smoking alternators

[IH8BOWTIES]

Ok, here's the deal. I was changing a bad brake booster tuesday (note to all, remove battery before doing this) I was using a long extension to get to the lower nuts on the engine side when I accidently made contact with the pos battery terminal. Two days later, my alternator is gone. I had a backup on the shelf and I installed that one. It lasted a day. At first I thought maybe they were on their last leg anyway but after remembering the battery incident, I think I fried a diode or something. Any thoughts.........thanks

 

[BlownFiveLiter]

It's possible that you just happened to lose the second alternator completely unrelated to the first. The short circuit when your socket wrench contacted the positive terminal could also have killed a cell in the battery and I could see that killing another alternator.

 

[HISSIN50]

What makes you think you're smoking alternators? How are they testing bad?

Have you tested the regulator wiring values and checked the condition of the fusible links on the charge cables?

 

[IH8BOWTIES]

I took them both down and had them tested. Fusable links are good. I'll have the battery checked out as well.

 

[IH8BOWTIES]

It's possible that you just happened to lose the second alternator completely unrelated to the first. The short circuit when your socket wrench contacted the positive terminal could also have killed a cell in the battery and I could see that killing another alternator.

I thought that as well. I have another alternator off a convertible that I'm restoring but I'm afraid to put it on there only to smoke it too until I know I don't have another issue. I'm actually going to do a G3 upgrade on it. I'm just waiting on my stator pigtail to get here. I have an electric fan that the stock alt can't handle too well. If I put the conv alternator in there, I may pull the electric fan and put my flex fan on there until all my parts come in. I still believe that the electric fan is the way to go, I just need the charging system to handle it.