Here's how to tell if your car needs a new alternator and how to install one yourself.

Six diodes are used in an alternator. Three of these diodes have "positive polarity" and are mounted on a heat sink that's called a positive rectifier assembly.

Prior to 1969, most GM cars used an alternator with an external regulator. While they were good in their day, most early-model alternator cores have been recycled through rebuilders several times ...