Melted wire coming off alternator

[Zed Head]

2 hours ago, 882993md said:

tl;dr No regulator of any kind on S wire

 

What does tl dr mean again?  I always forget.

I think it would be on the other side.  Compare the curve on the brushes.

 

[882993md]

16 hours ago, Zed Head said:

What does tl dr mean again?  I always forget.

I think it would be on the other side.  Compare the curve on the brushes.

 

Too long; didn't read

oh man, I was so happy I thought I found the culprit. I will completely remove the brushes and check. 

[Zed Head]

Sorry to destroy your joy.

Don't take this wrong, but I think that your energy might be misdirected.  There are other, easier, ways to determine if your alternator is internally regulated.  Also, easy ways to determine if a shorted wire caused the melt.

Love the effort, just might benefit from being repointed.  I do have my own disassembled alternator in the garage though, and an old thread describing how I was looking at the wrong diodes.  I was on your path.  That memory led me to the Rockauto picture.  I have a replacement regulator (like the picture but just the regulator) in my garage (they're cheap), that I never installed because that wasn't the problem.

[Zed Head]

I probably wasn't very clear in what I meant.  I think that there are other ways to tell if you have a regulated or non-regulated alternator, without taking it apart.  The marks on the outside of the case, or the shape of the case, or even just measuring what the wires supply.  You can easily supply a new "S" wire with a jumper directly to the battery positive.  Just for a test.

Most melted wires are caused by battery amperage (edit - had voltage), not alternator.  The battery is a huge reservoir of amps waiting to get out and cause damage.

Edited January 18, 2017 by Zed Head