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Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:08 pm

This is for my '77 2.0FI

I was driving home from work today when my battery light started going off. At first, it just blinked really fast, so I pulled off at the next exit. As I was getting off of the freeway, it went from just flashing intermittently to being on constantly. By the time I got off the road, there was also a horrible noise from the engine area and a burning smell. When I checked the engine, there was a little smoke coming from the alternator. I disconnected the belt to it and that stopped the noise, so I drove home, about another 8 miles. The rest of the way was uneventful.

So my questions are, is there anything I should look at as to why it failed? I wasn't having any issues with it before today. Secondly, is the alternator sold at Schucks any good? I'd like to get this fixed tonight so I can get to work tomorrow, and they're the closest to me with one in stock. How long does it take to put in a new alternator? I've read the procedure in the Bentley, and it doesn't look too bad, but I've never done this before. Any tips on the process?

Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:18 pm

sounds like the bearing or bearings failed. alternator on a late bus is a bit of a pain the first time you do it especially. it's a bit like putting 20 pounds in a 10 pound bag. i would recommend a bosch rebuilt unit, meaning in a bosch box. you will probably need the cooling boot for it also, they are usually very brittle.

Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:19 pm

Sorry to hear of your trouble, My 78 FI had alternator trouble early this year, but I was able to drive over 450 miles on nothing but a fully charged battery, S.Oregon to Seattle, after finding no available where I was at.
I too tried a FLAPS alternator, but it was a NAPA version. Two of the electrical posts were too tall for the sheet metal cover plate to fit over. So I returned it and ordered one through busdepot. Another thing to note is that the alternator is pretty tight getting in and out. My opinion: If it were me I'd order a busdepot and trickle charge the battery for daily usage until the new one arrives.

Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:19 pm

I've never done a T4 alternator, so I'll let the pros answer on that, but I'll add that the Shucks on Aurora is full of angry, bitter, hateful people who make it so obvious that they hate their jobs, lives and customers that it is simply AMAZING. Just a few blocks south (on 78th and Aurora) is Action Autoparts where the help is friendly and there is even a cute girl behind the counter sometimes (and they stock good bus oil too - Brad Penn). :wink:

Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:34 pm

Thanks for the input so far. I've started pulling the old alternator and it hasn't been too bad so far, but I can already see where there are going to be some tight spots. I'll have to check out that action autoparts on aurora. I try to avoid shucks as much as possible for reasons similar to what you mention. By trickle charge, do you mean hooking it up to an external battery charger? I don't have one of those, but I could get one locally probably a lot easier than a real bosch alternator.

Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:39 pm

Getting my T4 alternator out wasn't nearly as hard as getting it back in! :)

Not too bad though, kinda tight but manageable. Just think outside the box. ;)

Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:40 pm

Yes, a trickle charger is like any plug-in battery charger you get at the store.

Go to Action and you'll be amazed how pleasant it is. You might even hear angels sing when you walk in the door... the sun will come out. Maybe smell fresh baking bread, who knows.

Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:52 pm

Newton wrote: How long does it take to put in a new alternator? I've read the procedure in the Bentley, and it doesn't look too bad, but I've never done this before. Any tips on the process?

Here's a good step-by-step procedure.

http://type2.com/bartnik/alternator.html

Thu Oct 22, 2009 5:24 pm

I feel compelled to give a shout out for Schucks, Checkers, Kragen, all soon to be Orielly's.

I assume they have the $37.99 one in stock...it's a 55amp autolite unit done in China. It's not like Autolite just started this car parts business yesterday, they been doing it for a 100 years! They just moved all their shit over to China to fuck Americans outta jobs.

Is the quality good? Good enough for their lawyers to bet you wont bring it back while you own the car. That's the racket, the guarantee.

I just exchanged another CV axle the other day, it had a cracked boot. About 60,000 miles on that boot...no questions asked. That's the 3rd axle I've got from them for $79.99...not bad IMHO. Don't even need to have your receipt, just the phone number you used when you bought it.

I just put on an autolite starter...we'll see how that goes.

I have no problem farking them outta their guarantee, seeing how they farked a few thousand employees outta their jobs.

