Alternator regulator repair

Post by **precopster** » 20 Aug 2012, 03:46

Shot this little VIDEO TUTORIAL about repairing a P80 1999-2000 alternator today. This also applies to P2 2001-2007 and possibly further though not sure about later years yet.

Please excuse the strange accent. You probably recognise it as Australian and sorry about the mumbling....this was my third video and battery life of the smartphone was dwindling.

Below a pic of the old regulator's brushes versus the new ones.

Post by **precopster** » 20 Aug 2012, 23:21

So to put the icing on the cake regarding this regulator swapout I refitted the alternator back into my project V70 and got 14.28volts with highbeams, climate fan on high, demister and radio on. Also a very healthy 14.5 volts with just the engine idling.

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Post by **EstVolvo** » 21 Aug 2012, 00:06

Nice video.
What kind of warning signs did you have?
How many miles were on the car?
Who sells the replacement part.?
Thanks,

Post by **precopster** » 21 Aug 2012, 01:04

No warning except that the ABS light as well as brake system failure light was on 5 mins prior to engine shutdown. I always thought that the charging system would call up some kind of alternator light. The car cranked healthily 5 mins prior, then all of a sudden a flat battery.

When I replaced the battery with a new one thinking it was a failed battery the voltage sat at 12.5 then began to drop slowly.

The seller is on eBay UK: eav_parts_diagtools
Having looked again I could have had a genuine Bosch for similar money under different search but happy I know the cause of failure.

Car had 165k miles. I believe this is original alternator

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Post by **cn90** » 21 Aug 2012, 14:07

Is there a simple way to replace the VR in a P1 car with minimal removal of other parts for access?

Post by **precopster** » 21 Aug 2012, 16:22

You mean P80 series 1 body??

I have a early alternator on the shelf and will be looking at this in the future. Not sure what you mean by minimal diassembly. If you have the room depending on the car you may be able to do this while it's still fitted in the engine bay. I have a 960 that has only 13.6 volt output so this could be the project car but from memory the inlet manifold prevents good access. I think it's easier on an 850 or earlier V70

I know how fandangled the earlier (pre '99) bracket arrangement is on these cars so it would be great to do this while fitted. If the regulator isn't accessible I may do a removal video as well.

Thanks for the idea.

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Post by **cn90** » 21 Aug 2012, 17:13

Oh,

I mean changing the VR in the 1993-2000 850/S70/V70 series.
The question is: how to change the VR with minimal work.

Post by **precopster** » 22 Aug 2012, 00:08

The '99 and on alternator is the same as S60s and V70s up to '07 and totally different from the earlier ones. They used a new cylinder head, accessory bracket and accessories.

850s and V70s up to '99 had a totally different arrangement. Is this making things clearer?

As I said haven't looked into earlier ones but this may be on the cards soon.

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fdgroote · Post by **fdgroote** » 02 Mar 2014, 13:54

Hi,

I got a red battery light and the 'El. system service urgent' message a few days ago. When idling the battery voltage showed 11 volts, indicating a problem with the alternator. After searching this forum I concluded that it would be worthwhile to try and resolve the issue by replacing the voltage regulator alone, before going through the trouble and cost of replacing the complete alternator.

In my model 2001 V70 (150k miles) I didn't find the space to easily remove the whole alternator, so I changed the VR module with the alternator in the car. I unscrewed it though, just to make access to the VR easier. It's probably wise to put a piece of wood on the AC compressor (located below the alternator), to have a gentle surface for the alternator pulley to rest on. In addition I unscrewed the power steering pump (but kept all tubes attached) to get better manoeuvring space. The broken regulator was Bosch F00MA45229, the replacement module F00MA45211. I also got a new auxiliary belt.

Most difficult part was to put back this belt. I managed as follows:

Remount and tighten PS pump and alternator, and route the auxiliary belt (see Haynes) but leave the top pulley (PS pump) free.
I made an extended #14 hinged socket wrench by removing the #15 socket and putting that end in a steel pipe:

: Extended hinged socket wrench #14.; extended_key_14.jpg (55.4 KiB) Viewed 1967 times

Unhook the tube to the PS pump (1), and move it to the side (2):

: Unhook and put aside tube to make space for pulling the wrench towards you.; unhook_tube.jpg (120.64 KiB) Viewed 1967 times

You can now insert the wrench down from the PS fluid reservoir side and fit it over the tensioner pulley bolt (3).

: This is the bolt where the wrench has to reach.; tensioner_bolt.jpg (50.04 KiB) Viewed 1967 times

(this picture is from after the work was done: the auxiliary belt is already in place)

By pulling the wrench all the way towards you there will be enough clearance to work the belt over the PS pulley. You can hold down the wrench with your elbow and still have 1 1/2 hands available to work on the belt - no further tools required.

Check that the auxiliary belt is routed correctly and fits correctly over each pulley. Also check the clearance of the PS tube guide over the belt (4). It can easily have bended downwards while working on the belt:

: Tube guide shall be clear from the auxiliary belt!; check_clearance.jpg (79.03 KiB) Viewed 1967 times

Everything works fine again on my vehicle! 14+ volts when idling. I hope this can help someone else in the same way this forum helps me in keeping my car alive.

Frank

S373N · Post by **S373N** » 03 Mar 2014, 22:59

To answer the question about whether the VR can be removed in earlier cars without removing the alternator, yes it can. Did mine this morning. It is tight though. Unfasten the oil dipstick from the intake manifold so it moves freely (12mm) and be sure to use the right drivers and a geared screwdriver so you don't have to fish for the screws at every revolution. I used two small precision screwdrivers across and under the front and top tabs to hold them out and in place while I used my right index finger to push the rear tab while pulling the the plastic cover off. I wasn't able to get the cover out but was able to get it far enough out of the way that I could very easily unfasten and pull the regulator. Be sure to unfasten the right two screws for the regulator as there are two other screws just outside of the regulator screw location. It took a bit of trial and error to figure it out but now that I've done it once and have the process down it wouldn't be more than a 20 minute job...