Alternator Description

The alternator circuit consists of the following main components: 1. The Rotor or field winding which, by means of an electric current fed to it via slip rings, produces a magnetic field. As the rotor rotates, the magnetic field rotates also. In theory, the rotor could be a permanent magnet, similar to that used to stick decals onto refrigerators, but such a magnet cannot produce a sufficiently strong magnetic field to be practical in a machine of this size. 2. A Stator, usually (but not always) consisting of 3 windings in what is known as a 3 phase star configuration, which means they are all connected at the centre and each is located at an angle 120 from its adjacent counterpart. As the magnetic field produced by the rotor turns, it cuts through each winding of the stator in turn, inducing in it an electric current. Having 3 windings means that the pulses of current come more regularly and more smoothly, and so the machine is more

efficient than it would otherwise be. 3. A Rectifier Stack, here configured in 3 phase format to work with the stator windings. The stack consists of 6 diodes each of which works like a valve to electric current, letting it pass in one direction but not the other. It basically converts a.c., the current produced by the stator that alternates from going in one direction to next going in the other, to a current which is unidirectional, called d.c. The rectifier stack supplies the required d.c. current from the stator to the battery and accessories. 4. Field Diodes. These diodes do an identical job to the rectifier stack, except these smaller diodes only have to provide sufficient current for the alternator to supply its own field current. This system is called "self excitation". 5. The Regulator. This is an electronic circuit that has a sense line to monitor the output from the alternator. The voltage it detects will depend on the state of charge of the battery and electrical load demand of the car. If the sense line detects that the voltage is low, because of high loading, it will supply field current to compensate, similarly it will remove the field current if there is low electrical demand. Changes in the field result in sympathetic changes in the output voltage of the alternator. 6. The Charge Warning Lamp. While the alternator was described as "self exciting", that is it supplying its own field or "exciting" current, it still needs a source of field current before it can self start. In order to provide this, current is passed through a small bulb that is physically mounted on the dash in view of the driver. When the Ignition Switch is first put "On" current passes through the bulb, field winding (rotor) and the regulator to ground. This small current in the field produces a very weak magnetic field, just enough to get the alternator to start generating when the engine turns it. As the generator begins to turn, the weak magnetic field from the bulb current produces an output from the generator, some of this current is fed back to the field, reinforcing it and increasing the output and so again reinforcing the field current. Soon the alternator is producing 12 volts or more, and the voltage at the output of the field diodes is the same as the voltage at the ignition switch side of the bulb. With no voltage difference across the bulb it extinguishes, indicating to the driver that the alternator is charging. 7. Optional Radio Interference Capacitor (C). Situated at the power output point, this optional item is installed in Lucas alternators. It sponges up voltage spikes that would cause noise on radio receivers in the car and even those close by. 8. Optional Suppresser or Zener Diode (Z). Also situated at the power output point, the device is rather like a pressure relief valve. If too much voltage appears for any reason at the field winding, it conducts and

clamps the voltage at a predetermined level. This protects the voltage regulator from high voltages. High voltage can occur if the battery becomes disconnected from the alternator while the engine is running. The suddenly unloaded alternator exhibits a rapid increase in voltage, up to some 110 volts, until the regulator can shut the field winding current down and the magnetic field collapses. This phenomenon is known as "load dump". The Zener Diode in the Lucas alternator clamps at 30 Volts. This value is chosen so that it does not conduct for any time, and thus burn out, during double battery jump starts of some 28 Volts that breakdown crews routinely give to get a disabled car started. Problems 1. The charge warning lamp does not light. This can just be a bulb problem. With ignition on, test the bulb by removing the Brown/Yellow wire from the alternator or regulator and touching it to ground (it helps to have an assistant). The brushes may be worn so the bulb current cannot flow through the field coil The regulator may be burned out, again preventing current flow. Note: If the charge warning bulb is blown, the field will not get the necessary start current described above and the alternator may not start to charge. "May" is used because there is often enough residual magnetism in the rotor to just get things going. (Some late cars have a resistor right across the bulb so even if it does blow, the resistor can supply the start current required by the field. 2. The charge warning lamps flickers. The brushes are close to fully worn. There are poor connections in the Alternator to the Charge Warning Lamp bulb holder, or from it to either Brown/Yellow wires to the Alternator or the White wiring to the Ignition Switch. One or more of the diodes is intermittently touching the outer casing. There should be a spacer washer between the rectifier and the case as well as the one between the case and the rectifier retention nut. This may also be the cause of failed diodes. 3. The charge indicator lamp does not go out. This is almost a certain indication that the alternator is not charging. The fan belt may be broken. The charge diodes, located in the rectifier stack may be burned out.

