My alternator lasted 10 months | FerrariChat

My alternator lasted 10 months

Discussion in '348/355' started by I_am_Grant, Jul 19, 2013.

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  1. I_am_Grant

    I_am_Grant Karting

    Feb 8, 2011
    53
    Woodland, CA
    Full Name:
    Grant
    I'm not complaining, I like working on my 348, its relaxing. I replaced my alternator 10 months ago and a few days ago it does, battery light came on and battery was no longer charging.

    The heat shield around my alternator apparently didn't work, there is lots of blueing on the metal components. I'm working on improving the heat shield and will post a picture later today.

    I'm curious, how long has your alternator lasted?
     
  2. White Knight

    White Knight Formula 3

    Aug 22, 2011
    1,531
    Ogden, UT
    Full Name:
    Todd S.
    How many miles did you put on her in that time frame? Might be a better indicator for comparison.
     
  3. I_am_Grant

    I_am_Grant Karting

    Feb 8, 2011
    53
    Woodland, CA
    Full Name:
    Grant
    I put just under 5k miles on it. She's my daily driver.
     
  4. White Knight

    White Knight Formula 3

    Aug 22, 2011
    1,531
    Ogden, UT
    Full Name:
    Todd S.
    Great to hear she gets used!

    I've got a 355, a bit apples and oranges, but mine has lasted the 4k I've put on it plus previous mileage. I'd have to look through the records to see if it was ever replaced, but I don't believe it has been.
     
  5. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Nov 19, 2001
    22,614
    The Brickyard
    Full Name:
    The Bad Guy
    I rebuilt my alternator a six years ago, with better internals, and it's still running just fine.
     
  6. I_am_Grant

    I_am_Grant Karting

    Feb 8, 2011
    53
    Woodland, CA
    Full Name:
    Grant
    Just curious, how many miles did you put on her in 6 years?

    I had to buy an alternator from O'Reilleys just to get her back up and running, shes my daily driver, but I ordered a second alternator to upgrade the internals.
     
  7. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Nov 19, 2001
    22,614
    The Brickyard
    Full Name:
    The Bad Guy
    Ooo, good question.

    Not 100% sure but, I would say probably in the neighborhood of 20,000-ish miles, give or take.
     
  8. I_am_Grant

    I_am_Grant Karting

    Feb 8, 2011
    53
    Woodland, CA
    Full Name:
    Grant
    Thanks Ernie, I appreciate that. Once I get the new alternator in I'll tear it apart and replace the internals.

    I do have one issue now. The car starts and runs fine, but above 4k RPMs the battery light comes on. Below that it stays off.

    No CEL lights.

    Any thoughts? Loose belt? Or Belt too tight? Poor ground?

    I also replaced the ground wire from the battery to the transmission since the old one was always pulled tight across the top of the battery.
     
  9. RSO1091

    RSO1091 Formula 3

    Mar 31, 2012
    1,547
    Idyllwild, CA.
    Full Name:
    Henry S.
    Hey Grant, the belt could certainly be an issue, but have you checked the voltage coming from the alternator at idle and then above the 4,000 RPM mark when the light comes on? It should put out a consistent 14.2 volts or so, but if the regulator is bad it will fluctuate. Just a thought as Ernie helped me through my last alternator problem on the F355.

    Henry
     
  10. I_am_Grant

    I_am_Grant Karting

    Feb 8, 2011
    53
    Woodland, CA
    Full Name:
    Grant
    I'm going to check the voltage this evening. Its a new alternator so I assume it should be functioning properly, but I guess the multimeter will tell the tale.
     
  11. AceMaster

    AceMaster Three Time F1 World Champ

    Feb 6, 2009
    34,777
    Ontario, Canada
    Full Name:
    Mike
    I got my 348 almost 5 years ago, about 7,500 miles (and judging from the service records it hasn't been replaced since at least prior to 2006)
     
  12. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Nov 19, 2001
    22,614
    The Brickyard
    Full Name:
    The Bad Guy
    It could be a few things.

    1) The belt doesn't have the proper tension.

    2) The voltage regulator is going bad or it can't handle the rpms.

    3) The brushes and or the slip rings are worn out.
     
    FloridaIsland348 likes this.
  13. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Nov 19, 2001
    22,614
    The Brickyard
    Full Name:
    The Bad Guy
    Speaking of, how is your alternator holding up?
     
  14. RSO1091

    RSO1091 Formula 3

    Mar 31, 2012
    1,547
    Idyllwild, CA.
    Full Name:
    Henry S.
    The car is in for it's major right now, but (mostly) all was well when I drove her to the shop.
     
  15. I_am_Grant

    I_am_Grant Karting

    Feb 8, 2011
    53
    Woodland, CA
    Full Name:
    Grant
    I pulled off the bottom cover this morning and the belt was loose, so i tightened it. Took it for a drive, and the light comes on steady at higher RPMs, and flickers a few times in the sub-4k range.

    I put the multi-meter on the battery, shows 12.5V, started the engine, at idle with no battery light on, I get 13.8V. I increase the RPMs until I see the battery light come on, the voltage drops back to 12.5.

