alternator rebuilding-78 280Z

[siteunseen]

Would you not replace the coils of wires on the stator?  I had summer job at an electric motor business and we baked them overnight, cut the old coils out and put new windings in then dipped it into a vat of resin.  Sanded the resin off the magnets then put the armature back in.  Those were three phase motors though and completely different from all I know but they sure looks like this photo of an alternator stator. 

 

[Captain Obvious]

I wouldn't rewind anything unless I had a reason to believe I needed to. I would give the field windings and armature windings a good visual and if I didn't see anything troublesome, I would put them on a fixture to check the resistance and make sure everything was in spec. Would probably also hi-pot test to check for leakage and/or shorts between windings. If everything there checked out OK, I wouldn't rewind anything.

And I can assure you from the costs that are being charged... The rebuilders aren't either.

Think about it this way... RockAuto is currently selling reman units from seventeen to fifty-five bucks. Seventeen bucks!!!!!   How much labor does seventeen bucks pay for?? It's all labor since you are sending back a core. They put labor into the core and send it back out. Even at fifty-five bucks... How much labor do you get for that?

Certainly not enough to strip, rewind, and varnish field windings!

[Zed Head]

The FSM, even 1978, has excellent instructions for tearing down and testing the parts.  Looks like fun.  I tore one down but found that one of the big diodes was bad and couldn't be sourced.  Held on to the parts for a while but eventually threw them in the recycle bin.  I'm pretty sure that a person could buy most of the rebuild parts in the past.  Probably find some NOS on eBay.  (Shouldn't it be old new stock?  ONS?)

[One Way]

The reman alternators and starters we sell with the lifetime warranties do come with an inspection and test sheet with a technician ID #.  There is a PASS/ FAIL column and naturally they are all checked off PASS.  Very few customers ever take the paperwork and instructions with them when we swap out the core at the time of purchase.  Core must be placed back into the original box to be sent back.  The reman operation is based in Mexico so I am sure the labor rates are very low.  According to the store operations manual we are supposed to test each alternator sold-both reman and new-before giving it to the customer.  Rarely happens unless requested by the customer due to the fast paced nature and low staffing of our store.  That is the nature of almost any business today.  We have had our share of alternators taken out of the box to examine before sale-another store operations manual instruction-and this usually gets done-and find broken/cracked posts or terminals, pulleys that will not turn, plastic covers cracked, etc.  Some of that may be shipping damage, or could be lack of quality control.  I will be digging into the service manual and having a challenge to tackle.  Parts should be here towards the end of the week.  Will keep you posted on progress, success or failure.  Thanks , John-Lugoff, SC,

[One Way]

Just some additional thoughts toward the cost of reman products.  Without looking it up and relying on my faulty memory, I believe  the reman alternator for the 78 Z with a lifetime warranty was around $70 plus a $10 or $15 core charge.  Basically the reman operation has an initial cost of that $15, plus shipping expenses, plus labor, overhead, parts, etc.  Core costs are purely supply and demand driven. Not uncommon to have a $50-$80 core charge on newer vehicle alternators selling for $150-$200.  Check out core prices for GM instrument clusters.  Very often the core charge is much higher than the cost of the part.  Core charge may be $300 or a little higher while the customer pays $150-$200 for the cluster.  Very hard to figure out.  Sometimes I wish I were a bit more involved on that end of the auto parts industries but really do enjoy the position of helping customers at the front counter solve their automotive needs.  The LORD provided me this job and am thankful for it.  Thanks for your time, John-Lugoff, SC.

[siteunseen]

I appreciate you spending your time enlightening us, at least me, on this subject.  I just had an ordeal with an alternator replacement for my Mom's car, post #5.  It's interesting to hear from a guy who knows and sad to learn also that it doesn't happen concerning the pre-testing of alternators and starters from the store before final sale out the door.  I know I'll tell everybody I know to get them tested before leaving even if they need to wait until someone is available to do this.  I see it every time I go in how understaffed you guys are and the phones constantly ringing.  That's one thing that really makes me mad though.  I am standing in front of their counter and someone sitting on the couch calling gets priority over me.  But "if them's the rules". 

Thanks John!