AU Alternator Woes

[Fish17]

Hoping for some help from anyone who may have had a similar issue.

Battery light on the dash stayed on yesterday in my 6 cylinder AU, called the RAA, they checked a few things & said alternator was stuffed.

Just installed a rebuilt alternator All went together fine, car back running - however battery light is still illuminated on the dash. I dont have a voltmeter to test if the alternator is charging, will source one tommorrow.

Assuming the new alternator & connections are okay, what else could cause the light to stay on- any ideas?

[EX-Y494]

We had the same problem in the cabs, Their are two brands of alternator on the market.
Do you know what brand is in it now?
So If it wired up wrong the battery light will stays on.

[Fish17]

Thanks for your reply EX-Y494, I'm not sure if it was the Motorcraft or the Mitsubishi type. What I put in looked identical to what I took out, does the Mitsubishi look the same as the Motorcraft?

When you say the light stayed on, did the alternator still charge the battery? meaning the light was just an annoyance or did the alternator not work due to the wiring loom being different?

[EX-Y494]

Mitsubishi look the same but Mitsubishi had the Mitsubishi Symbol on the back of the alternator. The alternator still charge but I think we had to replace can't remember why we had to replace it was 6 years ago when we found this out think it was the life of the alternator

Motorcraft should be white/red wire closeted to the right guard and yellow wire to the engine block.

[Fish17]

Just took the car down to the auto electricians, the replacement alternator is stuffed. He said he previously rebuilt alternators himself but found every 2nd or 3rd was a dud so he now will only fit new alternators rather than reconditioned.

You may want to keep this in mind if your AU's alternator fails.

[mik]

Originally Posted by Fish17

Just took the car down to the auto electricians, the replacement alternator is stuffed. He said he previously rebuilt alternators himself but found every 2nd or 3rd was a dud so he now will only fit new alternators rather than reconditioned.

You may want to keep this in mind if your AU's alternator fails.

just wondering fish17 if you don`t mind, how many k`s did your alternator see before it died ............cheers

[Fish17]

80 000kms for the first one

0kms for the 2nd :

[mik]

thanks mate, just trying to work out when i should start worrying, it seems the mileages are inconsistent for failure, a little while ago someone else reported their alternator lasted 180000 k`s before failing perhaps driving conditions and load may be a factor or just luck of the draw

[hrdcor]

Price on the new alternator? Curious.....

[Fish17]

$400 fitted by Auto Electrician, unfitted was going to be about $325 from memory.

[hrdcor]

How hard is it to fit? Not just a couple bolts and wires??

[clontarf_x]

If it's anything like my old XF, disconnect battery, then cabling, undo bolts, slide off bracket, slide new one in, redo bolts, redo cabling, redo battery

Voila!

Maybe an hours worth of work and a beer or two (or a Woodstock if you are like me )

[zippy450]

i had all that happen in my AU. i went through 3 alternator in 6months and i found out at the ent it was all to do with my Amp powerin the my twin sub. it was burning out the doide packs cause the current to follow back up the wrong way and lightin up the battery dash light. if you got a stereo system you may require a bigger alternator

[hrdcor]

Thats what I was thinking clontarf, how hard could it be? And it would be beer or bundy mate.