BOSCH Alternator Regulator Replacement & Alternator Brush change

[@zedman442]

Have done this a few times to save old lternators. In fact I did this while it was still on the car. On one car to take the alternator off would have been an hours work.

[@CycloneCyd]

Thanks Zed. Yes, I see no reason why it can't be done in-situ on many cars. However that would have made for a very 'difficult to make' video. This one came off my Saab 9-3 and it would have been extremely difficult to do in situ anyway.

[@rogergill1959]

@@CycloneCyd hi my mate has suggested my fault could be the rectifier or regulator brushes as getting no charge, is the rectifier built into the regulator unit or can it be found inside without major strip down as hoping to change it on the car xc90 volvo, easy access to the rear screws and nuts thanks

[@CycloneCyd]

@@rogergill1959 yeah, it's all one unit

[@tsvw2007]

Almost every Bosch regulator is the same no matter the number

[@bushratbeachbum]

Good to see folks passing on knowledge and saving wastage of perfectly good alternators. So much is just changed without repair these days, a crying shame

[@CycloneCyd]

It's part of the myth that "you can't work on modern cars". B******t of course

[@bushratbeachbum]

@@CycloneCyd absolutely, folks just can't be arsed to think or learn. To everyone's detriment sadly.

[@charliefitzcf]

Thanks for the help mate, from another 93 owner!

[@CycloneCyd]

Any time! Welcome aboard Charlie

[@CycloneCyd]

Well, i see this video has recieved 2 'thumbs down'. Must confess I'm puzzled why that might be. If you feel any of my videos deserve a thumbs down, PLEASE be good enough to add a comment and let me know why so I can learn and improve my videos. I make these videos as a hobby and I'm an engineer not an actor. THANK YOU

[@ejgrae1989]

great video mate thanks

[@CycloneCyd]

Thanks Titan. This alternator was out of my Saab 9-3 2.0T, but the same one is fitted in many cars and other Bosch ones are similar.

[@noparentalguidance4423]

Dont worry about any thumbs down mate. They've never made their own videos or contributed anything useful to anything. Keep helping others as there are many many people I know who appreciate you shedding light on a subject that needs it!

[@CycloneCyd]

@@noparentalguidance4423 Can't believe I've only just seen your comment. DOH! Anyway, thanks for the encouragement. In the year since your comment I've more than doubled my subs, thus proving you correct.

[@shabahangh]

Hi, thank you very much for your wonderful lecture, is there any way to bypass voltage regulator on these type of alternators and use an external one? I would like to remind you, that I will not use it in car, but for inverter, where I need higher than 14 volts out put. Thanks again.

[@afonsomarques5434]

Thank you so very much for this video tutorial

[@CycloneCyd]

Most welcome 😊

[@flincher9633]

Good Clear instructions how much was brush pack ? Pozi screw is that a star one ?

[@CycloneCyd]

No. Pozi looks similar to Philips but is different. Google 'pozi vs philips' and you'll see (PS they are not compatible)

[@charlesbradley7277]

good video ,but my reulator is on the outside of the alternator casing ,and i was concerned that i wouldn't get the brushes back in with it being fitted on the car and fiddly.

[@WhidbeyOne011]

Thanks for a great video on a Saab 9-3 issue. I have one ('07) and have found that if I can't fix it myself, it doesn't go because there are few to no Saab mechanics around here.

[@CycloneCyd]

Yeah Saab specialists are getting fewer

[@farzanarp]

is the same for VAG

[@vw_beetle_dave]

mines over charging so hope a new regulator will fix . thank you for the video

[@CycloneCyd]

on these the regulator and brushes are a single unit, but yes that should fix that problem.

[@razvantololoi3707]

Hello! All my Dashboard Light came on while driving and dissappear like i start the car. This happen only when i turn on AC or DPF its start regenerating(turning on motor fan) i put vcds and show this alternator regulator error but never appear after i delete the error. Could be the alternator regulator? I go to mecanic and Say the alternator its good….please help me

[@CycloneCyd]

Could be, power problems are often intermittent when brushes wear out. Did he 'load test' the alternator (one of my earliest videos was about alternator and battery testing)

[@synthostyle]

What is typical symptom from a bad regulator or a bad brush? I have sometimes flickering interior lights on My SAAb 9-3 TTiD 2010 (24000 km ) The radio dont tune in the radio channel after the engine is ignite. Sometimes the voltage goes from about 12,5 volt to 13,6 volt when driving.

