2002 V70 - what mileage do Bosch alternators tend to fail?

[DGM]

I had to replace the voltage regulator at 115,000 miles (V70 2005).

[abscate]

Where do you guys source bearings for these alternators?

I checke d IPD and EEuro and found only rebuilds at 200 USD plus 80 core.
Voltage regulator is about 80 USD.
My electrical output is fine, so I'm thinking bearings plus VR on mine.

[wgforster]

Had to replace my brush/regulator at 100K miles. I've read a few posts that I'd like to refute. It is possible to replace the brush assay without removing the alternator. It wouldn't be easy but it's possible. You likely will save time in the long run by removing the alternator. I read posts that tell you to remove the upper radiator hose. That might be necessary to replace the alternator but you can replace the brushes without doing that. It makes life a lot easier if you remove the power steering pump. You can do this without losing much oil if you have some plugs for the lines and are quick pulling the connections and using plugging with your fingers. Overall, it was not too difficult. Getting the damn serpentine belt back on was the hardest part of the entire job. I'm driving a 2002 V70 2.4T with air conditioning.

[ljsommar]

Does anyone know of a source for quality bearings for the 140 amp alt.
I have sourced the slip rings and of course the voltage regulator but I can only find Chinese replacement bearings.
Also it seems people are replacing the regulator/brush assembly after a fault has occurred. I had an alternator destroyed because the brushes wore down too far (on another vehicle). Does this not happen with this alternator. So can I wait until it fails then rebuild it? I do not want to replace it with a rebuilt unit and OEM ridiculously priced. Thanks for input if anyone has been there.

[GBS]

I removed the alternator and certainly didn't have to remove radiator hoses or power steering. I took the turbo intake hose (the one over engine), removed the fan and moved the power steering enough to get to the bolts for both bracket and connections. Then just slide it under the throttle and up, rotating as you go, it'll come out. I'd definitely agree that this isn't difficult, for me it was what to d: replace regulator, get new alternator, rebuild and where to source it. I know next time, if its alternator related I'm replacing the regulator and testing again unless there is something obviously wrong with the pulley.

Another discovery I made was that none of the auto places I took it to could test my alternator as it was rotating "the wrong way"... Maybe I'm in a alternator test dead zone but I took it to 3-4 places, all said the same.

[wgforster]

The total possible protrusion of the brushes is brush material. The spring and brush holder can never reach the slip rings. The brushes will wear to the point that they no longer contact the slip ring and the alternator stop working before any damage to the slip rings. My slip rings have a groove worn into them just from the brush contact. I'm hoping that they last through a set of replacement brushes though.

[wgforster]

GBS tackled this job without removing the power steering pump. However, if you remove the bolts that hold the power steering pump you are literally 2-3 minutes from just getting the pump out of the way totally. I was concerned how much fluid I would loose when removing the lines from the pump, but I don't think I lost more than 1 tablespoon of fluid. Very easy. This gave me enough room to rotate the alternator to access the brush assy but not enough room to completely remove the alternator from the engine compartment. If you are doing a total alternator replacement you'll either need to remove the upper radiator hose or the fan as GBS did.

[abscate]

I removed the alternator and certainly didn't have to remove radiator hoses or power steering. I took the turbo intake hose (the one over engine), removed the fan and moved the power steering enough to get to the bolts for both bracket and connections. Then just slide it under the throttle and up, rotating as you go, it'll come out. I'd definitely agree that this isn't difficult, for me it was what to d: replace regulator, get new alternator, rebuild and where to source it. I know next time, if its alternator related I'm replacing the regulator and testing again unless there is something obviously wrong with the pulley.

Another discovery I made was that none of the auto places I took it to could test my alternator as it was rotating "the wrong way"... Maybe I'm in a alternator test dead zone but I took it to 3-4 places, all said the same.

Ouch. They should test the store water supply for lead....