Something like 99% of Alternator failures are due to bad rectifier bridges and regulators. Reman alternators are a joke, with a big failure rate and even bigger price tag. I did some research and found part #s for the parts required to rebuild our alternators, haven't found prices online yet. Maybe someone might have better luck, or put together a group deal rebuild kit from a supplier.


Brush holder WAI 39-8118 = Wagner #W155-21
Brushes(X2) WAI 38-8109 = Wagner #W035-20


Rectifier WAI IHR773 = Wagner #W065-133


Regulator WAI IH766 = Wagner #W085-155


Capacitor WAI 46-81104

Bearings WAI 6-303-4 = Wagner W02X-11
And WAI 10-1050-84 = Wagner W02X-31

I found these web pages helpful
http://search.waiglobal.com/vehiclelookup/vehichlelookup.aspx
http://www.wagneralt.com/catalog/books/

 

Nice research - its not that hard to repair an alternator.
.
back when I was a mechanic, we rebuilt the generators and alternators on the customers cars. the diodes were the biggest problem on the alternators followed by the brushes. to check to see if you had a diode problem, you put your voltmeter on AC volts and see if you got a reading. If a diode was out, you would have 'ripple' which would register on the AC scale.

 

Hmmm...Interesting

Even on courtestnissan website, they sell those same parts as well including the diode by itself. The diode alone is half the price of the alternator. Check out the link
http://www.courtesyparts.com/maxima-...1814_1820.html

But also, why are they only available for the 95 - 96 alternators?

 

My car is a 96 that's all I searched for. If you go here http://search.waiglobal.com/vehiclelookup/vehichlelookup.aspx, go NISSAN>MAXIMA>Year>Search. Then Click on MFR Part # Cali or all except Cali>MFR Part # again for parts list.

 

I emailed a company http://www.nationsautoelectric.com/wai-global-link.html about assembling a rebuild kit for us.

 

When I changed my battery 6 weeks ago I didn't fully tighten the POS terminal. The car would start easily but after driving for about 20min it would start stalling while idling. It would stall much more quicker with the AC on. Those cooling fans draw almost 2 amps when running.

This finally caught my eye 2 days ago. With the POS terminal tightened it has still been stalling. Starting the car cold I will read 14.2V while idling. After driving for 15min the car started stalling. It would start up again with no problem, but now it only reads 13.8V while idling.

What is causing the alternator to drain out? I know it's not the diode or it wouldn't operate. Is it the rectifier or regulator or brushes that need replacement?

 

Diodes will generally open, rarely short. If one did It might cause a drain while not running. Usually a shorted diode will simply blow the fusible link. With a loose connection your alt was probably seeing a weak signal and working harder than it should have. A real automotive electronics shop or re-builder could test it and pinpoint the bad component.

I called a Local re-builder who ships around the world. He quoted me ~$73.00 for Regulator, $56.00 for Rectifier, and less than $15.00 for brush holder. Or $130.00 for all three. Doesn't sound much cheaper than AZ. But If a guy had a bad diode he could save bank and just replace his rectifier.

 

The voltage will be higher after after starting because the alternator is working harder to re-charge the battery. As the battery charges, the current output from the altenator goes down and so does the voltage. Once the battery is fully charged, the only current the alternator needs to supply is whatever the car needs, i.e., ignition, lights, stereo and such. The less current being put out by the altenator, the less the voltage reading. You could have a reading as low as 12.5, but that's pretty rare now-a-days.

 

X2

You have another problem causing your engine to stall.

 

i own a 98 maxima se. i'm having trouble locating the brushes and regulator.

i've rebuilt quite a few alternators before. it can be tricky getting new brushes back in place.you have to be a good solderer and you need a second set of hands to pull the brushes back and secure them with thread.

in each case to id the parts right, you have to have the unit off the car. i always found model year and model can't be counted on.

on the rock auto site, i saw a Bosch alternator for $250. no i dont want that, i would rather rebuild mine

 

i bought a new duralast reman. but i wanna rebuild my oem one. anyone know where to buy the rebuild kit complete?

 

damn...I have a broken excessive amperage alt that needs fixing...

 

got it off..
now how do i proceed?