[tylerwerrin]

Hi there,

My alternator got fried when a friend hooked my battery cables up wrong -- instead of buying a whole new alternator, could I just get a new regulator pack? I guess i won't know for sure how bad the damage is until i crack the alternator open, but assuming it is just the pack, where do you guys get yours?

It is the 105 amp alternator for a 1996 chevy impala. I can't really find much information regarding this particular problem.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,

Tyler W.

[The Flyin Wop]

Just because your cables were hooked wrong,doesn't mean that you blew the alternator out. Does it have voltage going to it ? Does this have a main fuse on it.Usually the main fuse to the car will blow before it goes anywhere else.If you think the alternator is not charging,what you can do is when you turn it off,run a draw test to it and see if you might have a draw.if you suspect the alternator,first disconnect the regulator see if the draw goes away,second disconnect the main wire, to see if you may have bleown the diode plate off. "this is done by hooking up an ammeter in-line with the negative cable on one lead and the other lead on the battery. If you don't have an ammeter,try a test light lead on the cable ,light on the battery. If it's really lite up would indicate a big draw,such as 1-plus amp,dim,opposite.
Not as confusing as it sounds.
Paisano

[tylerwerrin]

Turns out it is actually the 140amp alternator -- pt# 10463338.

the reason i think the diode packs are fried was that the alternator smoked after being hooked up incorrectly -- usually where there's smoke...there's a destroyed part.

I'll try what you suggest though -- maybe the diodes just got a dose of polarity and are still strong enough to carry on :-)

[tylerwerrin]

http://www.springhillautoelectric.co...&productId=462

if anyone is curious, this is the cheapest i've found for rectifier packs...

enjoy!

tyler

[The Flyin Wop]

Originally Posted by tylerwerrin

http://www.springhillautoelectric.co...&productId=462

if anyone is curious, this is the cheapest i've found for rectifier packs...

enjoy!

tyler

Just remember that diodes flow in one way only. The best way to check these is to use an ohmemter.touch the one lead to ground and one to the diode,then reverse the leads and do it again.If you get a reading on both test,its no good.
Good Luck,Paisano

[tylerwerrin]

do i have to open the alternator up to do this? or is there a way to do it while its sealed?

[T-bucket23]

The diode pack on every alternator I have seen gets replaced from inside and may require a soldering iron.
If I were you I would see if they sell a kit. You may have also toasted the regulator. The kit will usually include rectifier assy, regulator, bearings and brushes.

Those diodes, like all electronics actually run on smoke, once you let the smoke out of them they wont work anymore

[tylerwerrin]

is the regulator the GM part inside the alternator? The black piece, with a connector for the harness to plug into? Also, is there a way to test if the regulator is ok? Ohm reading?

[fast68]

i accidently connected the cables backwards with jumper booster pack on a 1999 avenger at the shop today because the battery was dead in it and i needed to drive it into the shop onto the lift.,
i found that the 30amp fuse for the alternator/choke circuit in the box under the hood was burnt.

im not sure if it already was but im thinking it was since the battery was dead


now whats funny is that when i connected the booster backards but didnt know it yet the starter wouldnt spin the engine the starter was just spinnign away. i thought maybe a tooth was borken off the flexplate or the bendix wasnt coming out of the starter nose and engaging into the flexplate teeth

i finally noticed i had the booster connected to the battery backwards

it actually charged the battery backwards too.

i had a fun time reversing the polarity of the battery but it finally did it after i disconnected the negative cable from the battery

the positive cable clamp was broken and soft and finally snapped off so had to replace that real quick

and i jumped the alternator fuse wires together they are about 10 or 8 guage pretty good size wires., all good now, works great after a good charge up of the battery

i believe the alternator fuse was already toasted though and the car was running off the battery only and thats why the battery was dead already. the battery cables on this car are both freaking black,, and only the negative one has any color in it and thats just a little yellow stripe on it.,,,,, pretty retarded.,,,, it has no red cable.... stupid...

but regardless, it didnt hurt anything all is well and its running charging doing awesome now,, im sure the alt fuse being burnt saved the alt from any damage luckily,

the owner said it needed a fuel pump, well it wasnt that... it was the charging system problems.,,,, that are now repaired. the trans we replaced in it last year for them, i had to bypass the safety neutral and such wiring at the front of the trans because the replacmeent one didnt have the harness plugs for it, these chrysler FWD trannies were randomly different in these late 90s years early 2000s years like this i dont knwo why but its easy to bypass the switch wiring so it works., i just cut off both wiring harness plug ends and conect the two starter wires together on these cars. eclipses also.