Alternator seized... or something...

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68_Valiant_Wilson

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Ok well here goes a pretty long story. So I've got a 68 Valiant with a slant six in it. One day I left the lights on by accident. I then had a slight feeling that I left the lights on that evening but I brushed it off. Anyways, the next morning the battery is completely dead and lucky I didn't really have anywhere to go so I just took the battery inside and trickle charged it because my dad needed to go to work the next morning and wasn't going to be able to take the car he usually did. It was about 11:00 at night and he wanted me to go reconnect the battery so I did. I couldn't see well enough and it didn't help that both the battery cables are black. Long story short I hooked up the battery backwards and burnt out the fusable link. Me and my dad have already replaced the fusable link with a automatic reset circuit breaker and we replaced any other burnt out wire. I thought were have alternator problems before I hooked up the battery backwards so I took the alternator to get tested and sure enough it was bad. No big deal so we just got a new alternator. The only big difference between the two alternators was that the first one was a 2 groove pulley and the new one was a 1 grove pulley. I fiddled with the new alternator before we put it on and it seemed to work fine like it turned like it was supposed to. Then we installed it.(NOTE:we put in the alternator a few days before we replaced the wiring and circuit breaker). Once we replace the wiring,circuit breaker, and got a new battery we were ready to start it. Went to start it and it made a real loud squeaking noise but you could tell it tried to turn over so it wasn't the starter. I watched it while my dad started it and saw that the alternator was moving at all! THE BRAND SPANKIN' NEW ONE! We took the belt off and just tried spinning it with our hand and it wouldn't budge. Is there anything you can do to fix this or am I better off just getting a new alternator?
 
Thats the new alternator? Why dont you return it under warranty.
And whilenyer at it get some red paint/tape/nail polish
 
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It's called cheap crap rebuilts. They have been this way in some measure since I was young THE FIRST DANGEROUS DEFECTIVE REBUILT alternator I ran into was about 1978

I worked parts then. Some guy had bought a replacement (isolated field) alternator for his '70's pickup. Came back in a day later and said "it's overcharging."

I knew immediately what was wrong..........one of the two field terminals WAS GROUNDED. This means he'd had a 50-50 chance "and won." He had accidently hooked the blue IGN wire to the ungrounded field, and the grounded one caused it to overcharge. IF HE HAD SWITCHED the wires, HIS HARNESS WOULD HAVE FRIED as the IGN would have been feeding a DEAD SHORT!!!
 
UPDATE: I took the new alternator to advance auto where they said they couldn't test it and then I took it to napa where they said it was bad. The alternator is moving now but it's still bad.
 
It's called cheap crap rebuilts. They have been this way in some measure since I was young THE FIRST DANGEROUS DEFECTIVE REBUILT alternator I ran into was about 1978

I worked parts then. Some guy had bought a replacement (isolated field) alternator for his '70's pickup. Came back in a day later and said "it's overcharging."

I knew immediately what was wrong..........one of the two field terminals WAS GROUNDED. This means he'd had a 50-50 chance "and won." He had accidently hooked the blue IGN wire to the ungrounded field, and the grounded one caused it to overcharge. IF HE HAD SWITCHED the wires, HIS HARNESS WOULD HAVE FRIED as the IGN would have been feeding a DEAD SHORT!!!
Where exactly can I get a alternator that isn't a cheap rebuilt? The one that's bad came from rock auto. Do I need to get a different one from rock auto?
 
alternators have 2 bearings in them (or one bearing and a bushing) Its possible to crack it open and find what the issue is, probably a screw or brush piece jammed in between the stator. If it is spinning but no charge, check brushes. alternators are pretty simple, 3 moving parts if you include the 2 brushes!

Hint: the brushes can be retained in the retracted "install" position by a paperclip.
 
20 bucks gets you an old alternator core dipped in solvent and reboxed.....
but seriously a rebuilt alternator may contain 2 new .60 cent brushes and 2 buck bearings...and a box.
 
I have better luck with twenty year old factory salvage yard parts than I do rebuild crap.

Had that issue on a neon starter just last week. Dead solenoid, right out of the box. guess who didn't test it first.....
 
I have better luck with twenty year old factory salvage yard parts than I do rebuild crap.

Had that issue on a neon starter just last week. Dead solenoid, right out of the box. guess who didn't test it first.....
I guess I'm glad I'm not the only one...
 
I might suggest the bolt for the adjustment was too long, damaging the stator.
Another is the housing bolts werent tightened in factory evenly causing rotor to bind.
 
I used to blow these things up "real regular." The original setup on my 440-6 '70 RR had a very small pulley, and I figured one time "if I remember" the crank to pulley ration was around 4:1. This means if you spin the engine up to 5 or 6K the alternator is making 20--24000 RPM. The stator would "vibrate" little notches in the alternator case halves where the "nubbins" located the stator in the cases. They would then "sit" crooked and actually rub the rotor/ stator. The windings would vibrate loose, and wear the insulation off between turns where they crossed. You could lift the hood at night, rev the engine, and see a really interesting little "light show." All sparkly and stuff
 
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