Alternator condition : how to test or evaluate ?

[Louis-Alain Richard]

-----Message d'origine-----
De : Huw Powell [mailto:audi at humanspeakers.com] 


First, have you measured voltages?  Alt output terminal, battery terminal
when charging and when off, etc.?

********* Well, not yet. Will do this week-end. I suppose I test it in
different states : unloaded, full load, part load. Will write down the
values for the list.



Now, it is possible that your new VR brushes are "square" on the end, and
until they wear a bit into a "round" shape to match the commutator, current
capability may be a bit off, and it might even make noise.

********* Could be that indeed. The brushes were pre-formed obviously, and I
did emery-cleaned the copper thingy (commentator?) before reassembly. I did
notice the bearings were spinning very freely, like an old bearing with not
much grease inside. Play was minimal.



The "shrieking under load" isn't anything like belt squeal, is it?

******** Not a belt sound for sure. New belt, correctly tightened. The sound
is more like finger nails on a black school board, if you know what I mean.
(Now I'm sure a lot of you shivered reading that sentence :-0)

Louis-Alain