OK, so I'm thinking the alternator in my '86 Turbo XT is on its way out.

Only doing about 11.X volts at idle and the battery going flat every few days of driving.

The guy at the auto electrician place quoted me heaps to get er rebuilt.

I have spyed for sale online. And remember reading that nearly all EA series alternators were the same.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=55934392

If I get this will all I need to do is change the pulley over with the likes of an impact gun?

Also, Just dug one up from in the shed of an unknown car and in unknown condition. It has the same conection on the back, and the brackets look similar too. If I can get the pulley to fit on this one, is there anything I should look out for? Is the wiring likely to be the same?

 

Any help would be cool. I really wanna get this car running nicely.

Have you checked the brushes? They are most common thing to be wrong, very easy to replace. They cost around NZ$3.00.

The brushes on this are attached to this weird expensive looking device I think.

But I think they are ok, They are still definately making contact anyway, even if they are a little worn. The voltage is a little bit nuts though, can the brushes cause this?

A guy at the place I do work experince said he thought it was the regulator/diodes.

XT6 alternator is capable of 90Amp output; stock EA82 will only deliver 60Amp output. However, better than what you have now and would tide you over until you repair yours.

XT6 alternator is capable of 90Amp output; stock EA82 will only deliver 60Amp output. However, better than what you have now and would tide you over until you repair yours.

He doesn't have an XT6. He has an XT Turbo, which still uses an EA-82 alternator. Difference, is almost all XTs use two 4 ribbed velts instead of the v-belts. Thus, why he's switching the pulleys.

 

That alternator will definitely work after you switch the pulleys. Its cheap enough too.

I wouldn't use the word "definitely"... when the alt went out on my last XT, I popped over to the parts store and picked up and EA82 alternator and had them put the pulley on it. When I went to go fit it back in the car, the pulley was 1/2" closer to the front of the vehicle than it was on the old alternator, and the belt would not reach/run correctly with it.

 

That was an Autolite remanufactured alternator. My old alt was a bosch. I happened across another bosch alt in the junkyard (another XT), so I wasn't at a loss... but you DO have to watch out... there was something just slightly different about that alternator. (And yes, I verified it was the correct part number)

Ok, so its possible an ordinary ea82 or ea81 alt will work then, but not certain. And more likely to work if the donor car has air con?

All the possiblitys so far are the V belt style with a little fan thing on the front and one or two pulleys.

I'm planning on pinching the alt from my dads brat to try as it looks the same as all the others that I have available. Then I'll know some more about teh pulley swap.

 

Thanks so far all!

Ok, so its possible an ordinary ea82 or ea81 alt will work then, but not certain. And more likely to work if the donor car has air con?

All the possiblitys so far are the V belt style with a little fan thing on the front and one or two pulleys.

I'm planning on pinching the alt from my dads brat to try as it looks the same as all the others that I have available. Then I'll know some more about teh pulley swap.

 

Thanks so far all!

 

The alt from the parts store was supposed to be for a car w/o AC, since my XT didn't have any.

Ok, Ill head out now and pull this ea-81 alt too see what its like.

The ea81 alt looks a lot more like any of the others I've seen, So if that works, Should be promising.

Well, I tinkered around for a while and finally got the pulley to line up good on the ea81 alt with the help of some washers.

Then went to install it in the car and WTF!?? Turns out the brackets are quite different and the vortex alternator is smaller.

Back to square one....