    This is a new (rebuilt) alternator, I used my old belt, it looked fine, but I am ordering a new one as we speak and should have it in a couple of days. I will also be ordering the better internals per Ernies post on replacing the alternator, but this should be working as-is since its new. Although it may be defective, I can always pull it out and have it bench tested. I'm trying to avoid doing to keep from giving my other half something to complain about.

    This is also the 95 amp version of the alternator, my original was 95, had no problems until it died. I had it rebuilt 10 months ago and upgraded it a 105 amp version. I only went back to the 95 amp version because I could buy it off-the-shelf and get the car back on the road the same day.

    Any thoughts?
     
  16. F355Bob

    F355Bob Formula 3

    Could it have died due to heat? I Went thru alternators every couple of years. Put on the Capristo heat blankets and has been fine since. Went thru two alternators in one year before the blankets were put on. Gets really hot in there and not much air circulation to cool things down. Heat really kills these cars.
     
  17. I_am_Grant

    I_am_Grant Karting

    Feb 8, 2011
    53
    Woodland, CA
    Full Name:
    Grant
    My original alternator had lots of blue-ing on the internals, so heat was definitely a factor.

    I have a heat shield on mine now, but this is a new alternator. I would assume it should be putting out 14.2 volts.

    I'll see what happens after I put a new belt on, it could be slipping.

    I'll post results in a few days.
     
  18. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Nov 19, 2001
    22,614
    The Brickyard
    Full Name:
    The Bad Guy
    Be sure to use the USI regulator when rebuilding your alternator.
     
  19. RSO1091

    RSO1091 Formula 3

    Mar 31, 2012
    1,547
    Idyllwild, CA.
    Full Name:
    Henry S.
  20. FerrariDenmark

    FerrariDenmark Karting

    Aug 12, 2009
    137
    Denmark
    #20 FerrariDenmark, Aug 1, 2013
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2013
    3 original alternators in 500 miles - one week...

    1. internal fault
    2. bought a remanufactured - poor quality - internal fan melted
    3. had the nr. 1 repaired, but a bearing was not installed correct...

    Went to the local automobile scrapyard and found this:

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152977426345062&l=6235de669d

    Prize = 10 £

    Wíth some minor modifications it fits... Cars charging better than ever, and have done 1500 miles in 2 weeks without problems, and it was in very poor condition been taken out of an old car - At first I only did the mounting to test if it would fit - now I want to see how long it will last...

    I only modified the alternator - didn't make any modifications on the car.

    You will need a 4 mm spacer to the Pulley - a 10 mm and a 16 mm drill for the lower mounting point and a small plate and a 16 mm spacer to extend the upper mounting point.
    The original alternator has a M6 for mounting the +cable - this has a M8 - I used a M6 Hex Die Nut Tap to change this.
    You will need to grind/make a small cut in the alternator housing - you will se where when you test mount...


    Where does this alternator then come from you ask...



    Daewoo Lanos - you can find it at eBay very cheap, and they are IMO better quality, than the OEM :-o
     
    FloridaIsland348 likes this.
  21. ncjetskier

    ncjetskier Formula 3

    Jul 7, 2012
    1,416
    Eastern NC
    Full Name:
    Chris
    Had the same problem with a new alternator (lasted 8 months and was not a daily driver). Ended up being the ground strap which was never put back on from the dealer when the alternator was changed out (Ferrari dealership in NJ). The second dealership located outside of DC (where the car died) told me without a strong ground wire, it will cook the internals. Good luck.
     
  22. I_am_Grant

    I_am_Grant Karting

    Feb 8, 2011
    53
    Woodland, CA
    Full Name:
    Grant
    I've been busy, but I realized that when I replaced my ground terminal wire, there was a secondary ground strap that grounded the battery to the chassis.

    I'll be installing that second ground tomorrow, along with a new battery and new alternator belt. I'm going to get an Optima battery, but I can't seem to find the difference between the yellow and red tops. Any help?
     
  23. Loser

    Loser Formula Junior

    Apr 11, 2008
    791
    Gilroy, CA
    Full Name:
    Tom
    I believe the yellow tops offer deep cycle capability that the red tops do not. So yellow tops are less sensitive to accidentally running down the charge and then recharging them (e.g. when you forget to plug in the trickle charger and let it sit for a week)

    - Tom
     
  24. I_am_Grant

    I_am_Grant Karting

    Feb 8, 2011
    53
    Woodland, CA
    Full Name:
    Grant
    Ok, so I'll be getting a Yellow. Size should be a 34 or has anyone with a rear mounted battery fitted a larger battery?
     
  25. I_am_Grant

    I_am_Grant Karting

    Feb 8, 2011
    53
    Woodland, CA
    Full Name:
    Grant
    I replaced the battery and my battery light hasn't come on. It appears that the alternator killed the battery when it died. I'm still going to replace my alternator belt this evening, but I didn't want to replace both at the same time and not figure out what the problem was.

    Thanks for the input. and with the new yellow top battery the car runs much smoother. Didn't think a battery would make much difference but it does.


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