urgh, decided to do a 60 mile round trip this evening to deliver some flowers.... I didnt quite make it.. Bloody car making me look bad infront of the lady..

Lost all electrical power driving down the motorway which was bloody scary...I had a 30 second warning when the battery light came on and the dash lights went out...

Managed to get off the motorway with no lights and find somewhere to stop and clean the pooh out of my pants!

It seems the alternator has failed..... Not good... and it took HOURS to get recovered.. bloody RAC...


Anyway...

Is it possible to strip and rebuild an alternator rather than buy a new one?... I cant afford the £100+ for a new one... Would need to do a proper job though, I dont want another failiure in the dark!

Its a 2001 VW Polo.....

Will pull it out tomorow and see whats what...

years ago, dad had an american ford aerostar with a knackered alternator. looked into getting it repaired, and it wasn't cheap. in fact it was cheaper to get a new one shipped from america.
but depends whats wrong with it though.
consider this for now?
VW POLO ALTERNATOR 1.4 16V 70 AMP 2001 | eBay

might not be the exact one, but could it work?

Often (most commonly) the Voltage Regulator (all in one with the Brush module fails).
These are like 25/30 Dollars Retail to buy at pretty well Any auto parts shop.
The wee gizmo is bolted on the rear of a Bosch Alternator
Simply undo the 2 retaining screws and pull the dead one out, then insert the fresh one.
Unless that Horrid VW has access to the rear of the Alternator issues... then it's a 5 min job.. max.

This one's for you Tegwin. www.youtube.com/watch?v=szt60RlgcL4

Are you 100% sure it's the alternator? Doesn't sound like it to me.

Death due to alternator falure is not a quick process, normaly takes hours not seconds. Headlights dim very slowly - normally too slow to notice to begin with, wipers run slower than normal, the radio will start to swich off on it's own as the battery voltage drops.

I had a 2002 polo which broke down with an electrical fault, dash started acting funny and lights went out but it kept on running, when it was stopped it wouldn't restart, it was completly dead. I'm not 100% what the problem was as I was offshore so got this all from the missus, but the garage said it was an earth problem behind the dash

I ran a diesel fiesta for more than 2 weeks with out an alternator - bump starts and only essential electrics.

Davie

Try a scrap yard?

If you've got a lucas dealer nearby they'll do it - and est it first to make sure its really the alternator. (my one in grimsby would anyway)

Regards
Hugh

Sudden electrical death doesn't usually mean alternator. You have a battery in the car. Why didn't it run on that? I did London to Plymouth in an Escort years ago with no alternator. I have just bought a polo saloon 2000 diesel and the alternator is specially made to be the most expensive one on earth, complete with a clutch pulley. Don't go there.
Diagnostics first. Looking for sudden electrical failure. At least examine as much wiring as you can, check all earth straps particularly battery to chassis and go through the fuse box.

Have to agree. When an alternator dies power continues for a while with lights gradually dimming.

Of course that was the other thing, when the alternator died it ran a good few miles in the dark to the motorway services off the battery power

Decided the wear on the slip ring and the slack bearings were not worth the risk...

So I got an exchange /refurb Bosch unit... fingers crossed it works :-)

[Edited on 15/2/12 by tegwin]