Need alternator near Yellowstone (Bozeman, Helena?) *UPDATE

[MidWesty79]

Hey all,
So, I am currently in Jackson WY and it appears that the alternator in my 79 is dying. The belt is new and tight. I swapped in a spare regulator to check. When cold the alternator light is out, but once the engine is hot and driving the light comes on (sometimes has a fast paced pulse.)

Occasionally if I push in the clutch and rev it up to over 4K rpm, the light will go out for a moment, or sometimes even stay out for a minute or so, but then it comes back on.

I checked voltage at the battery when the light was on at idle and it was at 12.2 volts.

I am hoping to get to Glacier tomorrow, but NO ONE has an alternator in stock. Does anyone know of a place in-route that would definitely have one, or happen to have an extra working alternator laying around?

Thanks all!!
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1979 Westfalia, 1975 BMW 2002, 1996 Mazda Miata, 1979 Jeep CJ5, 2006 325 XI Wagon, 2021 M240i (all manual transmission... as god intended.)

[Wildthings]

Read up on the necessary alterations to a new or rebuilt alternator. If you don't heed the offered knowledge you will end up at best with a burned up replacement and a burned up alternator or worse you could have a rig burned to the ground.

If you limit your power usage you can easily drive for a couple of hundred miles on a fully charged battery.

[MidWesty79]

Thank you for the tip! Anyone have a link to these "alterations?" My cell phone provider doesn't work hardly at all out here. It has been incredibly frustrating.

I found a parts store in Helena that can get me an aftermarket unit tomorrow, so I am on the 270 mile drive there hoping my alternator can keep me juiced til then.
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1979 Westfalia, 1975 BMW 2002, 1996 Mazda Miata, 1979 Jeep CJ5, 2006 325 XI Wagon, 2021 M240i (all manual transmission... as god intended.)

[Xevin]

Use at your own risk. But looks like solid info

https://youtu.be/W8_thFzpyxw
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Keep on Busin'

[SGKent]

99% chance the brushes are worn out - classic way they fail. That said do check the belt for damage. Look in the yellow pages for an electrical shop that specializes in rebuilding alternators. I looked online and there is a shop in Billings MT. Call them (406) 252-7342 https://www.generatorstartershop.com/ to make sure they rebuilt alternators of your type.

Take the fan belt off now before you damage the core alternator if this is a T4 2L pancake engine. If it is an upright T1 engine do not take the belt off. You'll have to use a battery charger to charge the batteries between stops. You'll get about 100 - 150 miles on a charge daytime depending on how many electronics are on board. If it is a T4 motor you can remove the harness to it also if you are concerned their might be an internal short but I would probably leave it on myself. You can also remove the blue wire so the light doesn't burn out.

Richard Atwell on his website has a how to remove the alternator.
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George Carlin:
"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it."

Skills@EuroCarsPlus:
"never time to do it right but always time to do it twice"

[mtcamper]

I got a 55amp Bosch alternator here in Missoula at http://www.autoelectricmissoula.com/ . If you need a place to work on it let me know.

[Amskeptic]

[mtcamper]

[Tcash]

[MidWesty79]

Just wanted to give an update. I was able to get an aftermarket unit in Helena MT at AutoZone, however, I didn't install it. I didn't want to deal with the alterations required/or the removal of the pulley while on the road. I continued up to Glacier NP, and then drove all the way back to WI running on solar with a fused jumper running from my deep cycles behind the driver seat (in the spare tire cabinet) back into the engine bay. Luckily I had clear skies for my entire drive home, as I never struggled with voltage driving during the day.

Now that I am home I can have the existing alternator rebuilt or at least find a higher quality replacement. Thanks to all of those who responded with assistance.
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1979 Westfalia, 1975 BMW 2002, 1996 Mazda Miata, 1979 Jeep CJ5, 2006 325 XI Wagon, 2021 M240i (all manual transmission... as god intended.)