Rave's Alternator Arseache

[forddeliveryboy]

  On 21/02/2017 at 14:26, sierraman said:

Not sure about going back to the days of having a V belt. You were forever changing them and they'd snap at a moments notice. A Mondeo will do 100-150k on the original aux belt.

The only time one let go on me was when I'd noticed it noodle-thin and hadn't time to change it before a last-minute dash to France. They took 50k to wear so far, and only then as a result of no maintenance.

 

It was ignored cos it had a twin doing the same job, which was in fine fettle, and the boot carried two spares plus the obligatory spanners. And the girlfriend would have donated her legwear, if it came to that.

 

You could buy those thick rubber bands which plugged together as emergency spares - fitted in seconds.

 

Whereas atm there's a V70 with a borked ACC outside my parents, the recommended no-AC belt doesn't fit. You can't drive it because there's no charging (and moderns suck amps fast) and no PAS. Removing the compressor looks about as enjoyable as doing the same on something PSA with added LHM, so I've measured a new belt run and have a new 6PK arriving before 5.30. It may work.

 

Since I'm on a rant about this sort of modern foolery, I'll continue tyvm. If the serpentine or any one of its pulleys or components fooksup not only are you stranded, but there's the chance of it snagging the timing belt too. And they're totally intolerant of the slightest misalignment and tensioners often want to eat your hand and lower arm.

 

With threads for pulleys tapped straight into alloy engines, if damaged it's possible the engine has to be craned up to repair.

So what if they can last two or three times longer than what had been used from ancient Egypt until 1988? [/rant]

[Rave]

  On 21/02/2017 at 17:17, sierraman said:

I'd get the alternator tested or find a recon one with a guarantee. With stuff from breakers etc you take your chances. What is it shared with? Would one off a 1.8/2.0 work?

 

I don't think so, it's a big bastard, 110 or 120 amps I think. Ghia Xs come with lots of toys, I daresay running the heated windscreen and two heated seats sucks a fair bit of current. My heated seat doesn't actually work (thanks, Thames Valley Police) but the car doesn't know that .

 

Getting the alternator tested is the plan anyway, once I've done all the other tests just in case...

[twosmoke300]

A vee belt won't deliver the torque that a serpentine belt will . Not without being massive .

 

Modern cars have 150 amp plus alternators and ac to drive so need all the drive they can get

[Guest Hooli]

  On 21/02/2017 at 18:41, twosmoke300 said:

A vee belt won't deliver the torque that a serpentine belt will . Not without being massive .

 

Modern cars have 150 amp plus alternators and ac to drive so need all the drive they can get

 

I proved that when I put a 120amp alt on a Tdi Disco & tried to used a 11,000lb winch. It ate belts rather quickly & pulleys not much slower.

[sierraman]

  On 21/02/2017 at 18:31, Rave said:

I don't think so, it's a big bastard, 110 or 120 amps I think. Ghia Xs come with lots of toys, I daresay running the heated windscreen and two heated seats sucks a fair bit of current. My heated seat doesn't actually work (thanks, Thames Valley Police) but the car doesn't know that .

 

Getting the alternator tested is the plan anyway, once I've done all the other tests just in case...

Where did you get the Alternator you put in? The 3.0 ones show up at £80 on EBay. However I know a really good Ford Breaker near me, he might have one in, can get you number if you need it.

[Rave]

  On 21/02/2017 at 19:05, sierraman said:

Where did you get the Alternator you put in? The 3.0 ones show up at £80 on EBay. However I know a really good Ford Breaker near me, he might have one in, can get you number if you need it.

 

It's the original alternator- I just changed the brushes, as a youtube video had convinced me that that was likely to be the problem. It still might, as I'm not the most competent solderer in the world.

 

I now think it's likely to be the regulator unit, and they can apparently be bought for £20-40 depending on the model. All the actual body and rotating bits looked to be in fine fettle.

[Rave]

I know you've all been waiting with bated breath for an update on this. A couple of weeks ago I went through the rigmarole of getting at the alternator again, and poked it with my multimeter, which revealed that there was good continuity between the alternator body, and the engine block. I then finally figured that I was being a dimwit thinking that I'd need an extension lead to test the positive cable for continuity- just test for voltage between the terminal at the alternator end, and ground...sure enough, 12V present and correct. So battery terminals off, and out the alternator came again.

 

I googled around a bit and found a local chap whose business is rebuilding alternators from his garage. I rang him up, and after I'd explained that, no, I didn't need him to remove the alternator from the car, told him that I thought the regulator was probably faulty, and that I just wanted it testing. His response was "if you think the regulator's faulty, just buy another one!".

 

So I sighed, went on ebay, and bought this:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ARG134-ALTERNATOR-Regulator-Ford-Ka-Focus-C-Max-1-3-1-6-Fusion-1-25-Mondeo-3-0/261706747643?_trksid=p3693.c100102.m2452&_trkparms=ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140212121249%26meid%3D029ecba007814555add6e345c8cea944%26pid%3D100102%26

 

...which arrived the very next day. Anyway, after another week or so of prevarication, today was the day I fitted it to the alternator:

 

 

I was a bit concerned that the brushes didn't seem to fit into the grooves worn into the slip ring, but there didn't seem to be anything I could do about it. While I was at it, I gave the charge terminal and the contact faces between the alternator and the block a quick spin over with a little wire rush in my cheapo dremel clone. Then, with a strong sense of doomed inevitability, I trekked out to the car with my jack and all my tools, and bunged it back in for a second time. This time, I didn't even bother reattaching the drop link and track rod, just put the serpentine belt back on, connected the terminals to the alternator and battery, crossed my fingers, and started the car.

 

 

 

Not pictured, but tested: battery charging at 13.6V .

 

Anyway, I then checked the tyre pressures, only to find that they were still over the recommendations- I must have left them in "full load, 3 or more passengers" mode when I parked it up. So I gingerly set off for a drive round the block. Most of the rust noisily ground off the brakes in a few stops and they seem to be working fine, but the long layup has caused some part or other of the gearshift linkage to seize up, so it doesn't self centre any more, and I had a bugger of a time getting it into reverse. I guess some white spray grease aimed at the bottom of the stick would be my first port of call?

 

I was also rudely reminded what a big bastard it is compared to the Mk1 Megane I've been driving for the last 5 months...and how difficult I make driving it by insisting on having the seat set as low as it will go, because handling y0. I might have to grow up and raise the seat a bit, so I can see the extremities a bit better, but equally I'll probably get used to it again soon.

 

Just need to buy some breakdown cover now, for when whatever it was caused the old regulator to pop does the same to this one .

[overrun]

Well done, but surely 13.6v charging is a bit low?!

 

I used to have a mk3 TDCi 130 Ghia X with all the stuff yours has and the factory DVD screens in the headrests, so I wonder if that alternator is the same?

[Rave]

  On 21/03/2017 at 17:02, overrun said:

Well done, but surely 13.6v charging is a bit low?!

 

I used to have a mk3 TDCi 130 Ghia X with all the stuff yours has and the factory DVD screens in the headrests, so I wonder if that alternator is the same?

 

I don't know, TBH. The battery's old and probably a bit flat from all the messing about, that was at idle with a cold battery and engine, and I don't understand the vagaries of the Smart Charge system. As long as the battery light stays off and the car starts and goes, I'm calling it a win.

 

According to the fitment list for the regulator, it's not the same alternator as a TDCi. Interestingly the regulator itself fits all sorts, including Kas and Mazda 2s, but the only Mondeo listed is the 3.0 V6.