Last year I had problems with the alternator for '86 300 E. Following instructions from some tech savvy and friendly people I was able to fix the problem just by replacing my voltage regulator.
Now exactly one year after the initial problem I am back to square one. On taking out the voltage regulator I see that the brushes are completely worn out. In fact they are is so worn out that they're almost close to touching the base of the voltage regulator. My question is- am I faced with a more serious problem within the whole unit? Can anybody tell me if something inside the alternator needs to be replaced or can I be back on the road just by replacing the voltage regulator?
I am attaching a copy of the VR that i took out. It may help you see how worn out the brushes are .
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

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