DIY: $5 Alternator Fix - replacing brushes (Valeo)

[walky_talky20]

The drive-by-cable cars do have a different connector on the regulator. Instead of the 2-pin D-shaped connector, they use a 6mm post with ring terminal and a nut. I believe this would be the regulator that you need for those cars:
http://store.alternatorparts.com/par...ternators.aspx

Here's a few I found on ebay that looked like they fit the bill:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/OE-Valeo-Vol...82fe40&vxp=mtr
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-X5-545-6...209101&vxp=mtr

Neither are listed specifically for Audi, though. You may want to call one of those places and see if they can help you find the correct one.

[ricekikr]

Thank you Sir!

Does a faulty regulator cause the alternator itself to whine (not radio whine)?

Also can a faulty regulator cause voltage to drop (brush is still thick)? (I usually see faulty ones give out too much voltage)

I also just bought a used alternator (cause it might be stator whine, bearing of old one is quiet)

[walky_talky20]

If the problem isn't the brushes, I would advise to buy a used, warrantied, genuine Audi alternator from a junkyard. It will cost about the same as a new regulator anyway - you should be able to find them for around $40. Get the same type that you have now, and then you'll have spare parts later on if needed.

[Dallas09]

Just thought I would share, I recently had my alternator fail and unfortunately I didn't read the second page where Walky described the ring terminal instead of the D connector for DBC cars (it would be nice if a Mod could move that up in the thread). I just wanted to warn people with 1999 cars that there might be a split in the alternator. Originally I ordered the brushes that were specified at the beginning of the thread, since they were incorrect I decided to just order a new/refurb alternator from an auto part store. What I found out was that specifying a "1999 Audi A4 90 Amp Valeo" was not enough to guarantee getting the correct alternator, I had to actually look at the picture to verify (making sure the alternator I was getting had two ring terminals). I'm not quite sure why there is a problem since I thought 99.5's were DBC but there must be some sort of split so if you have a 99 you will probably want to take a look at the back of your current alternator and compare it to a picture. Advance auto and NAPA had my correct alternator (along with the other one) but Oreilly did not.

[mtroxel]

Wanted to contribute as this thread saved me yesterday. My Valeo died, bought a cheapo Chinese remanned Bosch at O"Reilly as I read several posts that said you can swap the two by changing a plug to an eyelet and getting a longer bolt to fasten it to the bracket.

Wrong. Those guys didn't measure how far the pulley sticks out from the engine block. Put the Valeo pulley on a Bosch and it sticks out an extra 4mm. Maybe those guys got away with that: maybe they're wondering why they keep eating serp belts. I dunno. I didn't like it and don't have a way to machine the Valeo pulley.

That's great. If you have any part numbers, please share them here if you can. Good Luck.

So I used this DIY. It was the 4th of July, I had to get my car back together and the nearest brushes I could find were NAPA's ECH F425. Dimension is perfect in one direction, I had to file a bit on the sides. When you file, I'd advise you to put the file on a bench and hold the brushes in your fingers. That graphite is pretty delicate, and you'll be far more careful when they're in your fingers.

My VAG-COM showed 12.2 volts Wednesday afternoon, it shows 13.7 now! Now I can return my $160 Chinese rebuilt Bosch because I fixed it for $8.39 worth of Chinese brushes. Thanks Walky Talky!

I'm not quite sure why there is a problem since I thought 99.5's were DBC but there must be some sort of split so if you have a 99 you will probably want to take a look at the back of your current alternator and compare it to a picture.

My 99.5 is DBC, as all are I believe. Easy way to tell is that the AHA is DBC, and the 2000 & 2001's had ATQ's. Its the same exact motor except for the throttle body and intake manifold set up for DBW. I swapped an ATQ into a Passat that had DBC. I swapped throttle body and intake manifold and it's run for years now. So if there is a need for the alternator connections to be any different because of DBW I don't know what that would be. I thought the difference is that the Bosch uses an eyelet connection while the Valeo uses a D plug.

[mtroxel]

Thought I'd follow up for anyone who searches like I did. It's been a month since I put NAPA's ECH F425 brushes in my Valeo alternator. It fixed the immediate problem, which was a battery light that would stay lit for 15-30 minutes at a time. After I filed the brushes to make them fit and soldered them in, I saw battery lights every now and then for about 10 seconds at a time, about once every 3 or 4 days. It's now been 2 weeks since I've seen a battery light at all, so obviously the brushes just needed to seat in to the commutator.

[MetalMan]

Thought I'd follow up for anyone who searches like I did. It's been a month since I put NAPA's ECH F425 brushes in my Valeo alternator. It fixed the immediate problem, which was a battery light that would stay lit for 15-30 minutes at a time. After I filed the brushes to make them fit and soldered them in, I saw battery lights every now and then for about 10 seconds at a time, about once every 3 or 4 days. It's now been 2 weeks since I've seen a battery light at all, so obviously the brushes just needed to seat in to the commutator.

Out of curiosity, did you touch the commutator at all? When I did mine I went ahead and took a pencil eraser to the commutator to clean it up a bit.

[mtroxel]

Out of curiosity, did you touch the commutator at all?

Yea I did. One of the rings was pretty dark. I'm guessing that lined up with the brush that was making my battery light. I used some pretty fine steel wool on it. Cleaned it up some, but still wasn't as bright as the other ring.

[walky_talky20]

mtroxel, did the bosch reman not come with a pulley on it?

The pulleys definitely won't interchange between brands. But if you have the correct pulley, the entire alternators should swap without issue.

