Anyone carry a spare alternator?

[TomsBeast]

I had one die while on a hot springs trip, south of nowhere Nevada. Batteries dead on a Saturday morning. I sure wish I was carrying a spare alternator at that moment, as the closest one I could locate was in 105deg Las Vegas, and we HAD to be home the following morning, 600miles away.



But then again, how much stuff do you carry?

[m3bassman]

Originally Posted by TomsBeast

I had one die while on a hot springs trip, south of nowhere Nevada. Batteries dead on a Saturday morning. I sure wish I was carrying a spare alternator at that moment, as the closest one I could locate was in 105deg Las Vegas, and we HAD to be home the following morning, 600miles away.



But then again, how much stuff do you carry?

Were you able to determine what failed? I have had an alternator fail in my Tacoma on a trip and it was the brushes that wore out. A little surgery fixed it. I would rather carry the brushes than an entire alternator.

[pod]

We carry a spare.
Had one go out in Moab, luckily it failed in a gas station after coming into town from the wild. Literally a minute after pulling in the station the van started shaking and I shut it off. The bearings failed and you could see the spindle against the casing.

[TomsBeast]

Originally Posted by m3bassman

Were you able to determine what failed?

no, I tested it at camp with my VOM, it wasn't putting out the 13.6v ish you want to see from a working alternator (it only showed battery voltage). I traded it in as a core, after swapping it out, in the O'Rielly's parking lot.


When I used to buy and sell air-cooled VW's, I kept brushes and a voltage regulator, a set of bearings for the generator cars, and a diode pack in stock for the ones that had been converted to alternator. I'm not sure where you'd even get alternator parts for a domestic alternator these days, as most of the specialty electrical shops that would rebuild starters and alternators have gone the way of beta tape machines and bell bottom jeans

[m3bassman]

Originally Posted by TomsBeast

no, I tested it at camp with my VOM, it wasn't putting out the 13.6v ish you want to see from a working alternator (it only showed battery voltage). I traded it in as a core, after swapping it out, in the O'Rielly's parking lot.


When I used to buy and sell air-cooled VW's, I kept brushes and a voltage regulator, a set of bearings for the generator cars, and a diode pack in stock for the ones that had been converted to alternator. I'm not sure where you'd even get alternator parts for a domestic alternator these days, as most of the specialty electrical shops that would rebuild starters and alternators have gone the way of beta tape machines and bell bottom jeans

Sounds like brush failed to me. A quick search pulled up a couple options for rebuild kits that include bearings and brushes. YMMV.
https://alternatorstarterrebuildkits.com/product/3g/

[campism]

Originally Posted by m3bassman

I have had an alternator fail in my Tacoma on a trip and it was the brushes that wore out. A little surgery fixed it. I would rather carry the brushes than an entire alternator.

With space at a premium, a smart person would do that. I just tossed the whole unit in at the last minute and was glad I did because it was the bearings that went out, not the brushes.

[m3bassman]

Originally Posted by campism

With space at a premium, a smart person would do that. I just tossed the whole unit in at the last minute and was glad I did because it was the bearings that went out, not the brushes.

The rebuild kit comes with brushes and bearings though.