Plus, when you travel a lot, those FLAPS stores are everywhere!

ETA: How about that BusDepot guarantee? NADA...

Thu Oct 22, 2009 5:46 pm

Well I got the bad one out. That really was a pain in the ass. I didn't think about it until I had the thing out, but if I order the bosch unit from bus depot, can I drive my bus without an alternator and the tin that goes around it? Will that cause overheating if I leave that big hole there for a while?

Thu Oct 22, 2009 5:51 pm

How far each way? BusDepot will take a while to get you an alternator, unless you overnight it.....$$$$$$$$$$

Remember you need to get that pulley off either way you go. Save the woodruff key.

ETA: is the unit that you just removed a Bosch?

BusDepot wrote: Brand is the brand name that we usually ship; however we do reserve the right to substitute brands based on availability.
http://www.busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=021903023FX
That's the $99.99 + $33.00 core Bosch one.....

Thu Oct 22, 2009 5:59 pm

This time of year when it isn't too hot you probably could pull that off for a few days, I've seen dumbasses drive busses to Cali and back from here with bigger issues than that and they survived. How do you propose to keep the battery charged if it's rainy and dark and the wipers and headlights are on?

Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:01 pm

I can limit my trips for the next week to about 9 miles at a time. I got the pulley off of the bad one and still have the hardware, so I should be good for the new one.

Edit:

The unit I pulled off is a Bosch, so I'd rather not replace it with an inferior unit. If I go without an alternator for a week, I'd go get a charger to hook the battery to at night until it gets here like Timo suggested.

Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:10 pm

When you call BusDepot ask them if they can "Drop Ship" it to you...they don't stock all the stuff they sell, and maybe their rebuilder is out west. It could save some time...I would NOT order it off the internet if I were you.

Or you could just take your Bosch down to the Old Guy's Friendly Local Alternator shop and have it fixed in a day for less than a $100. When I had my 911S it was like $200 for a rebuilt, and the Old Dude put in a bearing and a diode for $40....just a thought.

Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:12 pm

Is there a local auto electric generator rebuild guy around you?

That would be my first choice.

Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:16 pm

If there is a good auto electric shop in your area you should be able to get yours rebuilt for the same money or less. Around here turnaround time is 1 day.

If they say you have to wait a few days give them a sob story about how you have to have it to get to work :)

Make sure you find a GOOD rebuilder. There are about 4 different grades of replacement parts from cheap junk Chinese to OEM Bosch. The diff is only a few bucks but the alt will last 10 times as long.

To find a good rebuilder ask around any mechanics you know. Ask who is the best in town regardless of price. The difference in price will be like $20 bucks in most cases.

Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:24 pm

Can anyone here recommend a good rebuilder in the Mountlake Terrace area? I do like that idea a lot better than my other options.

Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:48 pm

call wolfsburg motorwerks in Seattle, thats up in your neck of the woods they should know some one, or maybe they even have one they could sell you. There are 2 different places in Portland that stock them and they are $82 if you exchange your old core. Discount imports in Milwaukie and Halsey imports in SE Portland. So there has to be somewhere up in the Seattle area that stocks them. Im replacing mine tomorrow so Ive been looking they seem to be pretty easy to find locally here, Seattle is bigger so I would think they have more or as many options.

here is a link to wolfsburg Motorwerks. http://www.wolfsburgmotorwerksinc.com/

Thu Oct 22, 2009 7:55 pm

Is that $82 for the Bosch rebuild? I called Bow Wow up in lynnwood and they had it for $150. I'll try wolfsberg in the morning and see what they can do. Even bus depot is charging $100 for the real bosch, though, so I'd expect to pay more for a local one.

Thu Oct 22, 2009 8:04 pm

If you pick up a new Bosch 70 amp unit it may ground out and blow the diodes and/or burn up your wiring. There was originally a thin gasket between the alternator and the back cover. Most of these gaskets are missing and this doesn't seem to give any problem with the 55amp alternators, but with the 70 amp it will cause the washer on the diode plate to short to the cover. If you are missing the gasket, you either need to space out the cover or reshape the cover with your pall peen so that it doesn't hit the washer or stud.