Hello everyone,

I have installed two rebuilt alternators so far from the same store in my 1992 740 (125k miles) and both have failed within three weeks!
I have a brand new battery, all cables and connections seem to be in very fine condition.The only thing i have noticed after 2-3 minutes of starting the car in the morning the alternator gets very hot to the touch i mean really hot!
Any input is appreciated as always.

Thank you in advance!

John.

Similar problem in my car 940 1994 very long time ago. Replaced 2 alternators within 6 months. Turned out my new battery was maintenance-free type - the one that doesn't require periodical topping up with water. Replaced with old-school type and no more issues.

Granted some maintenance-free types do work with old cars but I wasn't keen to experiment.

Regards,
Amarin.

What happened to the original alternator?

When was the new battery installed? Is it really a new battery or a rebuilt one? I would have the battery tested after it sits overnight.

The only two that I replaced had 215 K on them - both were almost exactly the same mileage! One stopped charging, the other seized up - 1990 745 and 1991 744 TI.

125K is low mileage, my last used (and guaranteed for 1 year) had 110K miles on it. It lasted to 245K or more.

At a Volvo junk yard, used alternators were $30 - less than a repair. They had 30 of them - no need to keep more in stock!

First i would like to thank everyone for their replies!
I went to the junkyard today and picked up an alternator, installed it and everything is well again! The old one i had was putting out 10.5V of charge, i should have changed the regulator and brushes instead of buying a re manufactured Ultima alternator, big mistake!
The battery in my car is brand new two weeks old regular type. I forgot to mention even without connecting any electric wires for the Ultima alternator,they used to get very hot in a couple of minutes with engine running.I guess they had internal problems.
Talked with the folks at O'reilly today, they refuse to admit that the fault is within the alternator,telling me either i have an electric problem or i did not install the alternator right!
I hope this helps someone in the future.
Thank you again for your replies!

John

Forgot to mention that both alternators were Ultima part# R110767 from O'reilly.

Have the folks at O'Reilly's take a look at it in your car. If that's not practical for some reason, take a picture of your connections and post it here.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

A plateau is a high form of flattery.