June 17, 2000

I started having trouble with the Ignition Control Unit again. I bought another used one from ebay and tried it out. That fixed the problem, but I figured I have some other problem that's causing the ICU to fail. I noticed the volt meter would register above 12 volts until the engine warmed up, then drop below 12. I used my own volt meter to check the voltage, and confirmed that the voltage was low. I had just replaced the battery, so I figure it's the alternator/regulator. I remove the alternator this weekend, and will take it to a alternator shop to have it checked and repaired if necessary.

I drove the car onto my ramps and disconnected the battery. To remove the alternator, I remove the bottom engine cover (7 8 mm hex head screws, 1 was missing), then loosened the adjustment bolt and pivot bolt (13 mm). I moved the alternator toward the engine and slipped off the belt. I then removed both bolts, and carefully lowered the alternator to the ground. I used a phillips screwdriver to remove the 3 screws that held on the back cover/ cooling case and disconnected the two wires. It was covered with power steering fluid (ATF) so I cleaned it up before packing it up. I'll check for a leak in the power steering system later, I did have DEVEK check the steering rack when they replaced the ball joints and tie rods.

June 20, 2000

I just got back from Altenators Unlimited, 1464 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, Ca (510-527-7773). Salvador tested my altenator and said it was ok. The altenator charged properly, the regulator worked, and the brushes looked good. He did say it was not the original altenator, and that if it does go out in the future, I should switch back to a Bosch. He was very helpful and didn't charge me for the inspection and testing. He said he does have rebuilt Bosch altenators for the 928 for $100 (+ core). He suspects that the belt was slipping, especially with all the ATF I had found on the altenator. So I'll clean up the belt, power steering pump, reservoir, and hoses and see if that helps. I'll also try and find where the fluid is leaking.

I have pictures, but my notebook computer died this weekend, so I'll have to wait to download then from my camera.

Back to My 928 Home Page