TECH TIPS FOR FEBRUARY, 1997

OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS A PROBLEM HAS ARISEN WHICH MAKES IT NECESSARY TO TELL EVERYONE WHAT I REALLY DON'T NEED TO TELL MORE THAN A SELECT FEW. IN THIS INDUSTRY WE HAVE TWO (2) DEVISES FOR CHARGING BATTERIES. THESE ARE BATTERY CHARGERS AND ALTERNATORS. NO VEHICLE MANUFACTURER, THAT I KNOW OF, HAS EVER INSTALLED A BATTERY CHARGER UNDER THE HOOD OF A CAR OR TRUCK. THERE SEEM TO BE A TENDENCY LATELY TO; IF THE CAR'S ALTERNATOR WON'T CHARGE AND THE BATTERY IS FLAT, ALL THAT NEEDS BE DONE IS TO REPLACE THE ALTERNATOR AND GET THE CAR RUNNING, AND THE ALTERNATOR WILL CHARGE THE BATTERY BACK UP.

IT WILL DO THIS! BUT, THE ALTERNATOR WILL NOT LAST AS LONG AS WHAT IT SHOULD BECAUSE YOU HAVE OVER WORKED IT, WITH THE RESULT THAT IT WILL FAIL AGAIN SOONER THAN NECESSARY AND THE CUSTOMER WILL COME BACK AND YELL AT YOU. OF COURSE IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT THAT THE UNIT FAILED, IT'S BECAUSE IT WASN'T BUILT RIGHT TO START WITH. DO WE HAVE WARRANTIES? YES. DO WE HAVE THEM DELIBERATELY? NO. ARE SOME OF THE "WARRANTIES" CAUSED BY MISDIAGNOSIS &/OR IMPROPER INSTALLATION? YOU BET YOUR BUNS!

ONCE YOU DETERMINE THAT THE ALTERNATOR IS NOT CHARGING, YOU MUST DETERMINE WHY. IS IT THAT THE ALTERNATOR JUST FAILED? IS IT A WIRING PROBLEM? IS THE BATTERY SO BAD THAT THE ALTERNATOR FAILED FROM OVER WORK? IF THE ALTERNATOR IS BAD, THE ALTERNATOR IS BAD. BUT, IF YOU DON'T FIND OUT WHY, THEN WHY BOTHER PUTTING ANOTHER ONE IN ITS PLACE? TO DO SO JUST OPENS THE DOOR FOR A RETURN AND AN UNHAPPY CUSTOMER, AND LORD KNOW THEY DON'T NEED ANY REAL REASON TO BECOME UNHAPPY, THEY CAN DO THAT ALL BY THEMSELVES!

WE REGULARLY HAVE PEOPLE CALL AND TELL US THAT THE NEW ALTERNATOR THEY JUST INSTALLED IS ONLY CHARGING AT 13.0 OR A SIMILARLY LOW NUMBER, AND THESE PEOPLE CAN NOT TELL US WHAT THE AMPERAGE OUTPUT IS. WHAT THEY HAVE TOLD US IS THAT EITHER THEY DON'T HAVE OR CAN'T USE THE CORRECT EQUIPMENT TO CHECK THE OUTPUT, AND THAT PROBABLY THE BATTERY WAS NEVER BROUGHT BACK UP TO FULL CHARGE BEFORE THE CAR WAS STARTED.

AS AN ALTERNATOR APPROACHES 50% OF ITS RATED OUTPUT THE CHARGING VOLTAGE WILL START TO FALL AND CONTINUE FALLING UNTIL THE REGULATOR REACHES ITS SET POINT. FOR EASY EXPLANATION THIS IS THE POINT WHERE THE MANUFACTURER FEELS THAT THE BATTERY STATE OF CHARGE IS SO LOW THAT THE ALTERNATOR WILL BURN BEFORE IT CAN SUCCESSFULLY BRING THE BATTERY UP TO A REASONABLE STATE OF CHARGE.

