cygnusx1 Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 New problem. Today I thought I saw the red alternator light on while the car was idling, but then it went off as I was driving. At the next traffic light, at idle, the alt light came on again. As soon as I get off of idle, the light goes out. I noticed that there are two parts that can be ordered to replace in the alternator. The Brushes and the Rectifier. I am not an EE. Which part should I order. My hunch is that the brushes are worn. I don't want to buy an alternator right now and besides, it's seems fine, mechanically. Edit: It's 280ZXT alternator, internal regulator. Unknown age. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilC Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Rebuild what you got, I just had the LS1 one rebuilt for $45. Car would be down for a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger.svoboda Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 if the rectifier is gone nothing would work but worn brushes can easily be replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasper Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Worn brushes can cause poor/no output. The diode trio/rectifier can cause low dc voltage and a measurable ac voltage that REEKS HAVOC with the electronics. And you also have the voltage regulator to deal with....and the commutator may be worn..........HAVE IT PROFESSIONALY REBUILT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rags Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Make sure the belt is tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zmanco Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 It's more likely to be brushes and IIRC they are pretty cheap so I'd start with that. Or, maybe now is a good time to upgrade especially if you're going to go with e-fans and non-stock higher wattage headlights. Maxima alt is good for 90 amps and is about $100 for a rebuilt. And there are many other options if you want/need more current than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferrariferg Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 What year Maxima? I could deffinatley use a power upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garvice Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Make sure the belt is tight. Definitely second that one. I accidentally did this on my corolla last time I replaced the alternator. Put the belt on, and just didn't tighten the pulley bolt enough and it eventually loosened. Had the light come on at idle because the belt was slipping (no noise though), at revs it would pick back up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted June 12, 2009 Author Share Posted June 12, 2009 I am going to take the alt apart today and see what the brushes look like. Although I would like to upgrade to a higher output alternator, this one was fine until a couple of weeks ago when the light began coming on at idle if I was using a bunch of accessories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zmanco Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 What year Maxima? I could deffinatley use a power upgrade. 90 Maxima is what I used - I suspect other years around that would work as well. Dave - I'll be curious to learn what you find - I've wondered if just replacing brushes was worth it given how much rebuilts have come down in price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woldson Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Get a gator belt, hell get a gators for all your belts. Shocking how much noise is reduced. My gator for my alt was on my stocker until it died (alt), got a high output from zsepciatlies, (nice alt), used the gator. Now the v groove on the new alt is steeper then the stocker. The belt had to ware into the new groove and it is still going strong. Plus of course, the demand on the belt is greater then before. Very nice belts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted June 12, 2009 Author Share Posted June 12, 2009 I have to find out who carries the gator belts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted June 12, 2009 Author Share Posted June 12, 2009 I opened up the alternator and found that one of the brushes was much more worn than the other. The brush pressure was very low. This was probably the cause for the reduced output. The bearings didn't look great, and it looked to be a re-manufactured unit, from the shoddy soldering and the mixed and matched bolts. I went to Napa and will have a replacement this afternoon. I also scoped out the '90 maxima unit while I was there. We tried swapping the pulleys but with the ZX spacer behind the pulley, there were not enough threads on the Maxima shaft. Also, the Maxima uses a different connector. I could have made it work, but between making a custom spacer, and then screwing around with pulley alignment, and wiring, I bit the bullet and ordered a ZX alternator. I think 60amps are enough for what I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zmanco Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 The spacer is too long - I spent a few minutes with the bench grinder to fix that. And yes, the connector is different - I made 2 short wires with appropriate crimped connectors to handle that. So it's not a plug in replacement. But with my 100W high beams and 2 12" fans, the 60A alt was getting hot enough that I could smell it so I had to do something. Sounds like a rebuilt was the right way to go in this case. But if the rest of the alt had been in good condition, sounds like the brushes would have been a good way to go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woldson Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 Shucks is where I've gotten mine. I thinking your local guy may carry them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted June 20, 2009 Author Share Posted June 20, 2009 The spacer is too long - I spent a few minutes with the bench grinder to fix that. And yes, the connector is different - I made 2 short wires with appropriate crimped connectors to handle that. So it's not a plug in replacement. But with my 100W high beams and 2 12" fans, the 60A alt was getting hot enough that I could smell it so I had to do something. Sounds like a rebuilt was the right way to go in this case. But if the rest of the alt had been in good condition, sounds like the brushes would have been a good way to go? I suppose I could research this a little but on the T connector from the Z harness, which wire goes to which pin on the Maxima alternator? The Maxima alternator has a top and bottom spades that are parallel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zmanco Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 Here's how I described it in my notes: - install rebuilt '90 Maxima alternator w/90 amp capacity (Autolite #14661) Field wire (green) is connected to the upper/outer connector when the alternator is viewed from the front looking up at it. N (sense) wire (yellow) is connected to the lower/inner connector. My camera was off being repaired when I did this install so I couldn't take pictures. I'm off to India tomorrow but can take pictures when I return if that's helpful. The good news is that you've got a 50/50 chance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted June 20, 2009 Author Share Posted June 20, 2009 I already installed an original alternator but it would be good to have the Maxima alternator swap wiring documented in a thread for others to use. Good luck with the India trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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