Testing a Defective Alternator on a 2004 Ford Explorer

Hi everybody, and welcome to my "stevenofpa" YouTube Channel! This video shows you what it's like to see this alternator which was purchased from Amazon and installed onto a 4.0L 4 liter litre engine on a 2004 Ford Explorer V6. The item cost about $180, and it was ordered as an original brand new BOSCH alternator, with part number AL7543N. However, when the item arrived, it was not packaged in what would be considered a good way, considering that it is supposed to be an original brand new part from such a leading tier 1 supplier like bosch. It was just sitting in a box, loose, and able to be bounced around inside the box and potentially be damaged. Another indicator that something was wrong, was the product label. On the alternator there is a label which says 100% new BOSCH. However, it appears that someone may have scratched off another label which was previously on the alternator. So at first I thought that maybe bosch decided to "rebrand" this alternator for some reason, maybe the old label was not "up to date" and so they scraped off the old label and put on a new one. But then I was thinking, ok, then why doesn't the part match the photos in the Amazon listing? So i also checked on the bosch website, and the pictures still don't match up (even though the bosch website photos are the exact match for the ones on amazon). so i called bosch and spoke with a product expert, who said that the item should match the photos exactly, and i asked what about the pulley? the new one i received is black, but in the photos it is gold colored. He said that's how it should be, and that black is not the right color. So ok fine, now i'm thinking that maybe someone had previously ordered an alternator from amazon (or wherever) and swapped out the bosch part with an aftermarket knock-off part, and then put it back into the bosch box and returned it to amazon. and then, amazon just put it back on the shelf, and when i ordered it, they sent this item to me. That stinks for me, but i'm just going to send it back and get another one. It stinks that stuff like this happens (of course, if this is what actually happened, we still don't really know for sure). But here's another think that tipped me off about this whole thing. When testing the alternator, as you can see in this video, the alternator was simply not able to keep up with charging the system and keeping the voltage at the proper level, even thought the only accessories that were turned on were the interior lights, headlights, high beams, and a/c ac air conditioning hvac heater fan system assembly components and OTHER KEYWORDS engine was running, belts turning, lights on, door open. Here's what's most important. Even with only the headlights on, and no other loads (a/c was turned off, interior lights off, etc...) but also with the 4-ways flashers hazards turned on, the alternator could not keep up. You can see this in the video. The lights will flash or dim, going from sort-of bright to dim, each time the flashers flash. NOT GOOD! That means the alternator likely has a bad rectifier bridge or diode or some other part in there that's supposed to keep the voltage and charging amps amperage steady and correct. So what to do? simple... replace it! So, another BOSCH original new alternator is now on order, and should be arriving in a few days. Can't wait for it to get here. Hope it's a good working model! Check out my channel for more future updates about this situation. Thanks! Extra info and keywords: alternator testing, power test, electrical system, fantom, ghost, gremlins, lights dim, something wierd weird going on, don't know why it blinks, power, grounds, test, voltage drop, battery connector, two-wire, three-wire, gencom, genmon, pcm controlled alternator, charging, starting, regulator, rectifier, voltage regulator, diode, winding, stator, rotor, brushes, field, gen, engine ground, belt, drive belt, tensioner, fan clutch, engine start up, dashboard, alternator charging light, battery light, horn, wiring, cable, sheathing, loose connection, how to test an alternator, ford alternator, bosch, valeo, denso, delphi, knock off, counterfeit, wai, quality built, Please post your questions and comments below, and Thanks for Watching. ENJOY! If you like my videos, Please SUBSCRIBE. Thanks!