I've had my 740 for 16 years , its a 91 non turbo. I've yet to change the alternator . The car , for a 25 yo has 211 k miles. How much longer can I expect to get out of it?

I think you were looking for Less philosophy and more real life experience. Here's my seat of the pants offering: My 200 has 334K miles on it. The bearings and all are fine. At about 200K miles I replaced the Bushes ($6). They were due.
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.lyse.net/brox/TonyPage4.html http://cleanflametrap.com/tony/

Thanks everyone for your input. next month i have a string of days off from work and I will pull the brush pack and take a look. Will report back. In the meantime i'll research the faqs how to disassemble the alt.
Thanks again.

Just remember that the bushes have to wear in . The profile of the armature will not be flat and straight like when it was new.

Thanks

And, Tony, if all else would be equal, an alt should last even longer on a 700, operating on the cool side of the motor. Problem is "all else" is never equal. Still all guesses and of what use? Philosophy is useful.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

"You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you might find
You get what you need"

In my experience, about 4K miles.

Our '88 745 had its brushes die at 215K.

AAA towed my daughter in Michigan, the garage owner let her call us from his phone - her cell phone killed the battery and then went dead. On a Sunday, his pal opened up his electrical shop and shaved a larger set of brushes down and she was on her way by noon! Old school!

Our '90 744 TI seized up at 215K!

Consider getting a used alternator for a turbo from the pick and pull - it is identical but puts out 40 more amps.

Since Volvo alternators stand up well, and used parts are supply and demand, I got an alternator for $30 that had 110K on it with a 1 year guarantee. I put 75K on it before selling the car.

Our '90 745 had its alternator seize at 220K. I put a turbo alternator in this car as well.

my cents worth

every part of the many parts that make an Alt can be replaced. So Alts can never really die.

Best to locate in your area a small auto electric shop to do your ReBuilds, replacing the parts that are worn.

noted in the above posts are the common parts that wear out first.

Brush/Regulator pack
Front and rear Bearings
Slip Rings

all are wear items...

hi cb- doesnt seem difficult to replace the brushes or the bearings. but is the ring a tough mofo? thanks oldduke

Think of it similar to a Patek timepiece. You're merely taking care of it for your next generation. Thats if you'll replace the brushes, bearings, slip rings when needed :-)

Regards,
Amarin.

hi amarin- you sound like one with great experience overhauling volvo 240 alternators. have done a few generators and alternators on american tanks, but not on a volvo like my 245. but want toknow the procedure so i dont get a one way ticket to clip city. brush replacement looks pretty straight forward. take out two bolts, release the springload and the part pops out. curious what you mean by slip rings. is this another term for the notched copper contactors on the armature shaft on which the brush ends press? to replace the volvo slip rings and shaft end bearings, i assume you would have to take apart the halves of the alternator body.. is my approach right? feel free to correct/detail. thanks tons oldduke

Hi Oldduke,

My experience is limited to car alternators. Cars of family and friends. Have done a few on old Honda, Mitsu, Alfa and currently Volvo. Definitely not on any battle tanks ; )

Yes that copper contactors on the alt shaft are the slip rings. Bosch alt used on our RWD Volvos comes in two varieties. The one with external fan (EF) and the other with internal fan (IF). For external fan variety you could see a metal fan installed next to the pulley.

Yes you must separate the two-halves of the alt casing/body in order to replace the slip rings. IF alt's slip rings are easier to replace as its solder points are well laid out near the armature. These could be easily unsoldered off prior to pulling the old rings out.




Unfortunately its a bit of a challenge to replace the rings on the EF alt. One of the copper wires (from armature) is routed INSIDE the slip rings assembly within a groove (next to the shaft). If you break this wire (in trying to pull out the old rings) you are left with one shorter copper wire to begin with. If this happens (actually not a difficult repair) it is quite disheartening experience. I'd recommend using a Dremel to split the old rings in two (for removal from alt shaft) in order to preserve this internal wire. Solder it off the split ring afterwards.




Regards,
Amarin.

Yes, our cars are definitely equipped with alternators of the external fan variety, at least Oldduke's and mine. Oldduke will need to squeeze the trigger on his old Weller past two clicks to work this slip ring replacement into his repertoire. None of these repairs are too difficult for the person with a good vise and good advice.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

She said: Men are like Lava Lamps Fun to look at, but not very bright.

The analogy continues to say once you give up the original Bosch and replace it with a parts store "lifetime" rebuilt unit, that's when your real troubles begin. That's when life is measured on a succession of counterfeit Timexes.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

"I was worried that my mechanic might try to rip me off, I was relieved when he told me all I needed was turn-signal fluid."

I agree, which is why I had mine rebuilt by a local auto electric shop. We discussed the brand and quality of parts going in. It is still going strong, 100k later. I am very leery of the national chains for rebuilds.

arty b-is that the same thing as blinker fluid? bet its been 20 years since you fell for the old muffler bearings trick. oldduke

Well a Bosch alternator doesn't quite cost as much as a Patek even a cheap one!
Dan

No guess or opinion is of any value here.

Your question can ONLY be answered by checking it. Pull the brush pack and look at the brush length. Look and feel the slip rings.

When this gives up, there won't always be much warning, and you'll be needing a tow if you aren't close to home. Find out now.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

"How can I answer this and stay opaque?" Tina Fey

Probably awhile longer. Volvo (Bosch) alternator's seem to last a long time. Sold my 90 240 at 300k with all original alternator. 95 850 now has 251k with its original alternator.

As jwalker says. Though the mileage can vary from use (or abuse), care, and environment.

Had you replaced the brushes at any time chuffsy?

Use the brushes the manufacturer originally used. Like Bosch brushes for a Bosch alt. Or, well, I dunno what Denso used.
--
Give your brickboard.com a big thumbs up! Way up! - Roger Ebert.

Agree with the others. Check the brushes. Need to do that on my 850...