Rectifier for a 1989 Sears riding mower.

[check]

Hi guys, I called the Sears parts guys and me and never even heard of what a rectifier is, so I'm going to my TBN friends.

I am attaching a photo and the details of the more and the engine. Can anyone help out here at all?

Thanks, guys.

 

[sd455dan]

It is used to (rectify)- change AC from the alternator into pulsed DC,
otherwise your battery would take a beating and discharge from the ac input

.Automobile alternators have the bridge rectifier installed inside the alternator.

Many small engines /riding mowers engines have the charging system rotor/stator driven directly by the crankshaft and under engine covers and or flywheels.
it seems they placed the rectifier externally for easy replacement in case of failure which can be caused by reverse jumping a dead battery.

hope this is helpful

 

[RPW]

Basically what this is for is to charge the battery. There is a alternator underneath the flywheel which will create an alternating current. This rectifier will change that into a DC current to charge the battery. I'm surprised that the technician didn't know anything about it. You should be able to go online with the mower model at Sears.com and order the part directly.

 

[JerryK]

I checked on SearsParts [ quick check ] and did not see that model number listed for a riding tractor. The part itself, may be listed on the engine parts blowup, you could try Briggs&Strat for that. The rectifier is a diode encased in a material that help it dissipate heat, provides a way to mount it, and has just the wiring sticking out with the plug. Probably any standard diode could be modified for your tractor as long as it could handle the amperage and dissipate the heat. Not rocket science.. Maybe some small motor repair shop could fix you up with something.

 

[PILOON]

Your photo shows 3 wires.
My guess is black= ground, red +12, and blue AC in.
If so that suggests a bridge (=4 diodes)
If I am correct a simple full wave bridge is only a couple of $ at most.

 

[check]

Thanks so much for the feedback, guys. I did know what the rectifier was for, I was just surprised that Sears parts could not look it up. It is not exactly an exotic part.
Will try a small engine guy, and B & G.

 

[flyerdan]

If there are any numbers printed or stamped on the rectifier you have in the picture, put them in Google and click the shopping link. I've found things that way that eluded traditional searching.

 

[hawkeye08]

I used a generic last time I needed one. Brand name exact one was expensive, generic worked fine.

 

[check]

If there are any numbers printed or stamped on the rectifier you have in the picture, put them in Google and click the shopping link. I've found things that way that eluded traditional searching.

Unfortunately there are no numbers or anything stamped on it.

 

[check]

I used a generic last time I needed one. Brand name exact one was expensive, generic worked fine.

I did look up the Briggs & Stratton parts website for that motor, and saw parts labelled "Regulator-Alternator" that looked similar to mine, except that they had either too many wires (2 connecters with 2 wires in each), or too few (2 connectors, one wire each), EXCEPT for one with 3 wires, but 2 were in one connector while the third wire was on its own. (As you can see from my earlier diagram, all 3 wires were in one connector on mine.)

That last (3-wire) one also had the words "Regulator-Alternator (10 or 16 amp)", so I am worried that something important might burn out if I use it. Also, is a "regulator-Alternator" the same as a rectifier? (The term rectifier came from a friend, not a manual, so he may be mislabelling it.)