TECH TIPS FOR MARCH, 1998

WELL, HOW DID YOU LIKE FEBRUARY? AFTER A SOSO DECEMBER AND JANUARY, FEBRUARY JUST STOPPED! I HOPE I DON'T GET A LOT OF THESE TECH TIPS BACK " ADDRESS UNKNOWN". SERIOUSLY THE NOW FAMOUS "EL NINO" HAS REALLY CHANGED OUR BUSINESS THIS WINTER AND I'M WILLING TO BET THE EFFECT IS VERY LONG TERM. WHAT WE HAVE TO WORK ON NOW, IS THE CARS THAT BREAK DOWN BECAUSE THEY WEAR OUT INSTEAD OF THE ADDITIONAL VEHICLES THAT CAN'T STAND THE EXTREMES IN THE WEATHER.

THERE IS SOMETHING TO LEARN HERE, WITH CARS GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME, WILL THE TREND BE TO ONLY WEAR OUT REPAIRS WITH THE CARS BETTER ABLE TO HANDLE THE EXTREMES? I DON'T KNOW, BUT IT PRESENTS A WORRISOME THOUGHT FOR THE FUTURE.

ONE OF THE PEOPLE I STEAL TECH TIPS FROM IS MOHAMMAD SAMMI WHO WRITES FOR THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTION NEWSPAPER OUT OF THE USA. FROM HIS LATEST ARTICLE COMES A BIT OF INFORMATION THAT MAY GIVE SOME CONSULTATION TO ANYONE WHO HAS HAD A WARRANTY PROBLEM. ACCORDING THE BEST INFORMATION, WARRANTY COSTS THE "DOMESTIC" CAR MANUFACTURERS BETWEEN $500.00 & $1000.00 PER UNIT. THAT IS A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY!

LATER IN THE ARTICLE HE TALKS ABOUT SOMETHING THAT, WHILE I UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT, I FIND A LITTLE HARD TO SWALLOW. APPARENTLY SOME OF THE 1998 CADILLACS, EQUIPPED WITH THE 4.6L ENGINE WILL ALSO BE EQUIPPED WITH AN ALTERNATOR THAT IS A PART OF THE COOLING SYSTEM IN THAT IT HAS ENGINE COOLANT RUNNING THROUGH THE ALUMINUM CASTINGS. MR. SAMMI SAY THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO BE THERE TO HEAR THE CUSTOMER TELL THE SERVICE WRITER " MY ALTERNATOR CHARGES OK, BUT IT LEAKS".

ONE OF MY LOCAL CUSTOMER WAS WORKING ON A 1989 GMC VAN WITH A 305 ENGINE, THAT WASN'T CHARGING. AFTER CHECKING FOR ALL THE OBVIOUS CONNECTIONS, HE CALLED FOR AN ALTERNATOR. A SHORT TIME LATER HE CALLED BACK TO CHECK WHAT CONNECTIONS HE SHOULD HAVE BECAUSE THE NEW ALTERNATOR DIDN'T WORK EITHER. EVENTUALLY WE ENDED UP WITH BOTH ALTERNATORS HERE FOR TESTING AND BOTH OF THEM WORKED EQUALLY WELL. THE ORIGINAL ALTERNATOR WAS IN DESPERATE NEED OF AT LEAST BEARINGS, BUT DID WORK. THE FINAL OUTCOME?

BEHIND THE BATTERY THERE IS WHAT APPEARS TO BE A POWER DISTRIBUTION BOX AND THE MAIN BATTERY FEED TO THE ALTERNATOR COMES FROM HERE, NOT THE BATTERY DIRECT. THE CONNECTION AT THE DISTRIBUTION CENTER WAS CORRODE AND IT YOU TOUCHED THE CONNECTION PROPERLY YOU COULD PRODUCE A 250 OHM RESISTANCE IN THE WIRE WHICH SHUT THE ALTERNATOR OFF.

