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Alternator dies (?) last night.

posted by  zag on  Sun Nov 30 01:39 CST 2003
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last visit: Wed Jun 24 13:44 CST 2009
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I have a '91 940 turbo wagon, just acquired a month ago. Last night the weather here in Florida dippede quite low, and I decided to turn the heat on for the first time, and my son decided to try the heated seats. A few minutes later, sitting at a traffic light, the car started misfiring, chugging terribly, and the lights dimmed, radio speaker volume disappeared, and I limped off to the side of the road where the car stalled completely. A tow truck driver triesd to jump start it, and that worked, but as soon as the jumper cables were removed, it stalled out. (This was tried several times. I was told it had to be the alternator. Is there something else I should check before shelling out $130 (plus $85 core charge) for a new alternator? I don't want to have it happen again to another alternator. Thanks for your help!








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    Alternator dies (?) last night.

    posted by  james_a_sousa on  Sun Nov 30 16:26 CST 2003
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    last visit: Thu Oct 23 18:51 CST 2014
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    We've had two 7 series alternators go at almost exactly 210,000 miles, one got noisy, the other stoped charging.

    Around here a good used alternator for a 7xx Volvo costs $30 because they have so many good used ones.

    I was told that the brushes gum up and stick before they wear out. I'd remove them and clean them with WD-40. If they free up, you'll have plenty of time to hunt down a replacement alternator.
    --
    96 855R, 95 855,854, 90 744 Ti - 340,000 miles driven








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    Alternator dies (?) last night.

    posted by  Don Foster on  Sun Nov 30 04:39 CST 2003
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    I went through almost the exact same thing with my '90 240 several months ago. Fortunately, a ramp truck was behind me at the intersection where the car died, and he ramped it home for $30.

    New brushes in the alternator solved the problem. I got them from FCP Groton for about $3, took about an hour to install.

    Brushes typically wear out around 200k miles, plus/minus a lot depending on many variables.

    If you're not handy with a soldering iron, then a replacement regulator assembly (which includes the brushes) might be a better approach. Quicker and cleaner job, too. (For a 240, the regulator costs from $24 to $28, depending on the choice of Brand X or Bosch.)

    But..... I don't see electrical stuff for the 940 on FCP's website. Check with them to see if they have the brushes or regulator for your car -- they'll be different than used in a 240.

    FCP also has alternators.
    --
    Don Foster (near Cape Cod, MA)







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