You're right Brian ;
When I was a Gas Station Mechanic we overhauled alternators in the shop , they just needed cleaning , hand polishing of the rotor's slip rings and $3 worth of brushes plus a dab of good grease in the bush end cup roller bearing ..
Back then they co$t $15 wholesale , IIRC retail was $19 for most any rebuilt alternator .
Yes , I have seen many catastrophic failures but in the main the brushes just wear out .
-Nate
Brian wrote :
My guess is that a lot of $$ is made on the sale and installation of new and rebuilt alternators, when in fact the $1 carbon brushes just need to be replaced. I just don't recall in my lifetime ever hearing or seeing a catastrophic failure of a generator or alternator like the bearings burned out and fried, or a gallon of oil fried everything. I think most people see a light go on or off, or the needle on the dash won't move, they take the car into the friendly mechanic and he says, "looks like you need to replace the alternator folks." Well, hooey - I also carry a spare regulator nowadays. If I were smarter I would probably just carry a bag of spare carbon brushes. I think when I drove my 1982 TD parts wagon from Minneapolis to L.A. and broke down at a rest stop near Independence, MO, it cost me $450 to get out of there. The guy actually took the front end off so he could get to the alternator - so I was up a crick without a paddle.
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Posted by: vwnate1@yahoo.com
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