Bob,
Don't suppose you still have the old one? Reason I
ask...
I just replaced a set of brushes on a friends car.
His was doin' the same as yours. The brushes are
$2.35 from Moss(nfi). They're incredibly easy to
replace. I did it with the alternator on the car.
Upon inspection, one of his had worn about 2/3 down.
The other was probably usable, but for $2.35 for a
pair...just replace both. I think many people are
intimidated by alternators. At least the Lucas brand.
They're not that hard to work on.
Just a thought.
Todd Bermudez
CD198L
CF25768UO
--- rhill <hill@mninter.net> wrote:
> Good day, list---(I'm a long time reader, seldom
> poster..)
>
> Story follows a rather embarrassing failure of my 73
> TR6 to start---
> slowwwwww crank, then a fail to crank--flat
> battery--a jump got me home.
>
> At home, I put the battery on the charger for 5
> hours--that restored
> the starting ability, though the measured voltage
> (at the battery)
> was only 12.2 volts while running. The charge
> indicator light did
> behave normally, though--off with car off, on with
> the key in run
> (car not running), then going out with the car
> running.
>
> I decided to call my local imports place to see what
> they had for an
> alternator (because I really, really need to drive
> the TR6 every
> day :)--they said they had one that might work---a
> Bosch AL298X--so I
> bought it. The "old" alternator (that had been
> rebuilt once, by a
> Canadian company, so it had NO identifying marks on
> it other than the
> re-builders plate) had a molded three wire
> connector, and a single
> small spade connector. The new alternator had only
> the three-wire
> connector. Resorting to the schematics, I found
> that the "extra"
> wire (small brown) seemed to be an external sensing
> wire that
> wouldn't be needed with the new alternator.
> (because I opened both
> cases, and found that the 'old' alternator had a
> four wire regulator,
> and the new one had only a two wire--therefore the
> new one was self-
> sensing) ---so I tied the (small brown) sensing wire
> back, and
> installed the new alternator.
>
> And it ran just fine for about 8 minutes (13.8 volts
> at idle), then
> it started to howl, and then the went to 12.2 volts.
> With a
> wonderful smell. I assume that I've just cooked a
> $112 dollar
> alternator. :(
>
> Voltage drops on the cables seem ok.
>
> And here we are. Where did I go wrong?
>
> I see that I can buy new regulators from the usual
> suspects, but I
> really don't want to toast more parts.
>
> I expect that I could install a GM alternator--(when
> I did one on my
> old Spitfire, all it took was a GM alternator, a
> stack of washers,
> and the 2 prong GM plug) for the about 50$.
>
> Or do the bosch/festiva conversion--another
> expensive alternator,
> though, isn't it?
>
> Ack. Ideas, please, Gentlemen (and Ladies).
>
> Thanks--
>
> Bob Hill
> '73 TR6
>
> Minnesota/USA
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