Hi guys, picked up a spares or repair Felicia as a little project at the weekend. The alternator seems to be shorting to earth & has to be disconnected to run the engine. If it is connected, it starts to smoke very soon after firing up & has the acrid burning smell of the coils burning out. I'd like to repair it if the coils aren't too damaged already. I know enough about electrics to know that its not the brushes (unless they'd disintergrated & the springs had shorted to the armature maybe) Is it likely to be the regulator/diode network & it's draining the battery to earth? Or is it a winding failure & thereby doomed! Even with the ignition off, the connection shorts out the battery. Its the thick wire that goes straight to the diode, that's disconnected, not the push on thin (excitor?) wire. If I even touch it to its connector nut/bolt, it'll spark. This is with the ignition off!!

If anyone can help, I'd be gratefull!!

Simon.

Sounds as though its the rectifier pack in the alternator as it should only pass current one way and thats an out to the battery, I presume the battery is fitted the correct way round eg neg earth ? dont know how much a rectifier pack is but it might not be much more for a recon alternator. cheers - Stuart,

are you mad........

another car!!!!!

Edited 16 May, 201016 yr by WeekendMechanic