Alternator Brushes

[Jeff in W.C.]

I think I got good use out of my alternator brushes--and then some. I knew they were somewhat worn and needed to be replaced. I was a bit lazy and I had no issues with charging, so I kept putting it off. Since I'm in the middle of replacing the timing chain, I went ahead and replaced the brushes. The new brushes are 17mm. My old brushes were 10mm and 12mm. Clymer has the minimum spec at 8mm, so they weren't quite at the end of their life, but their days were numbered. I won't know how things work for a while since I'm doing a few maintenance projects over the winter and this is only one of them.

[Rob Frankham]

When replacing brushes, it's a good idea to examine the brushbox.

These are subject to wear that allows the brushes to sit at an angle to the commutator... which won't stop them from working but will greatly increase the rate of wear both to the brushes and the box itself.

The outcome is that the brushes will have a very short life and will eventually start to stick in the box causing intermittent charge failure. Replacelment brush boxes are readily available and shouild be changed when the wear becomes apparent.

Rob

[Jeff in W.C.]

Rob, I took a look at the brushbox. While I've never looked at one to determine good vs bad, the bottom end did not look like it was out of square (or rectangular), nor did it look like it flared out at the bottom. The brushes also seem to slide smoothly up and down. So, I'm assuming that the brushbox is OK.

[Rob Frankham]

Rob, I took a look at the brushbox. While I've never looked at one to determine good vs bad, the bottom end did not look like it was out of square (or rectangular), nor did it look like it flared out at the bottom. The brushes also seem to slide smoothly up and down. So, I'm assuming that the brushbox is OK.

Could well be OK... just something to be aware of...

Rob