Short version: Car dies, doesn't charge. Pull alternator, bench test at parts store, discover needs new pulley shaft, replace, retest at 14+ volts. Sweet--- 4 bucks instead of 100+! Clean grime off alternator while it is out, reinstall, multimeter shows 11.75 volts and dropping at the battery. Figured may have gotten it too wet, let it dry, still no improvement. Try again next day, maybe drier, and showing 14+ volts. Try again today, and down below 12 again, battery light flickers and goes full red, regardless of engine rev speed.

So, I hate to just pop for $110 for an alternator, if there is something else to check first. On the other hand, a rebuilt Bosch with voltage regulator and the other thing (capacitor maybe) included is not an outrageous price. I don't want to have it be a lingering intermittent thing...especially in this weather.

Car had occasional screech (before the non-recharging episode), like a loose belt sound, intermittently. But belts are properly tight, and I figured they may have just been glazed from long term coolant weeping from the water pump, and have a set of fresh belts from fcpgroton waiting to install when it got a little warmer. It did screech on the bench, which led to discovering the Woodruff key (Correct term?) needed to be replaced.

So anything else I should do, or do you all think the alternator has served it's life already?

Check voltage output at alternator while on car. +ve to large terminal (thick red wire), -ve to alternator casing.

If >13v then may be
1)a bad ground wire from alt case to engine block (jumper case to block and check voltage).
2)a bad +ve connection between starter and alt.
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1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb but electronic ignition and M46 trans in Brampton, Ont.

I second Art. Your 240, like all '85 and newer, has a two piece crank pulley. The two pieces are isolated from each other with a rubber bushing that eventually dries out and cracks, allowing the outer part of the pulley to spin independently from the inner part.

Do this: Make a line across the two parts with some paint or something. Start the car and go for a drive. Punch the gas a few times, make some sharp turns and turn on some electrical accessories to put some extra stress on the crank pulley. Now, cut the engine off and look at your marks. If they no longer line up, then you are in the market for a new pulley.

I just got done replacing mine. It would make noise and my dash lights flicker when cold or upon hard acceleration, but would catch when warmed up a bit. Mine was so worn that I could see it wobble a bit when I punched the throttle from under the hood.

There was a thread on here recently of a guy who replaced pretty much the whole charging system on his 240 only to find that his problem was a bad crank pulley. Learn from the learned.

Good luck,
Charlie

P.S. If this is your problem, then be sure to look up Bruce Young's rope trick for removing and replacing it. Works great.
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1985 244DL B230 M46 170k

That was me! Here's the thread.

You've got the symptoms of bad harmonic balancer. Had more steering effort lately?

kourt

I'm hoping it could simply be a matter of glazed or loose belts. But you should also make sure the harmonic balancer isn't becoming separated, in case that was part of the screech. Interesting find with the pulley's key being sheared. Never came across that on an alternator before.


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Art Benstein near Baltimore

Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

Quick question for ya, If I'm getting ~8.3-8.5V on B1 terminal (the one to the instrument cluster) any ideas?

So far, I've taken the alternator off, brought it autozone tested and passed

Put it back on, didn't work

Took off again and tested at advance auto parts (not that I didn't trust autozone, i figured it might be some intermitency issues, and so just replace, and the advance alternator came with the pulley...) it worked again..

Told the guy what happened, and asked for him to run it a bit and see, he ran it 5 mins no problem

Bought and installed new harmonic balancer (thought, hey this might be it) It wasn't

Battery reads 11.3 V now, alt reads same off both battery ground and alternator case (so i don't believe its a ground issue) the clip reads between 8 and 8.5 V never constant

I haven't pulled off the brushes to check them. I figured i'd post, check them, then come back. Though I figure if they were a problem, that should have showed up before right?

Quick question right back at ya -- what kind of car and year? 1988 like the subject?

If by B1 you mean 61 (D+), try this: With the car not running but key on, are the idiot lights on? Pull the wire off of the alternator. Do they go out?
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.

Sorry, yes it is also an 88 like the OP's and yes i meant 61,

Idiot lights on ever so slightly when key is in run (but not engine run) and they go off when I pull off the clip

Good. The lights should be brilliant in lamp test mode. Ground the small red wire and make sure they do then (key on, motor off). You might want to double check the alternator case is indeed grounded, but otherwise it sounds like a case of short brushes to me if this is a Bosch alternator. Odd, that this would pass the store test.

If the dash lights are still weak when you ground the red wire, you've got some tracing to do back of your instrument panel, or at the gray plug on the firewall.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.

lights became very bright upon grounding it... Took off brushes and they are quite worn, so I will be replacing them. I haven't called the dealer (but i don't really want to either) to see if they got them, but autozone/advance/o'reily don't have them. Any idea if one of the three mentioned already would have them, but for a different car, cause i'd like to get this done before the weekend? Otherwise i'll order them tomorrow...

When I get it can i just plug and play or do i have to do something with them before i can use them? Also, can you give me odds on this being it, and fixed if I buy the V-reg, or should I just pony up and get an alternator?

This is the Voltage regulator I found : http://www.autohausaz.com/search/product.aspx?sid=fvoyah244jk43fnsejhy3s55&partnumber=1197311028

Its a bosch 1197311028 claims to be the voltage regulator for 65-115A alternators...

Also, thanks so much for your help

The one at Autohaus is right. Someone in your town has to have one beside the dealer, I'd bet. Check the yellow pages for Automotive Electrical Repair or Foreign Car Parts if the chains all want to sell you the whole thing.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

A Local Area Network in Australia is the LAN down under.