alternator problems

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Thanks, I am learning as I go, read everything I can on subject, and checked and bearings are not noisy, spins freely, so not knowing what is common problem, figured I would try to learn more before tearing it apart. Not an easy job to pull and change regulator only to find out it may be diodes bad, so will check these too while apart. I bought new regulator, checked continuity and compared to old one, and yes, I have continuity on connector of regulator on old one, but none going both ways on new one, so I suspect this is the problem, so was just trying to see if anyone else bothered checking regulator before wasting money. Sadly, most just keep replacing components without diagnosing, and dealers just want you to spend a grand for new alternator, and I am from old school, diagnose it down to component level first.

Thanks,