Alternator condensor?

[Pomorza]

Hello all

This morning - it was 28°F - while driving to work my alternator decided that it had enough of my crap. Gauge showed absolutely no charging and the fan was having a hard time blowing any amount of air with the headlights on. Got to work turned the Z off. Got a DMM out start the car and magic the alternator works again. Its been making bad bearing noises in the past couple of weeks so upon arriving home I decided to just swap it out with a refurbished one. Come to find that the little capacitor looking thing - I'm guessing it would be the condenser is no longer connected to any part of the loom. So a few questions. 

1. Is the condenser needed? I don't actually have a radio in my car and I've read that this is what this is for.
2. My voltage regulator is rather new - its 9 years old and its the newer type regulators (i.e not the massive one with the posts and all from the 70's). Are these prone to going bad?
3. Anyone ever have an alternator stop/start working randomly?

Cheers
Jan
 

[Zed Head]

4 minutes ago, Pomorza said:

. Gauge showed absolutely no charging

Was the red Charge light on?  It should have been.  If it was not on then you might have just lost connection with the L wire at the T-plug.  I've had that happen at the alternator and at the starter solenoid.  Take it off clean it up, give it a little extra crimp with a pair of pliers.

And, by "no charging", do you mean it showed some voltage but less than 12?  If it showed zero volts then you have a different problem.

[Pomorza]

1 hour ago, Zed Head said:

Was the red Charge light on?  It should have been.  If it was not on then you might have just lost connection with the L wire at the T-plug.  I've had that happen at the alternator and at the starter solenoid.  Take it off clean it up, give it a little extra crimp with a pair of pliers.

And, by "no charging", do you mean it showed some voltage but less than 12?  If it showed zero volts then you have a different problem.

The charge light was not on no.

By no charge I mean the gauge was showing me 12V. When I got to work and turned off my headlights the fan started blowing a lot more.

The L wire on the T plug, which wire would that be?

Cheers

[Zed Head]

I think it's white/black one.  Bottom of the T.  But the bad connection could also be at the regulator.   Could also be in the regulator.

The alternator supplies the ground for the light and energizes the windings so that charging can happen.  If it happens again you could check for voltage at various points on the circuit.  Follow it from the lamp or back from the alternator.

All I'm really saying is that the light should have been on.  The fact that it wasn't is a clue.