Alternator troubles...

Feb 01, 2007 9 Replies

I have an 89 325i that has recently begun having battery issues. Sometimes when I step on the brakes, the radio cuts out for a brief moment and then comes back on. Today, the battery light remained illuminated until I was a few miles down the road and the radio issue has become far more frequent. Also, I got the 1231 motronic code (low voltage). I know replacing the entire alternator will fix this but what are the chances that it's just the brushes/voltage regulator module?


"Psycho" wrote

The chances are high that replacing the brushes/vr will fix it. And since it's cheap and easy to do, you should try that first.

FloydR

It wouldn't hurt to put a voltmeter on the system first. With the key off, the battery should be about 12.5 volts. With the engine idling, it should be around 1-2 volts higher than that.

Worth the gamble.

Could be just extra RFI supression.

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