Replacement alternator
 

So my alternator just went on my 2013 X5. Should i get a rebuilt, or get a new one?

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Replacement alternator
 

New. Rebuilt will use china voltage regulator the only part that typically fails.

Also I usually get mine from local store like O'Reilly that have national chain so I have a solid chance of an in stock swap if it fails.

Last X5 Alternator I replaced was only like $30 different new vs. reman.

Also: it's almost always just the VR that fails look into VR swap. Ihave the same motor but not sure which brand and if there is a VR repair kit like the M54 which for $20 returns it to like new status.

+1 on replacing just the VR.

AM.

I just had this happen on me x3 06 replaced it (VR) couple Mo's ago... haven't looked have since [emoji106]

New for sure. I replaced my 2013 e70 n55 alternator earlier this year by my self. If you happen to be a recovering alcoholic I wouldn’t suggest doing the job your self ��

I think the actual problem with the rebuilt is using crap voltage regulators.

I went though the double swap with alternator and I even used new Bosch went back to Valyo when the Bosch failed within ten miles.

Count me in on the rebuilt swap game from Oreillys. 2 alternators... then ordered a new aftermarket one on Ebay. That one is still in coming up on 4 years and puts out 14.4- 15.0v...

Yeah buy a new one. ; )

I just had to install one on Archer. What an awful location for an alternator! Not a location you want to continuously disassemble, and reassemble more than once.


E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

:rofl: By the third alternator... I was REALLY good at it. I could get it done in about 45 minutes. :D

On the m54 it is not hard once you know to knock the captive sleeve loose it falls right on.

The starter? Different story!


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I nearly followed Andrew's lead in replacing the slip rings on my M54 Valeo. That was a cool post. In the end, I decided the fresh brushes of the new VR were hopefully adequate to buy plenty of miles.

AM.

The second refurbish I did only swap brushes not slip rings. I did however swap positive and negative to switch which slip ring gets the most wear.

We had two 2001 e53 at the time and mine was about 16,000 miles ahead when purchased so a few things I got to practice on mine first. Including alternator refurbish and disa valve rebuild. Also siphon jet and door handles and door locks.

:wow:

I replaced mine when I did the Alternator Bracket Gasket and went with new from FCP (return policy!), I didn't wanna take any chances and never wanted to do that job again. Definitely agree with buying new.

Welp, add me to the list....


196k miles, 2021 Diesel


Was 150 miles from home, headed to a dinner meeting. Pouring rain...red battery and 'charging malfunction' on the screen..... Checked, no broken belts... Drove to the hotel, parked. Ubered to dinner and back.d. The next morning, fired it up and bolted home. Made it about 60 miles (!!!) Tow was 95 miles...love that AAA



Battery red warning was on the whole time, but once the voltage dropped I started geting 4x4 warning, ABS, Stability control..then transission warnings... As I slowed tranny downshifting to lowest gear. Once I pulled onto the shoulder, it switched to Park and that was that- would not move out of park.



Ordered a new Valeo locally, $429, will arrive 10AM Tuesday. Amazon was $381, arrive Wednesday, prolly 7PM out here. (Assuming amazon logistics doesnt poop the bed.) $40 worth the extra day and a half



Valeo 439606.


Took quite a bit to find someone that could get it, TONS of no-name rebuilts.

Replacement alternator
 

I usually get most parts from FCP but I prefer to get alternator from O'Reilly's because also lifetime warranty and can find them all over the country.

I haven't had to replace alternator on e70 yet but my current one is suspect as I'm getting a pulse on my serpentine belt that is likely either out of round crank pulley or a bad winding or diode on the alternator.

Might be an excuse to finally get the iPhone based oscilloscope I've been wanting for a decade or two.. you

Did the tow driver know how to put into neutral to pull into the truck or just drag it?

Pricing on a new valeo was all over the place. FCP wanted 542 and wanted $68 to get it here Thursday.


Welp, I was there so *I* knew how to get it into neutral. Actually it was far easier- I had him jump it with a compact jumper pack.... I started it up and drove it onto the flatbed!


Same thing getting off- drove it off, down the driveway and into my garage. Gave him his powerpack back.


My tranny does NOT have the release under the cup, BTW

I think 2011 and newer need to get under the truck and turn in the 5mm hex screw. It's a little scary when truck on a hill!

Just to close the loop.


Idiots at the parts store 'forgot' to order it. Took an extra day, so they matched Amazon 'for my troubles'..$381


Install was pretty easy, bit dirty. Remove the cross brace, remove the fan and fan cowl... I removed the charge pipe, next time I might try to leave the bottom attached. PITA to get the clip back in. Oh, there is a clip on the connector for a sensor attached to the charge pipe- pull the little white tab back AND squeeze it gently with a pliers. (Found a post from Zeta Tre on this.)


Try not to break all those plastic bits!

Usually I'm the idiot that forgets to order. About once a year I go to check on my tracking only to discover the crap is still on the Shopping cart!


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Had to look just to see ... man alive the price increase!

I paid FCP $378 in Feb 2020 for a VAL-439602. The same one is $566.99 on FCP. :yikes:

For some reason, I read that as you only check your tracking one time in the year. :rofl:

My M.O. is to type out a text to someone and then wonder why they never responded. Then I discover I failed to hit "send". :rolleyes:

AM.

I have done that countless times. It's usually becusse I was interrupted by a I phone call before I hit send. I'll wonder why they didn't get back to me and go to follow up and find my fully typed text waiting for me to send


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Yeah have to parse that whole sentence to understand I prob Hecht tracking a bunch but one of those times per year I never actually ordered


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Replacement alternator
 

Back to subject of alternator. I've been having a problem when I first start the car where the tensioner shakes like crazy.

The tensioner that first showed the symptom was in fact a cheap one and I planned to replace with OE shortly but that got postponed.

Skip ahead; I bought another placeholder when I when to change the belt and noticed the knock off tensioner reached max extension so it never fully tensioned.

That said it still felt like something very of with the belt getting tugged unevenly.

Logic says if the alternator has an open winding it would stop tugging 1/3 of the time and would give me a pulse in the accessory belt.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...93005a5658.jpg

So I picked up a micro oscilloscope and did some measurement.

At idle with no loads save the headlights I was getting a crazy high spike in voltage; about 4v peak to peak.

It wasn't synced with the alternator though it was about every 10 alternator surges. My suspicion is some device is pulling a fairly high power in pulses and shutting off casing an inductive kick making it back to the B+ terminal.

When I turned on the seat and steering heaters to increase the resistive load, the peaks disappeared.

The only big inductive load I can think of is the blower motor so I'll see if I can get the oscope on that to see if it has an open winding causing a voltage spike. I'll also just turn it off.

If there's a problem somewhere I want to solve it before I replace the knock off tensioner with the OE that might mask the symptoms.

Has anybody had similar alternator/load related issues that caused pulsing on the drive belt?

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...37cf24f1a5.jpg

Here's the 4v spike. The tiny ripples are the normal .25v peak to peak alternator ripple.

The alternator ripple was about 3.2kHz. That means the spikes were about 333 Hz. That seems like a likely candidate for a missing bar on a blower commutator. Hmmmm.