leftturn109

i have a 1965 Plymouth valiant with a 225 slant six and im going through westbays alternators really fast im wondering what could couse and alternator to fail.

WarWagon

Typically excessive current draw, or, if the units themselves are defective, there will be a short in the windings. Have you had your battery checked? A weak battery can cause excessive strain on the alternator. To check the alternator itself, measure its output voltage at idle, should be somewhere between about 12.5-13.8.

MSD

To expand on WarWagon's statement, your car's electronics require a certain amount of wattage to work. Wattage is equal to volts x amps. If your voltage drops, the current (amperage) that is drawn jumps dramatically, causing excessive wear and tear on your components. The most common problem I've seen it cause is a burned-out starter, but the alternator can suffer from the extra current as well.

grumpyolddude

Have you replaced the voltage regulator? I would recommend having the entire charging system checked. Many places will perform this at no cost (well, my place would). This would entail a load test on the battery, starter draw test, regulator function and alternator output test. This won''t rule out a wiring problem, but will go a long way towards a final resolution for you. Good luck.

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leftturn109

the stater is new and was tested fine the whole ignitions system is new the batary is good the voltage ragulator is new but i still have gone through 12 alternators in 3 years i wonder if the remanufactured one im useing are just crap.

grumpyolddude

Given that information, a change in suppliers may be in order. Where do you live? Maybe we can help find you a higher quality alternator.

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"Regret can be a harder pill to swallow than failure .With failure you at least know you gave it a chance..." David Howard

leftturn109

I live in the seattle area the alternator i have been geting is a reman from a local auto store (westbay) i keep getting there because they have a life time warenty an i have only paid $56 for all 12 of the alternator i have used in the last three years.

Sion

somehow I doubt you have had 12 consecutive defective alternators. but what I would want to know is this: did each alternator die in the same way? meaning that the failure was the same for each one (ie insufficient amperage output, or bad diode, worn bearings, etc). If so, then I would suspect that there is something wrong with the car or the installation that is killing the alternators. also, the nature of the failures, if all the same, should point you in the direction of the problem.

if the failure has varied from alternator to alternator, then it is possible, if highly unlikely, that you just got a series of bum units.


are you doing the installation of these units yourself? are you 100% sure you have done it correctly? (not to be insulting, but just suggesting possibilities. even the best mechanics overlook things and/or make the occasional mistakes.)

some things to check on:

do NOT overtighten the drive belt. this will cause premature failure of the bearings. on the other hand, too loose a belt will cause the pulley to slip and thus the alternator, because it is not spinning fast enough, may seem bad when in reality it is not.

if you dont have one, get a Haynes or Chiltons manual for your car and check to make sure you have connected the wires to the alternator correctly.

it is possible that they initially gave you the WRONG alternator and have subsequently been replacing it with the same wrong model. i checked and found that the two options are a 50 amp and a 60 amp unit. if you are using a 50 amp unit and actually NEED a 60 amp one, that could be causing premature failure. I dont think this is a high probability, as 10 amps isnt a big difference, but the possibility exists.

also, concerning amperage, what sort of accessories does the vehicle have that draw power? ie power windows, door locks, etc. this can be important when determining what amperage a unit is required. especially important is if you have added aftermarket stereo equipment to the vehicle. i've seen cars that, because of the demands of the audio system (particularly amplifiers) these cars needed 200+ amp alternators.

finally, its possible that something in the car is shorted to ground (ie radio, a guage, domelight, etc) that is causing a constant and excessive draw on the alternator when the vehicle is running, thus leading to premature failure. if you have any accessories or lights that dont work, check them out for such a condition.

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leftturn109

all but one failed with insufficient amperage the other decided it wanted to catch on fire. i do have it installed corectly and its the right one. and there is no Haynes or Chiltons manual for my car its too old i have a detroit iron one but it goes into little detail on electrical. i have used a testing device to test all my wires so i know non are grounded and there is no shorts. im pretty sure now snice no one has suggested anything that i havent already checked or fixed that i just need to shell out the money and get really good one ore convert it to a GM single wire.

Sion

"all but one failed with insufficient amperage the other decided it wanted to catch on fire."

I think this should tell you something. Ignore the one that caught fire (random bad unit) and concentrate on why 11 units have failed with low amperage.

__________________
He's the best, of course, of all the worst.
Some wrong been done, he done it first. -fz

I jus' want ta thank you...falettinme...be mice elf...agin...