Looks pretty much the same.... How did you find out this was the problem?? Was the new regulator VERY expensive??
Total time for the rebuild is about 20-45 minutes, depending on how gunked up your old one is, that may need a good cleaning. If it's all clean then your in the 20 minute range, and if it's really dirty then longer. To clean it up just use a good electrical contact cleaner. Altogether, removal, rebuild, reinstall, and that includes me hoursing around with the doggon camera, in was just over two hours. I could have had it done faster, but I know how you guys love pictures. Happy Wrenching.
D'Oh!!!! I almost forgot. Okay are you ready? The total cost was..............wait for it............wait for it............wait for it...................... $100. That's right boys one hundred bucks, for superior parts. So now you don't have to get hosed $900 for an alternator from the dealer, that is just gonna fail again anyway. How I found out this was the problem, was because it was know that if you didn't put in a heavy duty regulator, you would get the battery light coming on when you got into the upper rpm range. Plus the old crappy parts left me stranded on the side of the road last year when the regulator decided it wasn't gonna keep the battery charged. It will work okay for a while when it's cold, but once it starts to heat up that is when you get the problems. The other thing is that the techometer will start to act crazy. When I was on the throttle hard the tach would start spinning nuts, and then calm down when the rpm's dropped. So those are some of the signs to watch for.
Another thing I didn't mention. The bolt on the new rectifier is 6mm, and the old one is 8mm. So you can press the old one one, and then press it in the new ow. Also the 6mm bolt, in the Regitart, is a bit shorter that the old bolt. I left the 6mm bolt in and just attached everything to it. It was a bit tight but it did go on. I think what I'm gonna do it talk to the guys at Units again and see if they can order me one with an 8mm bolt on it. Other wise I'll leave it be.
http://www.wi-tek.com.cn/ENGLISH/En_ProductShow.asp?ArticleID=165 http://www.regitar.com/automotive/displaypart.asp?ID=968
Okay, I dunno what happen to the instructions for step #1 of the removal???? Maybe I accidentally deleted them when I added the removal time, but they should have read like this: Step #1 Disconnect the battery, and then raise the car off the ground so that you have access to the alternator from underneath. Be sure to use jack stand to support the weight of the car.
Great post Ernie! My battery light has been flashing (I've got the older Delco alternator) and I've been thinking of upgrading to the Nippondenso with the mods you did. Thanks for a fantastic how-to write up.
Well if you still have the old bullet connector that could be a part of the problem. The bullet connector does have a tendancy to get loose, and that will cause the battery light to come on. I got rid of the stupid thing all together and put in a solid cable from the battery to the starter, and from the negative to the frame. Although you have the older Delco unit you can still rebuild it with better internals. Run a search of the archives as someone has done it already. I think it would be cheaper for you to go that route anyway. If you do the Nippondenso upgrade you are going to have to not only get the alternator but also the wiring loom, and the mounting brackets for the alternator. So it's gonna cost you a good chunk of changed to do the swap. Like I said I would just rebuild your current alternator, it shouldn't be any harder than the rebuild I did.
Thanks again Ernie; I already had one alternator melt down, replaced it along with the battery. Now the tell-tale battery light is coming on again and the tach is going nuts at higher RPM - the signs of impending alternator doom. I just went through the archives and it looks like Elreg has the parts for the Delco. If anyone is interested in doing a Delco rebuild here are the #'s: Elreg website Rectifier: 311-618XHD Regulator: 101-670HD
FYI...... Elreg price quote for Delco parts: Rectifier: 311-618XHD $8.23 Regulator: 101-670HD $9.72 Daddy like!!!! JL
$18 for the aftermarket parts to fix/improve the alternator...or $900 for a sub-standard alternator from Ferrari that will just fail again. That's a bit like the $0.07 diode fix for the $$$ Ferrari headlight motors or the $11 heater control valve from VW for the $700 Ferrari part. People who complain about 348 maintenace costs just haven't done enough homework.
YEAH baby! Now that's what I'm talking about. Just make sure you DO NOT tell them the parts are for a Ferrari!!!
Haha, well I broke rule #1 and Elaine at Elreg still quoted me the same price for the parts. Alternatorparts.com also has a Delco CS-130 series alternator they call the "Iceberg" that looks really interesting -link - it's supposed to run a lot cooler and dissipate heat better than the OEM version, and has the upgraded regulator and rectifier. 105 amp for $110, but my emails and calls to them haven't been answered as of yet.
Nice. This seems to be their key innovation: "Copper heat transfer compound between the rectifier heat sink and housing for better heat transfer and electrical contact."
Hi Ernie! You just helped me a lot with a friends nippodensoed 348, as I went through the same with the AC-Delco unit a while ago and now didnt have to do all the work again. Great pictures too! Is there a one to one match for the whole Nippodenso unit like the Eagle Tallon with the Delco alternator? Thanks!
