alternator

[unclebob]

hello chaps

seems like my alternators died. anyone got a spare knocking about for the 3.2 manual if it makes a difference.

open to suggestions

is the legend alternator the same?

thanks

aijaz

[NSXGB]

Not worth rebuilding yourself?

[Pride]

hello chaps

seems like my alternators died. anyone got a spare knocking about for the 3.2 manual if it makes a difference.

open to suggestions

is the legend alternator the same?

thanks

aijaz

Hi aijaz, I would strongly recommend getting the correct model alternator, even if it's a second hand unit which can be had for approximately £250

The reason is when I sourced one 4 years ago for just £175 delivered direct from the Denso factory in Japan through a friend who imported *** spares for a living. Although the casing was identicle and specification outputs where the same it only lasted about 18 months and less than 5,000 miles before going up in a ploom of smoke, (which was very worrying in itself).
It turned out that on deeper investigation with Denso who told us it would fit and work didn't bother to mention that the solder and windings on the correct NSX model alternator were stepped up to allow for a much higher revving engine which meant the solder or windings gave up causing the burn out.
The original alternator had lasted about 120,000 miles, the second hand one I purchased on eBay to replace the above burnt out unit came from a breaking NSX and has now lasted over 12,000 miles and cost £250.

I did investigate getting the original one rebuilt but quotes were difficult to get with no long term guarantee of success so tried the above route. From memory a new one from Honda UK was well in excess of £1000!!!

Good luck on what ever choose to do.

[unclebob]

thanks for the info :)

[unclebob]

i wudnt know how to do it myself im afraid

[Pride]

I've just sent you a pm.

[NSXGB]

RockAuto could be another option for you.

What are the symptoms of your current (no pun intended) alternator?

[Hagasan]

Doesn't sound very positive! Infact, rather negative really.....Yawn....

[unclebob]

charge light has come on on the dash, battery cannot start car, power steering light also on together with no assistance to eps

[Hagasan]

charge light has come on on the dash, battery cannot start car, power steering light also on together with no assistance to eps

When you say the charge light comes on do you mean when you are able to get the car running? If so as you say the alternator is not charging the battery. Have you put a meter on the battery to check it's not just a dud battery not taking a charge? It could be that simple.. Have you got another battery to try first before swapping the alternator?

[unclebob]

yes this is the 2nd battery i tried when i jump started her today the charge light came on with the eps light no rev meter no power steering so im assuming theres not enough charge coming from the alternator except to run the engine. gonna investigate further tomorrow. if it was justr battery eps etc would all run ok as alternator takes precedence for power once car is started right?

[britlude]

are there no car electric specialists near you? maybe worth getting them to check it.

if it points to the alternator being at fault, i have one near me, TA spares in Chatham, Kent, http://taspares-chatham.co.uk/ , they'll test it first and tell you if there's anything wrong with it, repair where necessary rather than just replace it. might be worth ringing them and asking !

seem to do uk delivery, so chances are you can send yours in for refurb... definitely worth an enquiry...

[Kaz-kzukNA1]

Hi, unclebob.
From what you wrote, it was not clear whether your 2nd battery was healthy or not as you seemed to jump started the car again.
If the battery has internal failure, even with the healthy alternator, the charge warning lamp, EPS, etc will be triggered.

EPS warning light will be triggered if your battery is not healthy or if you have poor battery connection. Being as EPS, it draws massive current.

Measuring the voltage is not good enough to test the battery. You must carry out the battery load/drop down test.


I would first check the battery properly and not just measuring the voltage.
Look for loose and corroded battery terminal/cable as well.
There is a way to test your alternator but you need specific equipment. Do the easy bits (battery and battery connection) first.

Kaz

[unclebob]

hi kaz ive tried a brand new battery, same symptoms, the new battery starts the car but charge needle in instrument cluster does not move as normal either and after a few starts i can hear the new battery dying as well so im pretty sure its the alternator that has died and at 60000 miles!! ive never known that happen and ive been driving hondas since 1983 and ive never had an alternator failure!:( no corrosion at terminals all wiring healthy on my garage queen!

can you repair an alternator kaz?

[unclebob]

thanks britlude, i have a local repair shop here but all i hear is bad things about them unfortunately

[Kaz-kzukNA1]

Hi, unclebob.
I rebuilt my ACG 5 years ago at 127K miles but nothing wrong with it and if I wanted, I could have pushed even further but just rebuilt it as a preventative measure;

http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?6286-NSX-Health-Check-Service&p=75266#post75266 (http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?6286-NSX-Health-Check-Service&p=75266#post75266)


Unless you are doing DIY, it’s best to get hold of Denso remanufactured one.


RockAuto may stock Denso remanufactured one depending on the year model.

Or, just visit US amazon site and look for the specific ACG model by checking the parts no. through Denso Auto Parts website;
http://densoautoparts.com/find-my-part/vehicle-selection

Amazon will calculate the import duty/tax and you will pre-pay it on check out. You can check the total amount before placing the order.
If they overcharged you for the pre-paid portion, they will even refund you the difference whereas if they under estimated the pre-pay tax, they won’t ask for the shortage.

I bought several parts and tools using this method and always fairly fast delivery if the item was sold and delivered by amazon.

Kaz

[unclebob]

hi kaz thanks for all the info,

having dismantled my alternator i can confirm that there is

plenty of bush left in the bush thingy

rectifier assembly solid no burns or corrosion or electrical components that could burn out? looks like a solid piece of metal

rotor all looks ok no corroded copper or burned wiring

so that leaves the regulator assembly which seems to be the weak point?

what do u think?

aijaz

[Kaz-kzukNA1]

Wow, you already went ahead and disassembled…

The rectifier consists of series of diodes so you need to use the diode test mode of your multimetre to confirm whether each diodes are still working or not. I think there were about 8 in there but can't remember....

The regulator can be tested with proper equipment but probably quicker to replace it with known good used one or even a new one although may not be cost effective considering the price of remanufactured complete unit.
You may want to replace both bearings at the same time if doing DIY.

Kaz

[Nick Graves]

Depending on the design of the rectifier, it may be possible to get an electrical engineer to solder in new diodes - they cost buttons.

[britlude]

so we've gone from 'i wudnt know how to do it myself im afraid' to 'having dismantled my alternator' ... lol

i'd ring TA spares, they have always been very helpful when i've had to deal with them. i took them an alternator once, they tested it on their jig and told me all was fine, check the battery earth cable! indeed it was the battery earth!

hopefully they might be able to give you some pointers/supply replacement bits! definitely better than the honda alternative :)

[unclebob]

well kaz gave me that extra bit of confidence jonathan so i thought id have a go but it looks like its gonna have to be a remanufactured one from the states! :(

[drmikey]

An OEM remanufacturered one from RockAuto in the states can be with you within 7 days. They are very good and efficient.

[unclebob]

i checked rock auto but they had an after market one not a denso one and id much rather have a denso? right?

[nigel]

Yes.

Cheers
nigel

[drmikey]

i checked rock auto but they had an after market one not a denso one and id much rather have a denso? right?


mmm. shame. Jst search Yellow Pages or Google for alternator repairs. They are usually easy to repair for someone who knows what they are doing

[Kaz-kzukNA1]

May be time to contact TA spares as recommended by Jonathan.
They may even have replacement parts/unit in stock.
Failing that, you can always order the Denso remanufactured unit through US amazon.
Hope it's the ACG failure and not something else.....

Kaz