FACT!  AN ALTERNATOR IS RATED TO PUT OUT A SPECIFIC MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF POWER, AT A SPECIFIED RPM, AT A SPECIFIED TEMPERATURE, FOR A SPECIFIED MAXIMUM PERIOD OF TIME, AND THEN THE RATING IS PLUS OR MINUS A PERCENTAGE. THE ALTERNATOR IS SPECKED OUT, TO RECHARGE THE BATTERY AFTER THE START, AND TO CARRY THE OEM INSTALLED LOADS, AND TO HAVE A BIT OF EXTRA TO COVER INCREASES IN LOAD CASED BY WEAR. THAT IS ALL! IF YOU INCREASE ANY OF THIS OR MAKE ANY CHANGES, THE UNIT WILL NOT LAST AS IT SHOULD, AND WHO'S FAULT IS THAT?   CERTAINLY NOT MINE!

A FRIEND IN ANOTHER REBUILDING SHOP POINTED OUT IN A RECENT LETTER TO HIS CUSTOMERS THAT IN A 30 DAY PERIOD HE HAD PURCHASED 30 UNITS (STARTERS OR ALTERNATORS) THAT HE HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE BUT WHICH HE EXPECTED TO SEE IN THE NEXT YEAR. MY LITTLE SHOP IS ALWAYS BUYING UNITS THAT WE'VE NEVER SEEN BUT WHICH WILL BE COMMON IN A SHORT PERIOD.

IN A PREVIOUS TECH TIP I SAID THAT SOME VEHICLES WOULD HAVE TWO ALTERNATORS SOON TO KEEP UP WITH THE LOAD. A COUPLE OF CUSTOMERS SAID, " MAYBE IN THE DISTANT FUTURE, BUT I WON'T BE AROUND LONG ENOUGH TO SEE IT!" WELL, CHECK OUT THE TOP OF LINE 1990 & UP BMW PRODUCTS. I GUESS I'LL BE LOSING A COUPLE OF CUSTOMERS TO EARLY RETIREMENT!

MY FRIEND POINTS OUT THAT THE PROLIFERATION OF UNITS IS ABSOLUTELY STAGGERING AND IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE AS THE MANUFACTURERS SWITCH FROM IN-HOUSE SUPPLY TO "who ever can supply it, now, at the cheapest price". I WAS TOLD RECENTLY THAT GM IS NOW SOURSING ALTERNATORS FROM AC/DELCO, BOSCH & VALEO, AND THAT THESE WOULD START TO APPEAR ON THE 1997 MODEL YEAR. I FRANKLY DOUBTED IT, UNTIL I BOUGHT A VALEO 105 AMP UNIT WHICH HAS THE DELCO CS130D SERIES PLUG.

NOW, I HEAR THAT SOME MANUFACTURERS ARE COMMITTED TO A NEW UNIT EVERY MODEL YEAR!  THIS, I THINK, WILL LEAD BACK TO WHAT THE SITUATION WAS WHEN I FIRST STARTED IN THE BUSINESS, SOME 20+ YEARS AGO. YOU TAKE IT OFF & SEND IT TO ME. I REBUILD IT AND SEND IT BACK, AND THE CUSTOMER WAITS. GET USED TO PUSHING THEM IN AND OUT OF THE BAY, BECAUSE I THINK THAT SHORTLY THE EXCHANGE BUSINESS WILL BE SHRINKING RAPIDLY.

A CAUTION FOR AN INTERMITTENT "BATTERY DEAD" PROBLEM ON LUMINA APV VANS. THE REAR DOOR MECHANISM ON SOME IS AN "EVER LOCKED" SYSTEM, AND IF THE ELCTRICAL PORTION OF THE MECHANISM JAMS ON THE UNLOCK POSITION, IT WILL KEEP ALL THE OTHER DOOR LOCK RELAYS ENERGISED AND FLATTEN THE BATTERY VERY QUICKLY.