7 replies to this topic

[mr cooke]

Hi all anyone help , Only gone and wired up me car battery the wrong way think I have blown up the alternator as i am only getting 12v at the battery and red light on dash will not go out . The alternator is not that old . can it be fixed ?

any help will be gratefull

thanks

[tiger99]

It will be far cheaper, quicker and easier to just swap it for a reconditioned alternator, available just about anywhere. The diode pack is guaranteed to be fried, the regulator probably too, and the windings, which can't easily be replaced by yourself, will have been very seriously overheated, and very likely to fail or develop a short-circuit at any time.

 

This has happened before on the forum, more than once, and I am curious to know how it can happen, as the battery terminals are usually different sizes, as well as the leads normally being too short to make wrong connection possible.

[mr cooke]

It will be far cheaper, quicker and easier to just swap it for a reconditioned alternator, available just about anywhere. The diode pack is guaranteed to be fried, the regulator probably too, and the windings, which can't easily be replaced by yourself, will have been very seriously overheated, and very likely to fail or develop a short-circuit at any time.

 

This has happened before on the forum, more than once, and I am curious to know how it can happen, as the battery terminals are usually different sizes, as well as the leads normally being too short to make wrong connection possible.

thanks for your reply , yes the -  terminal did not fit but it did touch

[tiger99]

I see, it only does need a touch, and it would be better if the terminal design made such touching impossible. Sadly, we are where we are, and I can't imagine the terminal design being improved, although on more modern cars, with hideously expensive dual-voltage batteries, the problem may have gone away.

[MaxAndPaddy]

Hi all anyone help , Only gone and wired up me car battery the wrong way think I have blown up the alternator as i am only getting 12v at the battery and red light on dash will not go out . The alternator is not that old . can it be fixed ?

any help will be gratefull

thanks

 

I did this    when not paying attention, but I got away with replacing the blown fuses, I was v. lucky but worth a check.

[tiger99]

You were VERY lucky!

[MaxAndPaddy]

You were VERY lucky!

 

same as OP, just a touch before realizing mistake, sweaty palms moment

[AVV IT]

I did this too recently, but sadly didn't realise until the loom had caught fire! Luckily I managed to stop the whole car (and the garage it was in at the time) going up in flames. Bizzarely my alternator actually survived the ordeal, but having now fitted a replacement loom, it was still a rather expensive and time consuming mistake to put right!!