 The field diodes, also located in the rectifier stack, may be burned out. 4. The charge indicator lamp only partially extinguishes. The fan belt may be slipping. One or two of the charge diodes has failed. One or more of the field diodes has failed. 5. The Charge indicator lamp gets brighter as the electrical load is increased. The fan belt may be slipping. One or two of the rectifier stack diodes has failed. One or more of the field diodes has failed. The ignition switch has poor connections or there are other high resistance connections in the White wires of the ignition circuit. 6. The wiring to the alternator gets hot and smokes when the battery is connected. The battery may have been connected the reverse way around, damaging the rectifier stack. The capacitor or zener diode may have become short circuit. Neither component is absolutely necessary. It is usually possible to pull the wires off these one by one (if fitted) by removing the rear cover of the alternator, while it is still on the car. If removing either one solves the problem, cut the wires from them off. One or more rectifier diodes has become short circuit. In any of the above cases, the offending component will get warm to the touch, giving an indication of where the fault lies.

Testing
A voltage output test can help determine if the alternator is functioning properly. 1. Ensure the car has not been running for a few minutes, so that the battery can settle. 2. Place a voltmeter between ground and any convenient battery connection such as a brown wire at the fuse block. Start the car and rev the engine hard. The voltmeter should rise from about 12 volts to greater than 13.5 Volts.

3. If this result is satisfactory, switch the engine off and switch the headlights on for 10 minutes. 4. Restart the car and repeat the test in 2 above. If the voltage doesn't reach 13.5 volts this indicates that the alternator may have an open diode making it incapable of supplying a high charging current.

Alternator Service Before considering any service of the alternator you may wish to decide whether a replacement unit is a better bet than changing individual parts. The decision will probably be a matter of: a. Your budget. Check the cost of parts against that of an exchange unit. b. The age of the alternator, which might mean that it is nearing the end of its useful life anyway. In considering a replacement alternator remember that the last type fitted to MGBs, the 18ACR has a higher output than previous types, offering better performance. Look for a supplier who will warranty the replacement part for as long as you own the car. Reconditioned alternators (not just Lucas and in most countries) are notoriously unreliable. The recently reconditioned alternator disassembled for the pictures here exhibited very poor workmanship including poorly soldered rectifier connections, wire insulation with plier damage, scored slip rings and a wire that had been cut and joined by twisting together and taping. The alternator shown here is the so called "5 contact" type. The + contact is the power output, the contact being the ground terminal. The 2 IND contacts are joined by a link wire in the harness connector and also go to the Ignition Indicator lamp. The B+ is connected to a wire that wire goes back to the fuse block, thus allowing the regulator to monitor the voltage that the vehicle systems are receiving. The method of converting from the 5 contact to the 3 contact is described in the Conversion section. Even though described as the "3 terminal", alternator, only 2 wires are usually attached to this machine. The 2 contacts marked + are both joined to the middle plate of the rectifier. The main power output is taken on one or two wires from here to the starter solenoid's battery connector. No ground contact is used because the metallic body of the alternator takes current to the engine block. There is only one IND contact, the link previously made outside the casing being made inside. As before, IND goes to the Ignition Indicator lamp.

With the cover removed, the internal components can be seen. This is an "all dressed" alternator having both a Zener (Z) surge suppresser and a capacitor (C). Most alternators have neither, some have just the Zener diode. Before undoing anything, make a sketch of where all the wires in your alternator go, as colours may vary. If you lose your way, there is a diagram below that should help. To access the brushes (A & B) , the four 3/16" A/F hex screws on top of the plastic Brush Box must be removed. The brush box itself is retained by two 1/4" A/F screws. The Regulator is usually piggybacked onto the Brush Box by two tines at the bottom and a single 1/4" A/F hex screw (C) at the top. Some may be found screwed to the base plate. The Brush Box also holds down one end of the Rectifier Stack with a rubber bush (See the slip-ring picture below). The other end of the Rectifier stack is fixed with a 5/16" A/F nut. The brushes are not quite identical, note the diagonally cut-off corner on the terminal and its position toward the outside off the brush box as shown in the photo. The wire from the contact to the brush, that passes through the middle of the pressure spring, restricts the maximum extension of the brush. This prevents unlimited take up of brush wear, which would eventually result in slip-ring damage when the the soft brush material gives way to metal. The brush can extend only about " (6.5 mm) so that when the brush is worn to about half its original " (13 mm) length it will no longer contact the slip ring with any pressure, and will require replacement. Brushes are very inexpensive so are worth changing in any event.

You may find that new brushes you buy have a contact (I) that is not required on brush A like that shown here. This is because the brush set was meant for a 5 terminal alternator. It will work fine, just bend the terminal out of the way so that the alternator cover can fit properly. All alternator brush sets come with a new stabilising spring (S) for the centre brush as shown here also.

