Voltage regulator - easy to replace?

[DomenEK]

My gf's car is playing up again (AE92 Corolla Seca). We discovered last night that the voltage regulator is on it's way out.

Tha car conked out last night and wouldn't start again. RACQ came out and had a look at it. He did a voltage test on the battery - the voltage readings started out at around 13.5, and when we loaded it up (radio on, headlights on, air-con on, etc), the voltage dropped, but instead of coming back up again, it kept dropping. Which suggested that the voltage regulator is not playing along.

Now we've booked the car in for a service and tune soon, and we're going to get them to do a load test on the alternator - I don't want to have to replace that.

My question is would it be a relatively simple job to replace the voltage regulator myself, or is it best to leave that to an auto-electrician?

I had a quick look last night, and it doesn't seem to complex, but it was dark and didn't get a real good look at it.

[hethro87]

Hey man.

Had the same prolly with my 5s-fe camry. Mine was not inside the alternator and therefore was a simple fix. My local mechanic did it for me. The part was around $120 and it was done in no time.

Rolla's are meant to have iffy alternators anyway...they have to be replaced every 3 yrs at $300 a peice!

Hope this sheds some light on the issue.

Hethro

[bennjamin]

make sure the ground on the alternator is tight and not corroded too !