[@CycloneCyd]

My nav display would flicker. That's a sign the brushes are worn and not making proper contact with the slip rings. Less than 13.8V with engine at 1800rpm+ is too low. brushes knackered.

[@ediflyer]

Great video! My battery shows around 12.6v with engine running and drops to low 12s when engine stopped so looks like it's the alternator. I'll check out this part! How easy is it to feel if the bearings are gone? Car has done 183k miles so maybe they could do with an overhaul too.

[@CycloneCyd]

It does sound like it probably is the alternator, however, NEVER assume ALWAYS test. A bad alternator can kill a good battery in no time: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4XCiaCirLKJsJY

[@CycloneCyd]

Once you've got the belt off spin the alt by hand and 'feel' how smooth the bearings are. You can also listen to them with your mechanics stethoscope amzn.to/35KNiOs watch this kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJ-3iKB9aZapjpo. If you're changing the reg/brush pack, I'd also recommend you change the slip rings too, or at the lest use some 1200 grit to smooth off the old ones. Something I've learned after making this video

[@leebod7558]

Could this be why sometimes when winding up my windows I lose my headlights and radio? Fun when driving in the dark!

[@CycloneCyd]

It's possible. Have you tested the alternator? kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4XCiaCirLKJsJY

[@rebinny]

Good little video. Where did you buy the part? What website tells me which part I need. I have the alternator part number.

[@CycloneCyd]

I simply searched the part number (F00Metc) on eBay and found a seller of alternator spares who had it in stock. You could use the alternator part number (0145etc) instead, just remember to include description in the search field.

[@haydenellsum3585]

Why did you say pozi ,when it was a Philip's screw? Very few pozi screws made yet.

[@steeveedee8478]

@@haydenellsum3585 In Europe Phillips screws are rare now, apparantly only the US uses them these days. Nearly everything has been Posidrive here now for a long time, better driver contact and 'X' stamped onto screw head denotes a Posidrive screw. A lot of stuff is going Torx now here too - by far the best head on any I've ever used and I specify screws on products as a designer.

[@haydenellsum3585]

@@steeveedee8478 hi .but the pozidrive and Philip's are almost the same but the pozidrive has the extra piece of metal in between the Philip's cross x, so not much different but the screw drivers are not a tight fit.

[@haydenellsum3585]

Of course the torx are more superior.

[@corneboshoff9487]

I have a Freelander 2 SD4, it has problems starting. Battery has now been replaced but still clicking noise for a few starts and then it goes. The battery centre tested it and told me the alternator is charging to high - 14.7V. Can this be fixed by replacing the voltage regulator?

[@rogergill1959]

Hi my Bosch unit has stopped working i can get to back screws and do that job on the car but where is the rectifier which could also be the problem and not the regulator TIA for any replies

[@CycloneCyd]

I'm 80-85% certain that the replaceable unit is the brushes, regulator and rectifier all-in-one. If I was doing it now, I'd get one of these, about a third the price of the genuine Bosch article bit.ly/F00M145670_replacement

[@ratcat7668]

My Lotus Elise has a Bosch Alt. The alternator is a Majpr PITA to get off so I'm going to try and get the regulator off in situ.

[@shilohminitries9627]

Hi please help me on where do I get the name of the alternator. I want to replace my regulator. My car is Ford ikon ambient 1.6 2014

[@mrtwister9002]

How do I know if the regulator and brush went bad? Is there a way I can check that on my alternator?

[@CycloneCyd]

If the alternator has done around 100,000 miles or so on the car and under load test it can no longer maintain it's output, then it's a fair bet that the brushes are simply worn out. The only way to check that though is to remove them and measure them against spec. This ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4XCiaCirLKJsJY ) was only the third video I made and is a bit slow, but it is very detailed and comprehensive.

[@broderen6234]

Have you tried to open the regulator before and look for bad connection?

[@CycloneCyd]

No I haven't. TBH I don't think there is much point. If the brushes are more than half worn, they need replaced and since you can't get them seperately you have to replace the whole regulator unit.

