Question concerning car alternators.

Factual Questions
1

This is a bit of a weird question, but here goes.

You know the brushes that are in the alternator? OK, good.

Will the brushes wear at a slower rate the smaller they get?

Let me tell you what I’m thinking.
There is a spring in the brushholder that presses against the back of brush. As the brush wears and gets smaller the spring expands. As the springs expands there is less tension on the brush. Therefore, as the brush gets smaller it will wear slower.

Makes sense to me, but I could be wrong.

-Shaggarito-

2

well I think it begins to spin faster within the contact area, so while each pass may wear the brush less, there are more passes over time so it’s king of moot either way. Before it wears away too far, you will likely need to replace the brush and contacts.