Hello,
I bought a 1982 240D a couple months ago, and up until recently it's been great... a real step up from my previous car, a 1992 Dodge Spirit which was a hand-me-down from my uncle.

The problem I've been having is that the alternator isn't charging the battery. Both of them are new. I can easily jump start it, so I know that the starter works fine, and the battery will hold a charge if I use a charger on it. I had it checked out by a local mechanic, who told me that after an hour of tracing electrical connections, he bonked the alternator with a hammer (!!!) and it started working again. He also told me that my voltage regulator was to blame, and that as a result, I would need a new alternator. Apparently he was not aware that on these Bosch alternators, the voltage regulator is a separate unit. He also made some ignorant racist comments which aren't worth repeating... so I gave him his 40 bucks for running his diagnostics and charging my battery, and went off on my merry way. Later that day, the battery was dead again. Needless to say, I won't be going back to that guy! I did remove and inspect the voltage regulator, and aside from a little rust, it looks OK to me... anyone see anything wrong with that? (see attached pics below)

The guy that I bought the car from is a DIY mechanic, and had mentioned that he'd replaced both the battery and the alt before selling it to me, so I got in touch with him to find out what the problem had been with them. He described the same symptoms that I've been seeing... dim headlights, slow wipers, problems starting. He told me to tighten the tensioning bolt on the front of the alternator, and that would take care of it. I have a copy of the technical manual CD, and I attempted the procedure since it looked fairly simple. Tightening the bolt didn't have any effect, although without the tension measuring tool, I didn't dare tighten it too far. I also noticed that the bolt and bracket don't look much like the ones in the manual. (I'll post pics) The bolt is something that the previous owner engineered himself, not sure about the bracket, but it looks bent at the point where it meets the bolt, so I'm considering replacing those with OE parts. I am aware that there are two different designs for the alt. bolt/bracket assembly, the one with the L-shaped adjustment bolt, and the one with the starwheel bolt. If I were replacing both at the same time, could I use either combination? If there's any advantage to the starwheel design, and it will fit on my engine, might as well go with that, right? Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks,
Nate

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1985 300DT, Classic White, California, 175K
1984 300TD, Classic White, Euro, 285K


"When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good you will not. Hmm?" - Yoda