[@24caratgoldies17]

Thanks for the video. My alternator suddenly started overcharging upto 17.6 volts I've just ordered a new unit

[@CycloneCyd]

Good thing you noticed that before it boiled your battery dry 👍 nice work

[@24caratgoldies17]

@@CycloneCyd All fitted and working just fine you must have saved me over £100 great work thanks ! It's not an easy job as I did it in situ but better than taking the alternator off

[@CycloneCyd]

@@24caratgoldies17 What car was that on?

[@24caratgoldies17]

@@CycloneCyd sorry for the late reply it was on a Vauxhall Movano MK2 van

[@SenthilKumar-wg4zm]

What happens when i install a mismatched regulator in the alternator, because my battery dashboard warning light is glowing low even after the engine start.. please guide me...

[@CycloneCyd]

Not sure I understand what you mean by "mismatched regulator". Could be you've got a connection issue or 'earthing' issue. Maybe the slip rings were worn out and should have been replaced. Check all connections back to battery including any chassis earths (like this example: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3y3lWeXfphgg9k) Make sure the belt is clean and is not slipping. Measure the charge voltage, at the alternator and the battery

[@SenthilKumar-wg4zm]

@@CycloneCyd my battery dint charge due to failed regulator. So the mechanic changed a new regulator which dint fix to the available space. It seems like he has fixed a non compatable one....

[@CycloneCyd]

@@SenthilKumar-wg4zm oh dear, doesn't sound good. Why would he do that? Was there an issue with sourcing the correct part locally? Assuming that to be the case, follow this link to Ali (bit.ly/Bosch_Regulator) and in the search bar (near top right) put the part number of your regulator (usually starts F00M... for Bosch). There are loads of compatible regulators on Ali, all with worldwide shipping. Let us know how you get on.

[@TJJ85]

I have a Vectra C with the same 2 litre turbocharged engine. I've started to have a weird issue with the alternator. Took a test with a Bosch BAT-131 tester and it informed that my new battery of course was ok but it also said that alternator is ok but i think it's not ok. The issue i'm having is that the interior and all the exterior lights and board computer are flickering/pulsing on idle. Sometimes it gets so bad that it's pulsing also on mid RPM and affecting the ignition. It's jerking at the same pace as it's pulsing, very annoying! I've noticed that when it's cold it's usually the worst and sometimes after hard acceleration almost like it's not getting enough fuel. At first i thought it's the ignition coils but it doesn't hesitate on acceleration. Few days ago i intentionally drove it with a third gear and it jerked all the time when it was bad and after about half a minute power steering went offline. It came back on after i restarted it. I checked battery connections and put a jump start cables between battery negative post and chassis and engine. So it's not a grounding issue. I took the ECM plug off from the alternator and voila all the flickering/pulsing was gone! I think the culprit is this same part. I made an order even though i'm not sure if it's the right one. Vectra C EPC gives the same part number to both 100A and 120A alternator. So i think that will do it but i hope that the problem is not with the diodes or ecm...

[@TJJ85]

Also when i tested it today without the control plug the alternator/battery light did not illuminate so perhaps it's even charging without the plug? After i reconnected the plug the problem wasn't that bad but it was still there but at least there was not ignition problems this time. So i think i'm on to something here.

[@TJJ85]

New voltage regulator fixed the problem!

[@stephenhornigold3993]

Very informative

[@hyderrider]

can we install 733/4.2 amp regulator in place of 733/2.1????

[@CycloneCyd]

Afraid I don't know, Hyder

[@johnmcguinness7116]

Is it possible to do this without taking alternator out

[@CycloneCyd]

On some cars, yes. At least one other commenter has mentioned doing that, on a Volvo IIRC.

[@paulhughes9968]

Hi wondering if you can help I've replaced my regulator with a aftermarket part i thought it would be a plug and play but unfortunately the message on my dash saying battery not charging pull over is still showing I've tested the alterntor with a multimeter it's showing 14.4 volts ruining the engine I've been driving the car for over 200 miles it's charging the battery but for some unknown reason the message and battery light isn't going off I've tryed discounting the negative connection on the battery for 10 mins but unfortunately the message comes back on I'm lossed now what could the problem be could it be a aftermarket part not compatible with Bosch alternator ?

[@sick-soggy-socks-suck]

I'm having exactly the same issue, did you ever resolve it?