I very much prefer the Valeo units. They seem to have very few problems compared to the Bosch units. It seems like whenever we have Audi's come in with charging problems it's Bosch equipped. And when we get used Bosch replacements, they are often problematic. Just my experience. The 90A Valeo I rebuilt for the this DIY is still going strong - 4 1/2 years and 70k miles later.

[mtroxel]

mtroxel, did the bosch reman not come with a pulley on it?

Yep, no pulley. I saw how to make the plug work and saw how i could bolt it up, and the Bosch pulley fits on the shaft just fine. But it sticks out 4mm farther than it does on the Bosch.

[Toolaa]

I had the generator warning light start to pop up a few times beginning about a week ago. Checked the voltage at idle and was getting about 13.3v. Figured it seemed likely that my brushes were worn. I was going to go the $5 route but decided to just order the brush/regulator assembly. Checked ebay and found the exact same part walky linked above. Seller listed was compatible with 2004 A4 1.8t for $37 so seemed like a reasonable option. I was planning on replacing my CAT this weekend anyway so I figured I would tackle both while on jack stands. Then Thursday night my daughter was driving to a friends when the engine just died. I tried limping home but it wasn't cranking enough power to run the fuel pump/spark so ended up needing a tow.

Fast forward to this morning. I swapped the regulator assembly with the alternator still in the car. Started back up and it was running real rough with an actual battery warning on the DIC which was new. I checked the voltage and was only getting 12v at the battery and dropping so it appears that I was not getting any charge. Decided to pull the alternator and double check everything. As soon as I got it out I noticed that mine was a 150A model and remembered from walky's OP that his was a 90A or 110A model because he has a B5. Uh-O!



I checked the regulator pack against the original and they looked slightly different but it was an exact fit.


I went back online to see if I ordered the right one and I found a lot of conflicting information. VAG-Cat listed 4 different alternators for the 2004 year. They also listed 4 different regulator assemblies. I checked on ECS tuning and other sites and the parts they listed as compatible with the Valeo 2004 model looked nothing like the original. The connection points were not even similar. Eventually I think I tracked down the correct part, which appears to also be used in the 2004 C230 1.8.
this is also sold by ECS as a Mercedes part. Problem is I need the car back on the road Monday morning so couldn't wait for new part. I decided I would pull the good brushes from the part I had and install them into my old regulator assembly, but when I looked closer at my alternator I could see that the slip-ring was pretty worn and uneven.



I just said F*** it and brought a rebuilt Valeo from a local parts store for $195. I still have the CAT replacement to finish.



Now I'm getting 14.3V.



Anyway to build on the original post from walky_talky20. The brush repair will still work with the Valeo 150A model as the design of the brush holder is identical, but if you decide to just replace the regulator check the part number to make sure it's actually compatible with your actual Alternator before buying.


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[fR3ZNO]

I had the generator warning light start to pop up a few times beginning about a week ago. Checked the voltage at idle and was getting about 13.3v. Figured it seemed likely that my brushes were worn. I was going to go the $5 route but decided to just order the brush/regulator assembly. Checked ebay and found the exact same part walky linked above. Seller listed was compatible with 2004 A4 1.8t for $37 so seemed like a reasonable option. I was planning on replacing my CAT this weekend anyway so I figured I would tackle both while on jack stands. Then Thursday night my daughter was driving to a friends when the engine just died. I tried limping home but it wasn't cranking enough power to run the fuel pump/spark so ended up needing a tow.

Fast forward to this morning. I swapped the regulator assembly with the alternator still in the car. Started back up and it was running real rough with an actual battery warning on the DIC which was new. I checked the voltage and was only getting 12v at the battery and dropping so it appears that I was not getting any charge. Decided to pull the alternator and double check everything. As soon as I got it out I noticed that mine was a 150A model and remembered from walky's OP that his was a 90A or 110A model because he has a B5. Uh-O!

I checked the regulator pack against the original and they looked slightly different but it was an exact fit.

I went back online to see if I ordered the right one and I found a lot of conflicting information. VAG-Cat listed 4 different alternators for the 2004 year. They also listed 4 different regulator assemblies. I checked on ECS tuning and other sites and the parts they listed as compatible with the Valeo 2004 model looked nothing like the original. The connection points were not even similar. Eventually I think I tracked down the correct part, which appears to also be used in the 2004 C230 1.8.

This is also sold by ECS as a Mercedes part. Problem is I need the car back on the road Monday morning so couldn't wait for new part. I decided I would pull the good brushes from the part I had and install them into my old regulator assembly, but when I looked closer at my alternator I could see that the slip-ring was pretty worn and uneven.

I just said F*** it and brought a rebuilt Valeo from a local parts store for $195. I still have the CAT replacement to finish.

Now I'm getting 14.3V.

Anyway to build on the original post from walky_talky20. The brush repair will still work with the Valeo 150A model as the design of the brush holder is identical, but if you decide to just replace the regulator check the part number to make sure it's actually compatible with your actual Alternator before buying.


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/necrobump

I was in a very similar situation as you. Had a few instances where the battery was not charged and the car would have trouble starting. Found that the alternator was charging around 13.5v at idle. I was considering going to the local junkyard, but I ended up saying f it and bought a new Valeo alternator from ECS for $215 (on sale).

The 150A alternator out of my B6 had the same part # as your's but it seems as though there are a lot of revised part numbers for B6 alternators. The new Valeo part from ECS is 06B903016QX, compared to the old part, 06B903016AC. However, sales person at ECS assured me that this revised part would fit. I wish I would have remembered this thread before I bought a new alternator, but I figured at the very least I could fix my old alternator with new brushes or regulator and have a backup spare.