AS WE HAVE MORE AND MORE COMPUTER CONTROL IN CARS, THE MANUFACTURERS HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO ALLOW THE COMPUTER TO KNOW WHAT THE ALTERNATOR IS DOING. AFTER ALL, AT IDLE WITH EVERYTHING TURNED ON THE ALTERNATOR CAN PUT A LOAD IN EXCESS OF 15HP WHICH CAUSES ALL KINDS OF IDLING PROBLEMS, AND LOAD AND SPEED CAN REQIRE CHANGES TO MAINTAIN EMISSIONS AND FUEL EFFICIENCY. THE COMPUTER IS ALWAYS ADJUSTING SOME THING TO REMAIN "IN SPEC".  CHRYSLER SOLVED(?) THE PROBLEM OF NEEDING THE COMPUTER TO "SEE" THE ALTERNATOR BY MOVING THE REGULATOR INTO THE COMPUTER, WHILE GM HAS ABOUT 15 REGULATORS FOR THE "CS" SERIES OF ALTERNATORS TO ACCOMPLISH THE SAME PURPOSE.

NOW MAZDA AND THEIR ALTERNATOR SUPPLIER, MITSUBISHI, HAVE COME UP WITH A NEW WAY. THEY PUT HALF OF THE REGULATOR IN THE ALTERNATOR THE OTHER HALF IN THE COMPUTER, AND CONNECT THEM WITH A WIRE. THE 1997-98 MAZDA PROTEGE USES THIS SYSTEM.

I THOUGHT " WHAT A DUMB IDEA" BUT AFTER DISCUSSING IT, I'VE CHANGED MY MIND AND BELIEVE THAT YOU WILL SEE MORE OF THIS SYSTEM IN THE FUTURE AND NOT ONLY FROM MAZDA. SINCE A REGULATOR CAN BE ROUGHLY SPLIT UP INTO 2 SECTIONS, "FIELD CONTROL" WHICH HANDLES AMPS OF POWER AND "CHARGE CONTROL" WHICH HANDLES MILLI AMPS OF POWER, THIS DIVISION BY MAZDA/MITSI BEGINS TO MAKE SENSE.

MAZDA PUT THE "FIELD CONTROL" IN THE ALTERNATOR AND THE "CHARGE CONTROL" IN THE REGULATOR. THIS WILL ALLOW THEM TO USE THE SAME "FIELD CONTROL" &/OR ALTERNATOR ON A WHOLE RANGE OF ENGINES, AND THE SAME "CHARGE CONTROL" IN A WHOLE RANGE OF COMPUTERS. SO BASICALLY, ONE OF EACH COULD DO A WHOLE PRODUCT LINE. THE WIRE THAT IS USED TO JOIN THE TWO SECTIONS WILL ONLY HAVE TO CARRY MILLI-AMPS OF CURRENT SO A 16ga MULTI STRANDED WIRE WOULD BE OVER KILL.

ANOTHER ADVANTAGE IS THAT, IF THE ROTOR OR BRUSHES IN THE ALTERNATOR FAIL, THE WHOLE REGULATOR IS NOT DESTROYED, ONLY AT WORST THE "FIELD CONTROL" SECTION.

!! THERE IS A REAL CAUTION FOR YOU HERE !!   THE NEW ALTERNATOR IS DESIGNATED P & D ON ITS TAG. THE P IS A STATOR TAP AND THE D IS FOR "DRIVE" AND IS CONNECTED DIRECTLY TO THE "CHARGE CONTROL". IF YOU WERE TO PROBE THAT "D" WIRE WITH ANYTHING CARRYING AMPS OF POWER, SAY A TEST LIGHT, YOU WOULD DESTROY THE "FIELD CONTROL" BEFORE YOU COULD SAY "S..." OR "GOSH DARN" OR WHAT EVER. THIS ALTERNATOR CURRENTLY SELLS FOR $695.00 AND NO PARTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR IT. 

AND ANOTHER CAUTION! AS I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL SEE MORE OF THIS SYSTEM IN THE FUTURE AND THE DESIGNATION TAG IS A PIECE OF MYLAR STUCK TO THE SIDE OF THE ALTERNATOR, IN FUTURE YOU WILL HAVE MORE TO THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU APPROACH A CAR, TEST LIGHT IN HAND. IF THE TAG FALLS OFF, WHAT SYSTEM DO YOU HAVE? ONE WHERE YOUR TEST LIGHT IS RELATIVELY SAFE OR ONE WHERE YOU WILL HAVE THE MOST EXPENSIVE LUNCH IN YOUR LIFE?  GUESSING IN FUTURE COULD BE VERY COSTLY, IN DEED.