alternator

[30sweeds]

2001 Ford E450 cut-a-way V 10.The front alternator bearing is bad but it works OK otherwise.What alternator does it have? How many amps? Was hoping to find a repair kit.Anybody have a part number or source for the kit? Thanks!

[30sweeds]

Victory Lap FDA-04 alt repair kit,G3,has both bearings,20 bucks on Amazon.The problem started with an alarming belt squeak,thought I had it narrowed down....3 times!First was ac clutch bearing,no help.Next was idler and tensioner,no help.Replaced belt,nope.Installing alt bearings today but the old ones were good in my opinion.Hard to really pinpoint the noise with the stethoscope and the water and power steering pump is the only thing left.Any ideas?

[MEXICOWANDERER]

If you have repeated failures using sealed ball bearings in a dirty environment here's the cure (not hypothesis -- this really works)

Smear a gob of grease onto both sides of the 2RS bearing then install. The gobs of grease act as a barrier and the effect is not subtle.

Rotobrator machine with steel shot for refinishing alternator cases and stripped starter housings.
Exposed bearings lasted 2 weeks in an LS brand rotobrator. Changed bearings gobbed on grease and they lasted 5+ years.

Delco CS-130 exposed rear 6000XX bearing. Common failures. Gobbed grease over exposed side, no more failures. Ever. This cure really works for all exposed bearings/

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Yep you are absolutely correct I inversed numbers in a grand error.

ZZ is metal shielded and should NEVER be used

2RS has plastic seals and id the bearing of choice

DD has never been seen by me in over fifty years and tens of thousands of bearings/

I saw this earlier and meant to correct it. Looks like I am going back into the hospital today. Kidneys and adrenals.

[30sweeds]

Victory Lap FDA-04 repair kit,20 bucks,has bearings,brushes.This started with an alarming belt squeak.Thought I had it figured out...3 times! First,AC clutch bearing,no help,idler and tensioner,still squeaking,new belt,nope.Really sounded like the alternator but looked pretty good when apart.I don't know.Will get it done today but don't have a lot of confidence.

[Larry202br]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
ZZ is the only approved bearing for 19 years running and way beyond.

But you also say: "he suffix for metal shielded and not plastic sealed bearings is ZZ. ZZ bearings are definitely not suitable for alternators because of metal and graphite contamination."

Those statements seem contradictory. Can you clarify?

[MEXICOWANDERER]

ZZ is the only approved bearing for 19 years running and way beyond

I had a carton of USSR bearings that spun rough. Then there was Poland bearings which were trouble-free, then green seal SKF, and finally NTN.

[RLS7201]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
And the suffix for ANY of these bearings is 2RS meaning sealed both sides. The rear A6000 XX has a pair of Teflon bands on the outside. They fit better.

Some European alternators used a 6202 DRE bearing like the Bosch which is utterly stupid with a serpentine belt tensioner. Good bearings use a BLUE-GREEN polyurea grease like MOBIL 7.

OK I'm out of date on the front bearings but DD was also used by some manufactures for double seal bearings.
6203DD
6303DD


Richard

[MEXICOWANDERER]

addendum.

The suffix for metal shielded and not plastic sealed bearings is ZZ. ZZ bearings are definitely not suitable for alternators because of metal and graphite contamination.

Another way of automatically specifying the correct type of bearing is to say ELECTRIC MOTOR BEARING.

In my rebuilding, if memory serves me correctly I was paying three times the price for NTN LUA. Saint Mary's Carbon in Pennsylvania was custom making my copper graphite brushes in lots of 1 mil per. Far less abrasive and they were a minimum of 1/8" longer than OEM with double the mil-spec brush lead. 50-amp 1000 volt rectifiers and MOSFET voltage regulators. I had some warranties. All of them were untouched OEM Ford rotors that broke a wire lead on top of the rotor coils. EPA forbidden epoxy dip and an outside oven-cured, that nonsense.

End comments

[MEXICOWANDERER]

And the suffix for ANY of these bearings is 2RS meaning sealed both sides. The rear A6000 XX has a pair of Teflon bands on the outside. They fit better.

Some European alternators used a 6202 DRE bearing like the Bosch which is utterly stupid with a serpentine belt tensioner. Good bearings use a BLUE-GREEN polyurea grease like MOBIL 7.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

The 2G IAR was the very very very last Ford alternator to use a 6203. The 3,4,6 G NEVER used a 6203. The 6303 is an absolute certainty.

Even the larger (before the 3G series) 70-90-100 amp large frame uses a 6203 but never ever ever the 6303 in the earlier alternators

After a few thousand 3,4,6 G remans I sorta know this stuff.

And one last thing all the alternators use color coding on the regulators. Do not substitute a different color regulator or mighty interesting things will happen to a digital dashboard.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Bearing does not care about mounting style



Your alternator is highly likely to be a 3G 130-amp model.



If the copper slip rings have wear grooves have a rebuilder REPLACE them which demands truing them in a lathe.

Use a TORKS T-10 SOCKET with ratchet on those tight voltage regulator screws and a 15/16" socket with an impact gun on the front rotor pulley shaft

[RLS7201]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Model number does not matter. Whether it's a 3G, 4G or 6G

The universal bearing is a part number 6303

ALWAYS replace the rear bearing part number A6000

In my fussy likes and dislikes, I prefer the

NTN brand bearing

LUA model.


Buy new brushes in a brush holder too.

Ahhhhhhh, Mr. Wanderer, did you make a typo? The universal front alternator bearing is a 6203DD........

Richard

[time2roll]

If it is original 2001 I would simply buy a new alternator.
Best of luck with the self rebuild.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Model number does not matter. Whether it's a 3G, 4G or 6G

The universal bearing is a part number 6303

ALWAYS replace the rear bearing part number A6000

In my fussy likes and dislikes, I prefer the

NTN brand bearing

LUA model.


Buy new brushes in a brush holder too.