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What cars have the Alternator with freewheel, and which dont? How to tell?

posted by  Woodstock on  Tue May 27 09:59 CST 2014
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last visit: Fri Oct 24 10:51 CST 2014
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I have a 04 V70, and I need to replace the alternator. Since I have had the car I would occasionally get the electrical system maintenance message, and I attributed that to the 'new' whoflungdung rebuilt alternator that was in the car when I bought it. I am reading that there is 120 and 140 amp units for these cars, and also some have the freewheel pulley, and some don't.... How do I determine what my car should have, without consideration to the one in there because there is a good chance it is not the correct model?








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    What cars have the Alternator with freewheel, and which dont? How to tell? 2004

    posted by  KlausC on  Wed May 28 10:03 CST 2014
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    last visit: Fri Oct 24 10:15 CST 2014
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    From the owner's manual:
    "Electrical system
    12 Volt, negative ground.
    Voltage-controlled generator. Single-wire system with chassis and engine used as conductors. Grounded on chassis.
    Battery
    Voltage: 12 Volt, capacity: 600 A/115 min reserve capacity.
    The battery contains corrosive and poisonous acids. It is of the utmost importance that old batteries are disposed of correctly. Your Volvo retailer can assist you in this matter.

    Generator
    Rated output: max. current: 140 A

    Starter motor:
    Output: 1.7 kW "

    Nothing is said about freewheeling. I have to agree with the other post, verify that the voltage regulator has good brushes. Do you really know if the alternator was rebuilt or just a used unit with unspecified hours of operation?

    A good alternator shop can replace the magnets/brushes in the voltage regulator, or, you could shop for a new VR.

    I realize hoses and other items are in the way for removing the black plastic on the rear of the alternator. But take a good look at it an see if you can access and remove the cover. This would save a lot of time and money Vs alternator removal.


    --
    My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat








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      What cars have the Alternator with freewheel, and which dont? How to tell? 2004

      posted by  Woodstock on  Thu May 29 09:41 CST 2014
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      last visit: Fri Oct 24 10:51 CST 2014
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      IF anyone is interested in reading about the freewheel pulleys on some models, the company who has the patent is here:
      http://www.decouplerpulley.com/basics.cfm

      I am not sure which cars have them or not, seems its one of those things to make you go hmmmm....

      Anyway, I know the alternator is a reman due to the fact that the dealer I bought the car from had just installed it, and I could see the non-bosch rebuild label. from day one I would occasional, but rarely, get the electrical system message, and once every 100 starts or so I would get the alt idiot light with the msg, and it would go away after I rev'd the engine. So I always thought the regulator had issues, and I am concerned what else the rebuilder may have done to the alternator. I hear all the time that most cheap rebuilts are crap. I am tempted to buy an original used bosch unit and install it. I am afraid if I throw 50 bucks or so at a VR I may be SOL if that's not the fix.
      I know I have a meter somewhere, but I am not sure if it is good for DC.

      When I look at the placement of the alternator I can see that the pump above it has to come off, but I cant see why the alternator wont lift out straight up, and not have to pull the radiator fan and all the hoses/wires, to slide the alt over and out the other side like the book says?








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        What cars have the Alternator with freewheel, and which dont? How to tell? 2004

        posted by  Herb Goltz on  Thu May 29 12:21 CST 2014
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        last visit: Fri Oct 24 13:23 CST 2014
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        If it were me, I'd still take the measurements. A perfectly adequate multimeter is about $8 at Harbor Freight. At idle, measure the output at the thick red wire at the back of the alternator (there is a little plastic clip on cover over it). Just ground the meter on the intake manifold. The voltage regulator output spec is 14.1V. Then measure across the battery terminals and see what kind of voltage drop you see compared to at the alternator. Also feel the battery cables-- if they are corroded, the resistance goes up and they heat up. The other place to look for electrical gremlins is the B+ cable that runs from the positive battery cable to the fuse box. Measure the voltage drop at the post in the fusebox. Clean the grounding points too.

        Why not take the car to an Autozone and have them check the alternator there as well? In my mind the most suspect part is the still the voltage regulator (once you have ruled out bad battery and B+ cables)-- I think if there were other problems with the alternator (diodes, bearings, etc.), you'd have more pronounced symptoms.

        If you do buy a Bosch unit used, I'd replace the voltage regulator before installing it anyway. As Klaus pointed out, it is usually just the brushes that are shot (they wear down asymmetrically).

        There are is a YouTube video showing how to get the alternator out, and the guy did pull the radiator fan and move the emissions hoses to do it.

        Good luck!








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    What cars have the Alternator with freewheel, and which dont? How to tell?

    posted by  Herb Goltz on  Wed May 28 08:21 CST 2014
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    last visit: Fri Oct 24 13:23 CST 2014
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    You might not need to replace the alternator-- mine recently stopped producing adequate charging voltage, but had no other problems (noisy bearings, bad freewheeling clutch). Replacing the voltage regulator/brush assembly fixed things up for about $50. It is possible to do it with the alternator in place. Three nuts and one one spade wire connection and one Phillips screw have to come off the back of the alternator to remove the cover (the screw is nasty to get out, but it can be done with a small ratchet with a driver bit in it), then remove the three small Phillips screws holding in the VR and swap it out.

    Measure for voltage drops in your battery cables and the B+ cable as well as measuring the alternator output at the big red wire on the back of the alternator before doing anything.

    Good luck!







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