Charging issues
- Thread starter typonaut
- Start date
DaveRover3500s
Active Member
Hi ok no problem. I will never use it as it’s standard 35 amp unit and I really need more capacity now I have extra loads. Your welcome to it!Thanks for the offer. You're not too far away (I'm in Battersea, so an hour or so), but it's easier for me to have a new one delivered, and you'll probably be glad one day that you had that spare alternator
Also as Harvey says the ‘V8’ ones are the same (ACR type) just need alternating to side them which take 5 mins.. just be sure you get a decent one lots crap out there. And 45 amp output rather than 35amp. Most are at least 45amp now.
Dave
DaveRover3500s
Active Member
They can be altered anyway via 3 long bolts that secure back to front of alternator casing. Once undone just carefully turn back part I think it’s 120 degrees then put 3 bolts back job done.
Dave
jp928
Well-Known Member
There is a pic a few posts down here
Basically looking at the front pulley with the mounting and tensioning ears flat on a surface, are the mounting ears on the left or right?
Basically looking at the front pulley with the mounting and tensioning ears flat on a surface, are the mounting ears on the left or right?
colnerov
Well-Known Member
Other way round, there's the front casing, the stator and then the rear casing which is hard wired to the stator. So you can realistically only turn the front casing. I'm not nitpicking but trying to explain for the unfamiliar. The pulley may well need to be removed to ensure the rotor doesn't pull forward with the front casing and disturb the brushes.
Alt handing -
DaveRover3500s
Active Member
Ha thx for that it’s been few years since I did one on my car now! I don’t recall taking the pulley off though. Your 100% right of course I just recall turning it and then refitting and being so surprised how easy it was to change it!
Dave
Dave
So… I ordered a cheap 18 ACR from eBay – £69.95 for a 65amp (could have had a chromed one for another £20), including delivery. Turned out to be an even better deal, because eBay also gave me a 10% off voucher (so only £62.95)! It turned-up this afternoon, and the odd thing was that the box was wrapped in bubblewrap (ie, on the outside)!? Once I removed the bubblewrap I realised why, the box was a bit flimsy.
Anyway, nothing damaged, and the alternator was wrapped in flexible foam inside the box. Fitted to the car, just had to adjust the spacer on the rear lug, but although the pulley looked the same size I couldn't get the fan belt as tight as I would like (and the alternator seems to be right up against the chassis).
Turned the ignition on, IGN light shows brightly, fire it up and on tickover the battery is showing 14.6v. Even with all the lights on, ticking over, it still shows 13v. With a little rev it is back at 14.5v.
So, generally happy. Only quibble, apart from probably having to change the pulley wheel, is that the alternator seems a little noisey on idling (goes away when the headlights are on), but I think that could be that it is actually against the chassis, and that is transmitting some vibration (possibly from the engine).
What is the technique for changing the pulley wheel? Last time I tried it I didn't get anywhere, and had to take it to a mechanic – he did it with a pneumatic impact driver, just holding the fan with his hand and a bit of rag.
Also ordered a plug-in voltmeter – comes complete with a couple of USB charging ports, all for £3.95! Hasn't arrived yet though.
Anyway, nothing damaged, and the alternator was wrapped in flexible foam inside the box. Fitted to the car, just had to adjust the spacer on the rear lug, but although the pulley looked the same size I couldn't get the fan belt as tight as I would like (and the alternator seems to be right up against the chassis).
Turned the ignition on, IGN light shows brightly, fire it up and on tickover the battery is showing 14.6v. Even with all the lights on, ticking over, it still shows 13v. With a little rev it is back at 14.5v.
So, generally happy. Only quibble, apart from probably having to change the pulley wheel, is that the alternator seems a little noisey on idling (goes away when the headlights are on), but I think that could be that it is actually against the chassis, and that is transmitting some vibration (possibly from the engine).
What is the technique for changing the pulley wheel? Last time I tried it I didn't get anywhere, and had to take it to a mechanic – he did it with a pneumatic impact driver, just holding the fan with his hand and a bit of rag.
Also ordered a plug-in voltmeter – comes complete with a couple of USB charging ports, all for £3.95! Hasn't arrived yet though.
DaveRover3500s
Active Member
I had exactly same issue with my fan belt when I put 65amp alternator on - it was 1350mm long belt. Rather than change the pulley to a slightly bigger size (or use pulley off old alternator) I fitted a belt that was 50mm shorter. Might be option if want to keep pulley on it.