With the brush box removed the annular slip-rings, on which the brushes run, can be seen. In this example some scoring can be seen, as well as some metal smear on the insulator between the outer and centre ring. Careful use of fine sand paper (never use Emery cloth or metal oxide paper), followed by wiping off with an alcohol soaked soft cloth, will clean the slip rings. If a suitable instrument is available, check the resistance between the Centre and Outer Slip Rings. The reading should be 4 to 5 ohms. The photo above provides a view of the rectifier stack retaining bush. A general view of a Rectifier Stack. The arrow points to only one of the 9 diodes in the stack. In order to remove the stack from the Alternator body, the 3 wires connecting the Stator to the Stack (see circuit) must be unsoldered before the retaining nut is removed. Avoid removing the stack unless the intent is to replace it as it is easy to damage the diodes when pulling the wires off. Replacement may be necessary if the tests made in Problems concluded so, if the diode test (below) so indicates or if the

alternator does not operate and it is known that the battery has been even momentarily reverse connected.

Three wires connect to the stack from the stator. The style of the rectifier varies somewhat but whichever type is used, it should be evident that there are 3 separate sets of 3 bussed together diodes. So long as the 3 stator wires go to separate bussed sets of diodes, that will be fine. Use the most accessible contacts in each set. Here the contacts that were soldered are marked with arrows, but any of the other 2 in each set (each set being shown linked by lines) could have been used. To test the diodes, refer to the section below. When replacing the rectifier assembly, make sure there is a spacer washer between it and the alternator body. This prevents the connections touching the alternator body and shorting out resulting in a brief life for a new rectifier. Even with a washer fitted, check that there are no solder whiskers or errant wire strands that might touch the casing.

This diagram indicates how the alternator is connected internally. Note not all components and connections will be on all alternators. From the top. F1, F2 and F3 are the connections from the stator. W is on 3 terminal regulators only. It connects to the Brown/Yellow harness wire that goes to the charge warning lamp. + goes to the main external brown power cable(s). G is not fitted to 3 terminal alternators. It is connected to the main external; ground wire.

C may not be present. It connects to the centre rectifier plate. Neither Ind contact is fitted to 3 terminal alternators. The left-hand Ind contact may be on a 3 contact alternator brush if the wrong brush set was ordered at some time. The right-hand Ind terminal is connected to the top (W) rectifier plate. The B+ terminal is not fitted to 3 terminal alternators. It connectors to the thinner brown wire and goes back to the fuse block. The Regulator has 3 connections. One to ground, usually at either of the brush box retention screws. This wire is usually black. One to brush B. This connection is usually a metal strap, but may be a brown or green wire. One to brush A. This is most often a yellow wire. Z may not be present. It connects to the centre rectifier plate. Checking the Rectifier. The rectifier can be checked in situ. A diode test facility on a digital volt meter (DVM) is needed. These instruments will read the forward drop across a diode. Each diode in the rectifier should read between 0.5V and 1V. If the DVM is reverse connected across the diode so that there is no conduction, it will read OPEN. 1. Make sure the DVM is on and switched to diode check. 2. Connect the red DVM lead to terminal F1 to start with 3. Place the black DVM lead on the top (W) plate of the rectifier. Result should be 0.5V to 1V. 4. Place the black DVM lead on the middle (+) plate of the rectifier. Result should be 0.5V to 1V. 5. Place the black DVM lead on the bottom (G) plate of the rectifier. Result should be OPEN. 6. Move the red DVM lead to terminal F2. Repeat 3 through 5, then go to 7. 7. Move the red DVM lead to terminal F3. Repeat 3 through 5, then go to 8. 8. Connect the black DVM lead to terminal F1 to start with. 9. Place the red DVM lead on the top (W) plate of the rectifier. Result should be OPEN. 10. Place the red DVM lead on the middle (+) plate of the rectifier. Result should be OPEN. 11. Place the red DVM lead on the bottom (G) plate of the rectifier. Result should be 0.5V to 1V. 12. Move the black DVM lead to terminal F2. Repeat 9 through 11, then go to 13. 13. Move the black DVM lead to terminal F3. Repeat 9 through 11. Remember that it is often hard to make connections to dirty and oxidised surfaces, so it is worthwhile scraping the contacts to reveal clean metal. If there is any measurement between 1V and 2V, it indicates a diode open

failure (the current having taken a path through 2 of the other good diodes, so that twice the correct voltage is observed). Any voltage measurement lower than 0.5V indicates a short circuit diode. The Regulator is very reliable. Since its failure is hard to distinguish from failure of the more susceptible Rectifier Stack, treat any new newly purchased Regulator gently and only buy from a supplier who has a good return policy, as in all probability you will find that it was not at fault. The early regulators that are thinner than those illustrated here and that are bolted to the base of the alternator are less robust. The Zener diode (Z) was needed to protect them from over-voltage damage. A failed Zener surge suppresser (Z) can be tested similarly. Temporarily remove its connecting wire from the rectifier. Use a DVM with a diode check feature or use any of the resistance ranges to verify that it conducts in one direction only. Replacements are hard to obtain. If pressed, any 5 Watt, 30 Volt Zener diode, available from electronics suppliers can be used, although you may need to use some imagination to get it to wire-in and physically fit well. Otherwise, just remove it. The alternator will work fine without it.