ALT problems, help please!

[1SLO306]

my alt was not chargin the battery all that great. so i pulled it off to check the brushes. Sure enough one was completely gone and one was barely there. I put in new one and now the thing isnt charing at all. Could i have blown the voltage regulator???

 

[Dbeck002]

how did you check the brushes? did you take the whole alternator apart?

 

[srothfuss]

Have you checked to see that you have voltage coming out of the Alternator? Maybe you have a bad wire / connection. Small things like this lead to overworked alternators and such....

 

[1SLO306]

how did you check the brushes? did you take the whole alternator apart?

all i have to do is take the voltage regulator off and there is my brushes. How can i check to see if its puttin out volts?

 

[djk8705]

If its off the car a simple bench test will tell you if it is the problem or a simple wiring issue... advanced auto/pep boys.. lots of places do free tests around me

 

[skip nay]

If it is on the car take a voltage gauge or meter to the out put wire or too the plug itself

 

[srothfuss]

all i have to do is take the voltage regulator off and there is my brushes. How can i check to see if its puttin out volts?

I guess I wasn't thinking this morning. A simple continuity test across the wires in the engine bay will establish that you still have an electrical path between the alternator and battery.

Something that will help is upgrading all of the grounds on the car. The alternator is grounded through the engine which is inturn only grounded by 1 or 2 thin metal straps.