DaveRover3500s
Active Member
I correct myself! I had a 1300mm belt (a NOS Supra belt) which was 1300mm and just about was ok with the new 65amp alternator pulley- but right at very end of adjustment. I got a new fan belt from Wins GFB199 and it was perfect fit and that I believe is 1270mm.
Here's the latest… alternator all working ok, still haven't swapped the pulley wheels over, and will have to do something because it is not tight enough and there is a bit of an offset (between the alternator pulley and the water pump/crank).
I did, eventually get the pulley wheel off the old alternator. After trying several different ways with an old fan belt, and getting nowhere… I hooked the fan belt around the pulley wheel, clamped it with a pair of vice grips, looped the free end around the pulley until I had just a bit of loop left, hooked that loop around a sliding t-bar with a socket on it, put a breaker bar on the t-bar and tightened that up against the pulley, and then used a socket and one of those long wheel nut breaker bars on the pulley nut… voila!
Now just have to do the same with the one on the car.
I am thinking of keeping it as it is though. It's spinning a bit faster than it would with the "correct" pulley. Which means it is charging more at tickover. Possibility it could go too fast at high revs… but I'm never going to get there. Just have to use some spacers to correct the offset. I think I am also going to try to find one long bolt and nut for the "swivel" side of the alternator, rather than the current two bolts - just to make it much easier to fit (I'm sure most of the cars I've had have had one long bolt, rather than two separate ones).
Any reason not to do that?
Also, my combined USB charger and voltmeter arrived, eventually. Obviously had been shipped from China. As soon as I had it I tried it in my portable power pack – 12.5v it displayed. Surprised me a bit, because the power pack has been sitting around for months, so I would have expected it to be lower. So, took it out to the car, plugged it in to the cigarette lighter – 12.5v again. Hmm, would have expected it to be a little higher… Started the car up – 12.5v!
Something not right here, checked the voltage with a test meter – 14.4v. Went back to the power pack – 12.8v says the test meter.
I have a variable voltage transformer that I checked this plug-in USB/voltmeter with: from 8v (won't illuminate below 8v) through to 18v it consistently reads 12.5v… so, a useless piece of junk. All it seems to show all the time is 12.5v!
I did, eventually get the pulley wheel off the old alternator. After trying several different ways with an old fan belt, and getting nowhere… I hooked the fan belt around the pulley wheel, clamped it with a pair of vice grips, looped the free end around the pulley until I had just a bit of loop left, hooked that loop around a sliding t-bar with a socket on it, put a breaker bar on the t-bar and tightened that up against the pulley, and then used a socket and one of those long wheel nut breaker bars on the pulley nut… voila!
Now just have to do the same with the one on the car.
I am thinking of keeping it as it is though. It's spinning a bit faster than it would with the "correct" pulley. Which means it is charging more at tickover. Possibility it could go too fast at high revs… but I'm never going to get there. Just have to use some spacers to correct the offset. I think I am also going to try to find one long bolt and nut for the "swivel" side of the alternator, rather than the current two bolts - just to make it much easier to fit (I'm sure most of the cars I've had have had one long bolt, rather than two separate ones).
Any reason not to do that?
Also, my combined USB charger and voltmeter arrived, eventually. Obviously had been shipped from China. As soon as I had it I tried it in my portable power pack – 12.5v it displayed. Surprised me a bit, because the power pack has been sitting around for months, so I would have expected it to be lower. So, took it out to the car, plugged it in to the cigarette lighter – 12.5v again. Hmm, would have expected it to be a little higher… Started the car up – 12.5v!
Something not right here, checked the voltage with a test meter – 14.4v. Went back to the power pack – 12.8v says the test meter.
I have a variable voltage transformer that I checked this plug-in USB/voltmeter with: from 8v (won't illuminate below 8v) through to 18v it consistently reads 12.5v… so, a useless piece of junk. All it seems to show all the time is 12.5v!
colnerov
Well-Known Member
Be careful with the one long bolt, usually that arrangement on have a solid section to the mounting bracket to tighten against. Don't go too mad tightening the bolt because you could break the ears off the alternator and or the bracket. I've even done it with the two bolt system when the sliding spacer was seized in the alternator and broke the alternator rear casing.