Steps for Rebuilding an Alternator

The alternator provides electrical power to your vehicle. This is accomplished by converting mechanical or kinetic energy into electrical energy. This electrical energy powers your vehicle's electrical components and recharges the battery. If the alternator fails, you must replace it. Rebuilding the alternator is a cheaper solution to this problem.

Steps for Rebuilding an Alternator:

Step 1: Disconnect the battery. Locate and remove all electrical leads that connect to the alternator. Mark these leads with color coated labels to enable you to recognize where you disconnected them. Draw a diagram also showing where these electrical leads connect.

Step 2: Remove the bolts connecting the alternator to your vehicle. Mark these connectors with color coated labels. Remove the alternator from the vehicle.

Step 3: Remove the alternator's plastic covers. Draw a diagram that shows each wire inside the alternator and where each wire connects.

Step 4: Locate and remove the rectifier. Pull off all soldered leads and remove the mounting screws.

Step 5: Install the new rectifier by placing it in the exact same location from which you removed the old one. Screw in the mounting screws and wires exactly where the old ones were located. Re-solder these wires to the terminals.

Step 6: Replace the brushes. Unscrew each holding screw and slide each screw out of its proper channel. Clean each contact area of each brush found on the armature shaft. Slide the new brushes onto the armature shaft. Make sure each spring found on the back of each brush fits correctly into its slot.

Step 7: Unscrew and remove the screws located on the bottom brush. Unscrew and remove the grounding screw. Switch out the old units for the new units.

Step 8: Replace the ground screws and the screws located on the bottom brush. Replace each holding screw that connects each brush to the armature shaft.

Step 9: Re-install the alternator into your vehicle. Replace the plastic alternator covers. Screw the alternator bolts back into the alternator to reconnect it to the vehicle.