[@GMan12321]

Thanks for the video. Quick question - Is it possible to replace the brushes on the regulator without having to buy a new one? I am finding it difficult to source it here in Australia (I have a slightly different part number but visually it looks almost identical to yours). Thanks again for the awesome video!

[@CycloneCyd]

Hi Gavin, thanks for watching and welcome aboard. Yes, I believe it is possible to replace just the brushes. The new ones come with a copper wire 'tail' so you'll need to be handy with a soldering iron. I don't know how you split the regulator to fit them in though, so I'd suggest having some Q Bond handy for reassembly purposes. I've seen the brushes for sale on UK eBay. I must admit I never considered replacing just the brushes as the whole regulator was readily available and only 30 quid, but I can see your point if it's not. I got my regulator from a seller in N Ireland on UK eBay - might be worth enquiring if you could get one posted out to you. If you do end up just replacing the brushes, any chance you could take some pictures and jot down some hints and tips? My email is in the 'about' section. I could make it into a Community post or maybe even a supplementary video short.

[@GMan12321]

Cyclone Cyd Thanks for the prompt response. Really appreciate it. I went ahead and ordered a new voltage regulator. It should arrive in 1-2 weeks. Once I replace the old one, I’ll try and open the old one. It does look firmly sealed so I’m not sure if it’s even possible to replace it’s brushes without damaging the unit. Let’s see. 😊🤞🏼

[@CycloneCyd]

@@GMan12321 do let us know how you get on please. I made the mistake of throwing my old reg away.

[@flincher9633]

@@GMan12321 how did u go I’m looking at doing my 1999 hilux i changed it just Over 2years ago hopefully it’s still under 3 year warranty

[@vipinvipi7511]

I am Indian,thanks for information

[@spiritualcramp8000]

hello! i'm getting mad, when i turn lights on, the current dims the more i turn light on the more it dims, i know that by the voltmeter in my car, only when i push the RPM it goes up again to 13 but as soon as i slow down it lowers back. any suggestion?

[@CycloneCyd]

Yes. Your alternator needs new brushes. 13V isn't enough even under load. See this video of mine kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4XCiaCirLKJsJY

[@MreViewer]

Very helpful, many thanks

[@CycloneCyd]

Thanks for watching. DOn't forget to subscribe and share.

[@johnmathias9892]

I bought one off ebay and it failed after 2 weeks. Looking for a better replacement

[@CycloneCyd]

Huh? Ebay don't sell anything. Was it a Bosch dealer. Plenty on there. I got mine from a dealer in N Ireland

[@shanedyson2447]

Thanku great advice 😊

[@CycloneCyd]

Welcome aboard Shane

[@selvansakthi5404]

Hi dear. This video help me lot

[@zloben9000]

toyota yaris .. 2007 1.0 69ps .. about the same(doesent have 2 nuts has 2 screws)

[@CycloneCyd]

Hi there zloben9000 , thanks for watching and interacting. Yeah, this same basic alternator is fitted to loads of cars. Is that the same engine as the Aygo/C1/107? I'll have to look at our C1 and see if it has this unit.

[@zloben9000]

one cant tell for sure, its the 1kr-fe engine ... i have a video of me taking it apart... some use Bosch others use Denso.. i changed the voltage regulator used Taiwan made Mobiletron and not Bosch...

[@rsobral560]

Was this a bmw alternator

[@LoLzZ85]

anyone just replaced the brushes?

[@CycloneCyd]

The brushes aren't available seperately

[@ChicagoILStateBabyGaza]

ما شالله

[@SannyDavid7]

Old and the new one is not the same numbers 🤔

[@a.f.1587]

This isn't a brush change, you just changed the whole regulateor man, not the brushes...

[@CycloneCyd]

The brushes aren't available seperately ......

[@a.f.1587]

@@CycloneCyd they are. Do some reseach... Not specifically for this regulator but you can buy 5x3mm brushes (at least this was the size for mine) dirt cheap. I exchanged them. You don't need to throw away the working regulator just because the brushes.

[@johnmcguinness7116]

Why piss around soldering new brushes in anyway just change the whole unit much quicker

[@sasmuel5558]

@@johnmcguinness7116 Agree, its only 20-30 eur Regulator.