Alternator Smoked G152

[ROOSTERRUSTY]

Hello new Member here.I have a Bolens G152 with a burnt out Alternator, & maybe the voltage regulator,Battery smoking from vents battery shot to. Where can I find replacement parts, or should i try a car alt, not sure how that would work,I have heard stories about it but no real details of it.Like how to wire it and belts replacement,do you still use a voltage regulator ? Thanks for any input !

[Ilikeurtractor]

Replacement alternators can be had (although not usually readily or cheaply). I'd look into rebuilding it first if possible as retrofit/aftermarket "equivalents" may have bolt pattern/connector issues. Voltage regulators can be had off ebay (search 'Satoh regulator') and apparently there are some other options from domestic vehicles that can work although I don't have the specifics.

[NHmitch]

I replaced my alternator, and my voltage regulator. I had the same issue. If the battery is smoking from the vents, it is getting a charge, so it probably is just your voltage regulator. I had the exact same issue this past week on my G154, and it was the voltage regulator. You can test it by using an alternator tester, or volt meter on your battery terminals while the tractor is running. If it is charing above 14.3 volts, then it is probably your voltage regulator. The voltage regulator is on the back side of the dash. If you remove the battery, you can see it by looking under the dash from where the battery sits. It is a square metal box. I just bought one because the wires on mine were brittle, and broken, and the new one fixed the probelem imediatly. It charges at 14volts now, and before I replaced it, it was charging above 16volts. If the regulator is bad, it will just keep charging the battery higher, and higher, overcharging your battery, and that will ruin you battery. Make sure that you replace the lost fluid with distilled water. From the sounds of it, I think your regulator is probably bad, and not the alternator, because when my alternator went, I was not getting any charge at all at the battery. When the voltage regulator went, the battery was overcharging, and boiling over from the vents. This is the voltage regulator that you need: 8003 90 New Electronic External Regulator for Mitsubishi 12V | eBay.

This is from an older post this year about the alternator, but ILIKEURTRACTOR is right about rebuilding the alternator, it is cheaper:

It's a Nippondenso alternator, and an exact match for the OEM alternator. I did quite a bit of searching when I bought it. It is exactly the same one that came on the tractor when it was new. It is not cheap, it is $149. It was a big job too, because the screws that hold the alternator are on the inside of the fan belt area, so you have to do a lot of reaching. Also be very careful with the plastic plug, that plugs into it, because they can become brittle when the are old. It was very nice to have the new alternator in it. The tractor seems to run better, and the lights are much brighter, plus I don't have to jump start it all the time.

This is the link for the alternator, you also may be able to search the model and find it cheaper, however make sure that it matchs perfectly, otherwise the plug may not fit. : New Nippondenso 12 Volt 35 Amp Satoh Alternator: Alternators &amp Alternator

[Sideways]

Hey there fellow Marylander, welcome to the forum Rusty!

[Ilikeurtractor]

It is not cheap, it is $149.

That is actually a pretty good price if it is an OEM alternator (says the manufacturer is "Spider Marine" though). I found one on Amazon last year (no longer available) for $110 but it wasn't a Nippon-Denso. I haven't tried it yet because I was able to fix the original so it may not be a direct bolt-in. Might not be a bad idea to have a spare on-hand for the $149 price even if it's not OEM (which doesn't mean a whole lot anyway unless you want things as original as possible). I wouldn't throw any used ones away either that aren't working. Unless there is physical damage, they should be repairable with new brushes and bearings. The one I repaired burned the negative side diodes off their plate and I was even able to solder new diodes to it taken from another alternator. So don't give up too quickly on the existing parts.

[Soundguy]

if you have the room for a gm 10si.. they are hard to beat for 30$ from the auto store.. usually gets you a 63a alternator with built in reg.

2 wire hookup really.

charge wire to battery, #2 line jumped to charge stud.. and #1 line thru a marker lamp, diode, or small resistor to switched power at the ignition switch. can get different belt / pulley combos..

cs130 gm is smaller.. but costs more..

[NHmitch]

Thats a great idea about keeping the old one. I keep mine, and I was going to throw it out, but i'll hold on to it, and have it rebuilt some day. I bought my new one through Spider Marine(the link above), and it was an actual Nippon-Denso. It was an exact match. I saw the one for $110 in March after I had ordered this one, and I would have ordered that one, but I am extremely happy with the Nippon-Denso one that I received. I think they may have made a mistake on the website, because spider marine is just the retailer. My headlight bulbs were burning out on a regular basis, and I think that was because my regulator was shot, and probably surging the bulbs? I have inline fuses in place, but the bulbs were burning out before the fuse..I am just happy to have the battery issue fixed. Now on to the clutch....

[Ilikeurtractor]

There are very few parts off these tractors I'd throw away except for the consumable items. Most parts can be repaired that a lot of people may want to toss. Even broken gears can at least be used to pattern in the future when they will only be more difficult to find.

[ROOSTERRUSTY]

Thanks for all the advice & helpful info ! Gonna get to work on it, been sitting to long.

[Soundguy]

let us know how it goes.