[kismetcapitan]

I know I've fried my alternator. However, the unit is a year old with about 5,000 miles on it - I'm pretty sure I toasted it due to a misadventure with the water pump pulley...

Anyways, to rebuild it - the bearings are fine, and I imagine the windings and magnet must be in good shape considering the age of it. Does anyone have experience in rebuilding alternators? It appears to me that, if the unit is mechanically sound, then it's an electronics problem (I think I may have shorted out something)....and I'm looking at a regulator kit. To rebuild...just pull the altermator, swap out the regulator for a new one, including this "brush kit" (what's that??), and then I'm back in business?

 

[Sub Boy]

Generaly the things that go wrong in the alternator is the regulator (The bit that reduces the voltage down to 13.8v - 14.4v), and the armiture plates and brushes (the spring loaded contacts that meet the turning middle thing that is the armiture)

The kit you speak of would be a good start, but I would think you have some further gremlins in you car if it has only lasted for 5000ks......My car has 3x large amplifiers powering off an Optima gell battery with no issues.

 

[kismetcapitan]

my car threw the water pump/alternator belt because I forgot to bolt on the pulley before starting the engine. Shit flew everywhere, and the alternator hasn't worked since

I do suspect some sort of gremlins though - but found that removing my head unit stopped the SIX AMP current drain I traced with a multimeter!! I have a pair of amps in the boot, max peak draw of 80 amps. My battery is a standard lead-acid, but it is HUGE and designed for SUV use.

I have a very thick gauge wire going from the battery (in the boot) up front. Shouldn't this wire connect directly to the alternator? I had thought that all major positive leads (2~3) would be best connected directly to the alternator, but the shop sent one wire from the alternator to a distribution block, then connected everything to that. There's no fuse, so I don't get it. Any reason why I can't have the battery directly connected to the alternator??