AC tap connection

The AC tap wire on my 55amp Motorola broke off inside the alternator case. The local shop wanted $100 to fix it. I assume it is just a wire off one of the 3 phase connections. Am I on the right track before I open the case?

Makes sense to me Terry. I've never looked hard at one but it must come off ahead of the diode trio. I'll make a point of watching for that the next time I have an alternator open but surely you'll be able to see what's broken once you get the case open.

Am I on the right track before I open the case?

perhaps , the diode could have crapped

Run the alt with a load and see if the lights 'bounce' , get brighter and dimmer, the sign of a bad diode.

Opening the case and doing the repair is easy , sometimes tho getting the brushes to stay in place during reassembly is a chalenge.

The alt fellow uses a very thin tube , he slips out at the end.

Good luck!

IF the 55a alt is nothing special NAPA or Autrozone may have a rebuilt for $30.00 - $50.

If you're going to take it apart, mark the case so everything aligns correctly when you reassemble it. At the same time replace the bearings and brushes. You'll have a new rebuilt alternator when your done.

Larry M said:

If you're going to take it apart, mark the case so everything aligns correctly when you reassemble it. At the same time replace the bearings and brushes. You'll have a new rebuilt alternator when your done.

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Or a piece of junk. Sometimes it's better to pay the pro to have it done right. It will cost you far more than $100 if you ruin it.

rwidman said:

Or a piece of junk. Sometimes it's better to pay the pro to have it done right. It will cost you far more than $100 if you ruin it.

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Its an alternator. Its about the simplest rebuild anybody can tackle. I'm not sure how you could "ruin" it but in any likely scenario I can think of it would still be perfectly acceptable as a core.

bobofthenorth said:

Its an alternator. Its about the simplest rebuild anybody can tackle. I'm not sure how you could "ruin" it but in any likely scenario I can think of it would still be perfectly acceptable as a core.

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Perhaps, but I've known people who couldn't change a florescent light tube without breaking the socket.

rwidman said:

Perhaps, but I've known people who couldn't change a florescent light tube without breaking the socket.

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Some of us have been taking things apart, and attempting to put them back together since we were kids. Something about wanting to see how it works. This was okay when it was an old broke alarm clock that Gpa gave us. Not so good when it was Mom's sewing machine .

A little old alternator can be a great place to start.

theran5317 said:

Some of us have been taking things apart, and attempting to put them back together since we were kids. Something about wanting to see how it works. This was okay when it was an old broke alarm clock that Gpa gave us.

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Who told you? I cried myself to sleep after taking the clock apart and dad put it back together overnight.

Haha! I smashed an Etch-A-Sketch when I was a little kid to figure out how it worked. My dad thought it was great. My mother, not so much.

Its an alternator. Its about the simplest rebuild anybody can tackle.

That's why rebuilt 55A are $35. at Auto Zone