Glas482

OK with the help of a quick search here and a look at Pelican I have determined that my alternator is going. (headlights dimming and then getting bring, battery charging at 17.5v with car sitting in garage and then dropping to 14.5 when I turn the lights on) I doesn't look like the battery has "boiled". The area is clean with just a small amount of that battery acid stuff around that I will clean up when I do the swap.

So my question is....Is it the regulator or alternator that actually causes the problem? I know I pull it and have it rebuilt but is it one or the other that goes bad or do they work in conjunction with each other to cause the problem?

Also I printed off a great tech article about the removal and reinstall and it doesn't seem too difficult but can a guy with average skills really do it. I have to say it's a little intimadating but I really want to be able to take care of these things myself. Would be nice if there were some classes or inservices with some hands on help available.

Does anyone know of a good rebuild place around Cincinnati? The east side would be great but I go anyplace that's reliable and has a good rep.

BTW I have a 87 Carerra with the standard 3.2 no mods, 73K.

Thanks
Matthew

theiceman

Regulator , should be able to slip it out the back of the alternator after removal, from the car. Even if it isn't tthat , if you have your alternator rebuilt just tell him you already put the regulator in .... can't lose really. But I certainly would not be driving around a DME car with 17.5 v running through it. Not to mention all the other things that are designed for 12 v ..... then again should light up your smokes in a hurry :-)

joey c

mine did the same thing...it was the alternator

Droops83

Ice is right, the voltage regulator is your problem. Could be an original Paris-Rhone regulator which is a piece of crap; there are better ones available now. Definitely don't drive it anymore, can cause battery to cook and headlights to burn out and stuff like that. It is not too hard to R+R the alternator, do a search; there are several threads from the past year or so on this subject. It is handy to have a press available to press the alternator out of the fan housing and then the fan off of the alternator, but sometimes you are lucky and it comes right off . . . . also not a bad idea to have the whole alternator rebuilt even if it is just the regulator that is bad.

Man these things are dropping like flies these days I have had to pull 3-4 alternators out of 3.2 Carreras and internally regulated SCs in the past few weeks, all for regulator failure!

---Chris A.

Nashville84Cab

Sounds like a regulator problem to me. I experienced the same problem when I first got my car. Lights would dim and then get bright as I gave it some gas. The battery was new so I had my alternator tested and to my suprise it passed. However later, when I tested the voltage under higher revs compared to idle, it was reading near 18V. Scary!!!

I had the entire unit (alternator with regulator) replaced just to have a piece of mind as I was having dead battery issues. The result was no more dimming lights, no more starting issues, and I actually noticed my engine was running alot smoother.

Good luck,
Darrell

theiceman

goes to show a small voltmeter mounted somewhere could save a lot of heartache ...

911 Rod

Replace all 3. Battery, alternator and battery.
Then install a voltmeter.
You don't want to back in and this is cheap compared to other things.
My 2 cents worth as I've been there.
Rod

Peter Zimmermann

We also, like Chris experienced, had alternators come in clusters. So much so that we stocked (1) for '78-81 SCs, (2) for '82/83 SCs, and (2), sometimes (3), for 3.2 Carreras. We had Loren (Systems Consulting) do our rebuilds, and his work is superb. I'm not sure if he ships product, but it might be worth it to talk with him. All of his rebuilds include a new regulator. Be aware that, on some cars, the replacement regulator will be larger than the original, which requires some minor cutting to the air duct on the back of the alternator.

84_Carrera

I purchased a new alt from the dealer for ~$330 IIRC, + new battery for just over $100 from memory (Die Hard International). That was 2 years ago July. I snapped some pics during & did a thread on it here back then.

glenncof

On my '85 I had the original alt go out at 63K and rebuild last another 87K. Lights flicker on the last one.

I rebuilt it at a local shop for ~$100. I pulled it myself (second time for me).

There are some great write-ups but I'll mention a few things. First, take your time. There are three wires on connected inside the fan shroud that are hard to get at. They are different diameter lugs but I make a diagram anyhow. Dress the wires so they don't rub. Also, my original regulator went out ~18K miles and the mechanic had to modify the shoud for the new regulator. I think I had the shop press it out of it's casting or do something like that. They said just puttiing in new regulator with worn slip-rings causes brushes to break off. Finally, although it was second time to install I had a hard time getting it properly seated under the hold-down band.

This is not like a truck alternator staring you in the face. Of course disconnect battery.