Tom #16 Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 Good news: I finally got a break from work and made it to the track. Not so good news: I'm seeing the battery/alternator light come on above 5-5.5krpm. I've had that before and fixed it by tightening the alternator drive belt. That didn't work this time. Any other likely causes? Can a regulator cause this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
944-Spec#94 Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 Brushes in the alternator. They wear down. I don't think it is too hard to replace them. My father did it on ours a while back. Not sure where he go the brushes from. You should also check to make sure your wires are tight and you have clean chassis ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Comeau Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 When the spring loaded brushes in my voltage regulator started getting too short, I was getting the light, but it went out with higher rpm. ?? Anyway, that's probably what it is. Very easy piece to replace. 2 straight slot screws in the back of the alternator and remove it. No wire connections. Angle it in. There are 2 parts available that I know of: The Hella?or Bosch? one says 1 197 311 005 on it. Say 14 volts. I've recently come across a BMW part by Wehrle, that looks identical. Part # on the part itself is 13 130 514. The second one is only about $20 from Inter Auto Parts here in San Diego. It says 14.6 volts. I have not tried the BMW part yet, but the mechs say it's ok. Anybody know different? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom #16 Posted June 6, 2005 Author Share Posted June 6, 2005 I had the alternator rebuilt. Hopefully this solves the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Comeau Posted June 6, 2005 Share Posted June 6, 2005 Hope it wasn't too much $$. I've been told that the voltage regulator is usually the culprit when an alternator goes "bad." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Addy Posted June 7, 2005 Share Posted June 7, 2005 My regulator failed, that is what put me off the course and vulnerable at BW in April. When I replaced the regulator, it still wasn't right, so I now have a brand new alternator. This is cheap insurance for keeping the car on the track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Comeau Posted June 7, 2005 Share Posted June 7, 2005 Bill, did you try that BMW voltage regulator from Inter Auto Parts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Addy Posted June 7, 2005 Share Posted June 7, 2005 Yes, and I am keeping it in my spare parts box just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Comeau Posted June 7, 2005 Share Posted June 7, 2005 Yes, but if you replaced the VReg. with the BMW part and the problem was still there.......was the BMW part good enough to fix the problem? Would a Porsche OEM VR have fixed the symptoms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Addy Posted June 7, 2005 Share Posted June 7, 2005 Not according to Black forest, unless they just wanted to sell me a new alternator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Comeau Posted June 7, 2005 Share Posted June 7, 2005 Ok, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom #16 Posted June 13, 2005 Author Share Posted June 13, 2005 FYI, the rebuilt alternator seems to have fixed the problem. I went to Buttonwillow this weekend and didn't see any warning light. I don't remember exactly how much it cost, but it was $120-$130. I rebuilt instead of just replacing the VR because it looked like the brushes were worn down pretty low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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