Re: Alternator question.


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Dodge Power Wagon Forum ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Todd in NC on August 19, 2000 at 23:14:34:

In Reply to: Alternator question. posted by Steve Elliot on August 19, 2000 at 18:10:09:

The battery acts like a load to the alternator, even when almost fully charged. It is not a good practice to disconnect the battery from an engine equiped with an alternator while it is running. The alternator can not sense a reference voltage from the battery and will try to put out voltage even higher to attempt to charge the battery. Depending on the design of the alternator, some massively self destruct in the process. Whether or not this happens depends on the design of the alternator and it's regulator. I once saw an alternator self destruct on a large MTU diesel (built by Mercedes-Benz). New alternator cost $4,000! Just to be safe don't disconnect the battery while engine is running. As a foot note, some alternators are "load dump" protected and this proceedure will not harm them. (Dumping the load is what the process of disconnecting the battery is called.)There are many types of designs, some good and some not so good.


Follow Ups:



Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:

Subject:

Comments:

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Dodge Power Wagon Forum ] [ FAQ ]