged) I cleaned up the battery tray and checked fluid level on th ebattery, all the plates are covered. Put it back in and the battery at 12.2 volts alternator is charging at 14.5 at idle and at 2000 rpm. So I am assuming the voltage regulator is bad. (too hot) You show the replacement voltage regulator needing to slip under the plastic post at 21:43. Then your video jumps showing it has been removed. Mine does not want to pull off. Your video then shows a ferrule with a metal insert being installed over the new regulator. Is the ferrule a new part? Is it the old part? Does it simply slide off of the post? Sorry for the long comment and thanks for anyoone that can reply.
First, it sounds like you are not measuring voltage on a reliable meter? If the meter is reliable, there should be minimal voltage drop between alternator output terminal and battery terminals. Clean and di-elec.grease all engine and chassis grounds. Remove battery, take it to a local battery vender and have it charged and checked. The diagnostic info doesn't sound like a bad volt reg. But anyway, maybe watch the movie again where the regulator is changed. It should show you that 1 lead is cut, the other un soldered. Then you pound the stud out of the ferrule and the ferrule is re-used.
awesome job for the diy, it's pretty cumbersome but can be done. In my opinion it's better to buy brand new where all your parts are new with a warranty.
That couldn't be a wronger opinion. People who work on cars a lot know the "new" parts from the big box stores are a quality trap. People who have a lot of experience in auto repair are looking for a quality alternative, so they can do the job ONCE, not monthly. Don't get fooled by the illusion of "LIFETME WARRANTY" on a box. It's a lot more work doing an install over and over, than doing the job right, but only once.
Quick question is it possible for alternators to stick....on my truck i turn it on and on the guage it will start at a quarter...i leave the truck running and get out and hit the alternator with the handle of a my hammer and it will suddenly start charging again....or could it be a bad brush.??
In the shop, we use Stellar Technical.com. Rosin core .062 dia lead free. 97% tin 3% copper. 441-590F melting point. At home for the part timer, Kester has been in the solder biz forever. They make a "Pocket Pak" 60/40 that comes in .031 dia and .05. Looks pretty good and not expensive.
The brushes can slide out of the brush housing, but the connector end is captured, thus requiring you to remove the regulator to get the connector off a raised area holding the brush rings. Sorry.
Is there a way to remove the winding/red wire coil (not sure if the correct name) from the casing, I would like to sand blast and paint and have it disassembled to that point but do not know how to remove that
@@jordanmitch8117 Heat the aluminum, remove the bearing. Place a 1/2 inch thick die on both sides the laminations, but not the windings. Fix ass'y in a press (about 5 ton req'd) Press out downward thru bearing hole. There's no glue, normally heat and a punch would cause distortion, but may be possible, if installing a new stator.
Thanks for making the video! I have a quick question for you, i have a PowerMaster Alternator 58302. It's a 220 amp 14.8 volt power alternator 2 pin style - L/F. I had it originally hooked up as a one wire alternator because that's what it said in the add when i bought it but have since found out it's a OE style unit. I've only gotten 13.4-13.8volts. How do i make this thing work?? It's a super expensive alternator and brand new. Do i need to change the regulator out? It's going from 13.8, 11, 9, 0, than back to 13.8 on the voltmeter then on repeat every few seconds, I have no ECU old mopar new ignition. Any info would be super helpful!
The 2 pin DR44G, which is what that model seems similar to, will not achieve 14.5VDC without a computer. As a 1 wire hook up, it will be in limp mode and be exactly 1 volt less than normal. IDK if our kits (OE style) are compatible with Powermaster. You'd have to contact them. IF they are OE style rebuilds, you could use an AD244 kit with a 4 pin volt reg. but you'd need a pigtail and a key on/ off power source. As for the 13.8, 11, 9, 0 readings: Check the batteries and leads in the meter, try another meter, or remove the battery, have it charged and checked and pay close special attention to the connections.
@@rebuilderinabox Hey Mike, one side of the regulator has the pink insulator pad. The other side should be metal on metal or should it have an conductive paste in between? If so, what paste should be used?
@@JeanSolagnier If you work on one successfully, you'll replace the regulator with a new updated style. That's the only way we support. The grease is hi temp silicone base. Dielectric grease.
Do you still stock the parts, I can't find a decent kit out there, but I haven't gone to your alternatorstarter site. Is that the right place, because your T-shirt is confusing me. I really appreciate your video and it really is a shame that these kits are so obscure because the work isn't labor intensive, just a little time. There should be a law in that every part should be accessable, cross-reference capable, and *obtainable.* People have gotten lazy and prefer to pay out the nose for someone else to take their known, good core for the unknown quality of a remanufactured a unit with a *warranty.* If it was perfect, they wouldn't need that warranty and then what happens when they can't fix anything and the parts aren't even there anymore. Dealer service destroys right to repair with regards to vehicles. Sensitive subject, I can't stand it! 😡😂 Glad you're out there providing this service, had parts to come by nowadays! Thanks man!
