alternator troubles

[jap]

hi guys over easter had some troubles with my alternator on a gq swb 4.2 petrol heres what happened . sun morn went through some water and after that the light came on got about three starts out of the battery after that the light would disappear under revs and the volts gauge would show 14 volts so on monday drove up the beach to the ferry at noosa and same thing could no start it after a wash so drove it home to redbank with no light and once home battery had charge to start it again but the light was on again any ideas on whats going on and if needs replacement any suggested auto elecs to rebuild and give it a few more amps any where around brisbane is fine thanks for any help
peter

[rassy89]

was it muddy water?
mine had a similar problem. i took it out, pulled it apart, cleaned it especially where the brushes connect to the armature (it had mud through it) then put it back together and it worked fine. i would try that first.
another car i had would sometimes charge and sometimes until it stopped working at all. turned out to be a faulty regulator couldn't be fixed needed to get a new one.

this is just from my experience could be something else for you

[jap]

no it wasnt muddy but thats not to say i think there would be mud in there but

[striga22]

get some contact cleaner and spray it over the hole thing let it sit for a bit the wash it off more than likely you'll have some grit between the brushes if it does not come good change the bushes over.

[brissle]

if i where you i would pull it apart, sounds like a brush problem, may just be mud but sometimes the springs behind the brushes get corroded and weak . So when it does get a bit dirty they stick more often.Dont fall for the mistake of spraying crc or the like in there as this will just make your brushes wear out real fast, i would just rip it out do it once properly and should be trouble free for a while.

[PIG_GQ]

well thats wh my last altenater fucked its self i allways gave it a shit load of crc wooooooooooops

[jap]

thanks guys going to pull it of tom and have a look

[PBBIZ2]

Dont fall for the mistake of spraying crc or the like in there as this will just make your brushes wear out real fast,

Is this because the CRC attacks the brushes or because it causes dirt and dust to stick to it and turn the area around the brush in a globby lapping compound?

[brissle]

shit sticks to it, and the crc causes a poor connection between the brushes and slipring burning them out.

[purplebus]

handy hint if you pull it apart. when putting it back together use a paper clip through the tiny pin hole to keep the bushes open so they fit over the centre piece of the alternator. sorry if this is stating the obvious but this wasnt obvious to me the first time I did it. good luck.